Strictly Come Dancing series 18

The couples dance each week in a live show. The judges score each performance out of ten. The couples are then ranked according to the judges' scores and given points according to their rank, with the lowest scored couple receiving one point, and the highest scored couple receiving the most points (the maximum number of points available depends on the number of couples remaining in the competition). The public are also invited to vote for their favourite couples, and the couples are ranked again according to the number of votes they receive, again receiving points; the couple with the fewest votes receiving one point, and the couple with the most votes receiving the most points. The points for judges' score and public vote are then added together, and the two couples with the fewest points are placed in the bottom two. If two couples have equal points, the points from the public vote are given precedence. As with the previous series, the bottom two couples have to perform a dance-off on the results show. Based on that performance alone, each judge then votes on which couple should stay and which couple should leave, with Shirley Ballas, as head judge, having the last and deciding vote. ==Professional dancers ==

On 6 March 2020, Kevin Clifton announced he was leaving the show after seven years. Despite being confirmed in the 2020 professional line-up, on 26 March 2020, AJ Pritchard announced he was leaving the show after four years. The other professional dancers from 2019 were all confirmed to be returning for the series. Neil Jones and Nadiya Bychkova only featured in group dances after having partners the previous year, alongside Graziano Di Prima and Nancy Xu. Due to the pandemic, several changes had to be made in how the professional dancers performed. Firstly, the dancers had to shield at home for two weeks. They then formed a bubble which allowed them to stay in a hotel , where they could practise their routines. All of the group dances were pre-recorded. ==Couples==

This series featured twelve celebrity contestants. On 1 September 2020, the first three celebrities announced were Caroline Quentin, Jason Bell, and Max George. On 2 September 2020, it was announced that Olympic boxer Nicola Adams would be part of the first same-sex partnership. On 3 September 2020, Made in Chelsea star Jamie Laing was confirmed to be participating in the series after having to withdraw from the seventeenth series due to a foot injury. Celebrity reveals continued throughout the week until the full line-up was revealed on 4 September 2020. On 12 November 2020, it was announced that Katya Jones had tested positive for COVID-19, which meant that she and Nicola Adams had to withdraw from the competition due to the government's guidelines on self-isolation. ==Scoring chart==

The highest score each week is indicated in with a dagger (), while the lowest score each week is indicated in with a double-dagger (). Color key: } | 25+23=48 ;Notes Average chart This table only counts for dances scored on a 30-point scale. ==Weekly scores==

''Unless indicated otherwise, individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse''. Week 1 There was no elimination this week; all scores and votes carried over to the following week. Couples are listed in the order they performed. Week 2 Musical guest: Sam Smith — "Diamonds" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Jamie & Karen • Mabuse: Jamie & Karen • Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Jamie & Karen Week 3: Movie Week Musical guests: The Kanneh-Masons — "Ave Maria" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Nicola & Katya • Mabuse: Nicola & Katya • Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Nicola & Katya Week 4 ''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke''. Musical guest: The Vamps — "Married in Vegas" Anton Du Beke substituted for Motsi Mabuse, who was forced to miss two weeks due to having travelled outside the United Kingdom. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Maisie & Gorka • Du Beke: Maisie & Gorka • Ballas: Did not vote, but would have voted to save Max & Dianne Week 5 ''Individual judges' scores in the charts below (given in parentheses) are listed in this order from left to right: Craig Revel Horwood, Shirley Ballas, Anton Du Beke''. Musical guest: Billy Ocean — "Love Really Hurts Without You", "Red Light Spells Danger" & "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" Anton Du Beke again substituted for Motsi Mabuse.Dance guests: Michael & Jowita — "Spectrum (Say My Name)" Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Clara & Aljaž • Mabuse: Jamie & Karen • Ballas: Jamie & Karen Week 7: Musicals Week (Quarter-final) Musical guest: Marisha Wallace — "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" (from The Sound of Music) Couples are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Jamie & Karen • Mabuse: JJ & Amy • Ballas: Jamie & Karen Week 8: Semi-final Musical guest: Little Mix — "Break Up Song" Each couple performed two routines, and are listed in the order they performed. ;Judges' votes to save • Horwood: Jamie & Karen • Mabuse: Ranvir & Giovanni • Ballas: Jamie & Karen Week 9: Final Musical guest: Robbie Williams — "Time for Change" Each couple performed three routines: one chosen by the judges, their favourite dance of the season, and their showdance routine. Couples are listed in the order they performed. ==Dance chart==

The couples performed the following each week: • Weeks 1–7: One unlearned dance • Week 8 (Semifinal): Two unlearned dances • Week 9 (Final): Judges' choice, showdance & favourite dance of the series ==Ratings==

Weekly ratings for each show on BBC One. All ratings are provided by BARB. ==References==