Strictly Come Dancing 2025: BBC viewers spot launch change

Strictly Come Dancing is back with a bang for its 20th anniversary – but fans have spotted a huge change straight away.

15 brand new celebrities and their pro partners are ready to take to the ballroom floor in hopes of winning the iconic Glitterball Trophy.

But it wasn't just the contestants that got people talking during the glitzy launch show.

Viewers immediately noticed that the judges' panel looked strikingly different this year.

What's changed on the Strictly 2025 panel?

Last year, Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke were each given their own separate desks.

There was a small gap between each one, keeping the judges at a slight distance from each other.

The format change was originally introduced during the pandemic, when large perspex screens divided the panel for safety reasons.

That shift eventually led to the panel being split into individual desks – a setup that's lasted ever since.

But long-time Strictly fans will remember that before Covid, back in 2019, the judges always sat together behind one single desk.

Cheeky Craig couldn't resist making a sly dig about the changes on the night.

"I much prefer it with the two inch gap and the perspex screens," he joked, as Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly gushed over the brand new desk.

The audience roared with laughter, while viewers at home rushed to social media to give their verdict.

It turns out Strictly diehards were delighted to see the long judges' table back on their screens.

"WELCOME BACK ONE LONG JUDGES DESK," one excited fan wrote in all caps.

Another echoed: "The old desk is back. Finally!"

While a third added: "THE FULL JUDGES DESK IS BACK."

Safe to say, the return of the iconic desk has proved just as popular as this year's new batch of celebs.

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