Strictly Come Dancing quarter-final moves to Friday due to World Cup
FIFA's global tournament is taking place in winter for the first time in history.
Strictly Come Dancing will give up its usual Saturday primetime slot on December's Musicals Week in order to make room for a World Cup game, the BBC has confirmed.
The regular themed edition of the celebrity dance competition is a favourite of fans, seeing contestants perform routines choreographed to popular showtunes.
However, now that one of the 'Round of 16' World Cup matches has been pencilled in for 7pm (GMT) on Saturday 3rd December, the special episode has been moved to Friday while the results show airs before the football game on the Saturday.
Strictly Come Dancing's Musicals Week will be broadcast live on BBC One at 8pm on Friday 2nd December, while the results show will air at 5:40pm on Saturday 3rd December if there's football airing on BBC One over the 7:30pm slot.
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After last weekend's performances, current favourites to lift Strictly's iconic Glitterball trophy include Hamza Yassin, Helen Skelton and Will Mellor, while people's champ Tony Adams has bowed out of the contest due to injury.
While fans of the long-running BBC competition series are on the edge of their seats as it nears its final weeks, conversation is also likely to be dominated by football as the World Cup kicks off.
Though host country Qatar has been criticised for its human rights record, including treatment of LGBTQ+ people, it is still likely to draw in huge viewership as England fans hope for a performance on par with the exhilarating Euro 2020.
Strictly has never had to worry about clashing with the World Cup before as the tournament usually takes place in the summer, but was moved to winter in this instance due to the particularly hot weather conditions in Qatar.
The World Cup final will take place on Sunday 18th December at 3pm (GMT), although it remains to be seen which two countries will be left to battle for that most coveted of trophies.
Read more: Strictly Between Us: Week 9 – big Blackpool numbers, 40 for Hamza and other predictions
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 19th November at 7:45pm on BBC One. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage, and visit our TV Guide or Streaming Guide to find out what to watch.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
