While Saturday night’s Strictly Come Dancing launch mostly served as a joyful reminder of what has made the show such a hit in the last 20 years, it also ended on a more serious note.
After the credits rolled on the pre-recorded launch, the show took a moment to pay tribute to two former cast members that have died since the show last aired, remembering former professional Robin Windsor and Dave Myers.
“In loving memory,” a title card read, alongside photos of both Robin and Dave during their time on the show.
Robin was part of the Strictly family for five series, dancing as part of the show’s resident team of professionals.
In that time, he was paired up with actors Patsy Kensit and Anita Dobson, Dragon’s Den panellist Deborah Meaden and soap star Lisa Riley, his most famous partnership.
After leaving Strictly ahead of the 2014 series, he briefly returned to the show to take part in a group number which marked the first time that pairs of same-sex dancers had performed together on the show, something Robin had long championed.
Like Dave, he died in February 2024.
Dave – best known as one half of the chef duo The Hairy Bikers – took part in Strictly back in 2013, during which he was paired up with Karen Hauer.
The two lasted seven weeks in the competition until they landed in the bottom two for the first time and were sent home by the judges.
Following the launch show, this year’s 15 Strictly couples are now in rehearsals for the first live show of the series, which airs on Saturday night on BBC One.