How to Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Online Free from Anywhere

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 is around the corner, as the new season is set to bring a new set of celebrity and professional dancers together into a passionate dancing contest. The season premiered on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 6:35 pm on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer in the UK. However, BBC’s streaming platform is blocked outside UK territories due to geo-restrictions. 

Since BBC iPlayer is not available in any other country, it prevents you from using the media player if you live abroad or travel away from the UK. The service shows an error message after seeing your physical location, but don’t worry - there is a simple and legal way to unblock BBC iPlayer and watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) online from anywhere.

A VPN app will help you in this regard. Once you launch the VPN app and pick a UK server, you just need to let it run in the background to be assigned a British IP address and make the service see you as being in Great Britain. This is what voids the geo-blockade.

This being said, let's see when, where, and how to easily watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) online from anywhere in the world, why you need a VPN, the series preview, episode release schedule, cast, trailer, and more.

How to Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Online With a VPN

It’s easy to watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 online with a VPN after you run the VPN app via a UK server. Here’s a detailed guide on how to do this:

1. Subscribe to a VPN that unblocks BBC iPlayer (we recommend NordVPN).
2. Download and install the native VPN app for your device.
3. Launch the VPN and turn it on via a UK server.
4. Access the BBC iPlayer platform and stream the title.

Why Do You Need a VPN to Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21)?

You need a VPN to watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 because BBC iPlayer is only available for viewers in the UK, and the service has geo-restrictions that won’t let you play titles from its library while being broad unless you use one.

If you try to use the media player while abroad without a VPN, BBC iPlayer sees where you are physically located and shows a geo-related error message that says, "BBC iPlayer only works in the UK. Sorry, it’s due to rights issues."

Using a VPN helps you bypass the geo-restrictions in a few moments. You just need to launch the VPN app and fire it up using a UK server to remove the geo-related error message, as this step changes your IP address to a British one. Now, you can go ahead and stream Strictly Come Dancing Season 21 from anywhere.

NordVPN works with tons of live TV and streaming platforms in an instant, such as BBC iPlayer and more, and we recommend it since it’s one of the best paid VPNs on the market right now.

Where to Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21)

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 debuts with a prerecorded 100 minutes show that airs in the UK on Saturday, September 16, 2023, on BBC One at 6:35 pm, and it streams on BBC iPlayer soon after the broadcast ends. The new Strictly season is expected to have 14 episodes, each 60 minutes long, and we will see one new episode a week. No release date has been announced for the US, Canada, and Australia yet. 

Here's where you can stream Strictly Come Dancing 2023:

Streaming Service	Monthly Price Starting At	Available Locations
BBC iPlayer	Free (with ads)	UK

Next episode: Strictly Come Dancing 2023 Season 21 Episode 9: Week 5 (October 21, 2023).

How to Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) in the UK

If you live in the UK, you can see Season 21 airing on BBC One on Saturday, September 16, 2023, at 6:35 pm local time, and streaming on BBC’s platform soon after. So, you can stream Strictly Come Dancing 2023 on BBC iPlayer for free on-demand, and there is no Strictly Come Dancing live stream. Just log into your free BBC account first.

BBC iPlayer does not work outside the UK due to geo-restrictions, but a trustworthy and capable VPN will circumvent the blockade if you travel abroad as long as you use a UK server.

Can I Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) in the US, Canada, and Australia?

No, you can’t watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 in the US, Canada, and Australia right now, and we don’t have a premiere date for other countries yet.

Until then, you can stream Strictly Come Dancing Season 21 for free on iPlayer in the US, Canada, Australia, and anywhere else in the world if you rely on a premium VPN set to a UK server.

Can You Watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Online Free?

Yes, you can watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 for free since BBC iPlayer is free to access in the UK. If you live in other countries, you can use a VPN.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Preview

Strictly Come Dancing is a hit competition series where couples dance each week in a live show as judges score each performance out of ten, with the lowest-scored couple receiving one point. After the public votes, the couples are ranked again up to ten points, and the couple with the fewest votes receives one point.

