Strictly Come Dancing 2020 will have a studio audience, BBC confirms

A "reduced audience" will be welcomed back to the studio for the competition, with Strictly Come Dancing tickets allocated to groups of four in order to allow fans to come along as a family bubble or household group.

Unsurprisingly, a range of safety measures will be in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, with plain black face coverings mandatory throughout the recording, social distancing being practised and the NHS Test and Trace scheme in use.

The BBC says because space in the studio is at a premium and a huge demand for tickets is expected, anyone who is successful in the random draw will be guaranteed admission - with each family group given an arrival time and asked to confirm their attendance ahead of the recording.

Registration for those hoping to apply is open now and will remain so until 10pm on Sunday 20th September, with applicants able to register for a maximum of four tickets per show.

As usual, registering for the draw is not a guarantee of receiving tickets, with tickets dispatched to successful applicants two-three weeks before each recording.

Earlier in the year it was reported that plans for the 2020 edition of the dance extravaganza included the possibility of no live studio audience for Strictly, so the new information will come as welcome news to the show's millions of fans.

Of course, some changes will be made to the series in order to ensure the safety of cast, crew and audience - with one such change being the scrapping of the annual Blackpool Week in favour of a Blackpool-themed week that will take place in the usual studio.

There is also a slightly smaller Strictly Come Dancing line-up than usual, with 12 celebrities taking part in this year's series including Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh, BBC Radio 1 DJ Clara Amfo and boxer Nicola Adams, who will be one half of the show's first ever same-sex pairing.

Strictly Come Dancing is set to return to BBC One this Autumn. You can see the full celebrity Strictly Come Dancing line-up here. To find out what else is on in the mean time, check out our TV Guide.