The multi-award-winning series brings presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman back in the ballroom as new celebrities, alongside some of the most talented Latin and Ballroom professional dancers from all across the globe, take the floor in a bid to lift the Glitterball Trophy.

This year, the judges are Craig Revel Horwood, Let’s Dance Germany judge Motsi Mabuse, NTA-winning judge Anton Du Beke, and the Queen of Latin Shirley Ballas, who will return as head judge, with Dave Arch and his band providing the soundtrack once again.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Contestants

• Amanda Abbington (51, actor)
• Angela Rippon CBE (78, newsreader and presenter)
• Layton Williams (28, actor, singer, and dancer)
• Krishnan Guru-Murthy (53, journalist, newsreader)
• Eddie Kadi (40, comedian, presenter, and actor)
• Angela Scanlon (39, TV presenter)
• Zara McDermott (26, BBC Three documentary filmmaker and reality TV star)
• Adam Thomas (34, actor and television presenter)
• Nikita Kanda (27, radio host and TV presenter)
• Ellie Leach (22, actor)
• Jody Cundy CBE (44, paralympian cyclist and former swimmer)
• Bobby Brazier (20, actor and model)
• Nigel Harman (49, actor)
• Annabel Croft (tennis legend and TV presenter)
• Les Dennis (69, TV presenter, actor and comedian)

Who Are the Strictly 2023 Professional Dancers?

• Dianne Buswell
• Nadiya Bychkova
• Graziano Di Prima
• Amy Dowden
• Karen Hauer
• Katya Jones
• Neil Jones
• Nikita Kuzmin
• Gorka Marquez
• Luba Mushtuk
• Giovanni Pernice
• Jowita Przystal
• Johannes Radebe
• Kai Widdrington
• Nancy Xu
• Carlos Gu
• Lauren Oakley
• Michelle Tsiakkas
• Vito Coppola

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Episodes

• Season 21 Episode 1: Launch Show (September 16, 2023) - Strictly Come Dancing is back! Join Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as 15 brand new celebrities are welcomed to the Strictly ballroom.
• Season 21 Episode 2: Week 1 (September 23, 2023) - Tess and Claud are back with the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2023, opening with a stunning group performance from our professional dancers showing the brand new cast how it’s done.
• Season 21 Episode 3: Week 2 (September 30, 2023) - The 15 new couples return live to the Strictly ballroom and perform to keep their place in the competition. The week one leaderboard stands as the judges scores have been carried over from last week, and at the end of the show, the public vote will open for the first time this series.
• Season 21 Episode 4: Week 2 Results (October 1, 2023) - It’s the first results show of the series, and it opens with an incredible group number medley in tribute to the iconic Tina Turner.
• Season 21 Episode 5: Week 3 (October 7, 2023) - The magic of the movies comes to the Strictly ballroom as the show opens with a beautiful routine by our professional dancers celebrating 100 years of Disney.
• Season 21 Episode 6: Week 3 Results (October 8, 2023) - Movie Week continues. Opening the results show, our professional dancers take us on a visit to Barbie Land, and the incredible Madison Beer performs in the ballroom.
• Season 21 Episode 7: Week 4 (October 14, 2023) - It’s week four of the competition, and our remaining couples are back on the ballroom floor, dancing for your votes at home.
• Season 21 Episode 8: Week 4 Results (October 15, 2023) - The results show opens with a beautiful love story from our professional dancers, and the incredible Beverley Knight performs in the ballroom.
• Season 21 Episode 9: Week 5 (October 21, 2023) - Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman present live from the Strictly Ballroom as the remaining couples take to the floor with more brand new, spectacular routines.

Strictly Come Dancing 2023 (Season 21) Trailer

Final Thoughts

You can easily watch Strictly Come Dancing 2023 on iPlayer in the UK, but you will need a VPN app running via a UK server to unblock iPlayer if you live in another country or are traveling away from the UK since this streaming service does not work abroad.

We recommend NordVPN for streaming services since it offers access to thousands of VPN servers worldwide, military-grade encryption, no logs, high speeds, stable connections, and no bandwidth caps. Plus, the company’s money-back guarantee policy lets you try NordVPN for 30 days risk-free.