Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Icons Week: Jaime Winstone and Cach Mercer at the Top

Strictly Come Dancing 2026 Icons Week brought music legends into the ballroom on Saturday 17 October, with Jaime Winstone and Cach Mercer sharing the top of the leaderboard during the show’s 2026 Icons Week. Both celebrities earned 34 points from the judges, setting up an intriguing results show on Sunday evening.

The special episode saw the remaining contestants celebrate performers including David Bowie, Frank Sinatra, Mariah Carey and Elton John. Twelve couples danced after singer Delta Goodrem was ruled out of this week’s live competition through injury. According to The Independent’s coverage of Saturday’s show, Goodrem and professional partner Kai Widdrington received a bye into the following week.

David Bowie and Frank Sinatra inspire the joint leaders

Actor Jaime Winstone and professional partner Carlos Gu impressed with a paso doble set to David Bowie’s Let’s Dance. Their performance earned 34 out of 40, including two scores of nine. The routine combined the drama of the paso doble with a musical tribute to one of Britain’s most distinctive pop figures.

Winstone’s score was matched by Cach Mercer and Maddie Ingoldsby, whose foxtrot to Frank Sinatra’s Theme From New York, New York offered a very different interpretation of Icons Week. The ballroom number leaned into classic styling and controlled movement rather than the theatrical power of the Bowie routine. The Guardian’s live report confirmed the joint leaders and highlighted the contrast between the two performances.

The tie is especially significant because it leaves both partnerships in a strong position on judges’ scores without guaranteeing their safety. As ever on Strictly, the public vote also matters, and a high position on Saturday’s leaderboard does not automatically settle the outcome of the weekend.

Elton John jive brings another high score

Will Best and Dianne Buswell closed the live show with an energetic jive to Elton John’s Crocodile Rock. They scored 31 points, putting them just behind the two leading couples. The routine gave the episode another recognisably British musical moment and showed how different dance styles can bring familiar hits into a new setting.

Elsewhere, the night’s song choices stretched across generations. Bethany Antonia and Nancy Xu danced a cha cha to Aretha Franklin’s Respect, bringing an all-female partnership into the Icons Week spotlight. Other musical selections featured modern pop and rock alongside the established legends, giving the programme a soundtrack with appeal beyond its regular ballroom audience.

The broad selection of performers is central to the theme. Instead of concentrating on one decade or genre, Icons Week allows each couple to explore a different musical identity, with choreography, costume and staging helping to tell the story. For viewers who follow pop music as closely as the competition, the episode offered a succession of familiar cultural references.

Dame Sarah Storey faces an anxious results show

At the other end of Saturday’s leaderboard, Dame Sarah Storey and Julian Caillon received 21 points for their tango to Shania Twain’s That Don’t Impress Me Much. Dani Dyer and Nikita Kuzmin scored 25 for a rumba to Mariah Carey’s Hero. Both couples therefore enter the results programme with fewer judges’ points than many of their competitors.

That does not mean either couple has been eliminated. The dance-off participants and the departing celebrity will only be confirmed during the results show. Saturday’s scores provide part of the picture, but public support can alter the order once the votes are combined.

Madonna and Dolly Parton tributes still to come

Icons Week continues on Sunday 18 October with a results programme that is also set to pay tribute to two major women in popular music. Programme details reported ahead of the weekend confirm a professional group dance inspired by different eras of Madonna’s career, while singer Belles will perform Jolene in a tribute to Dolly Parton.

Those performances should give the themed week a musical finale beyond the competitive results. The enduring appeal of artists such as Madonna, Bowie and Aretha Franklin is clear from their ability to inspire new interpretations on prime-time television, even when the dancers bring very different skills and personalities to the floor.

For now, Jaime Winstone and Cach Mercer share the honour of leading Icons Week on judges’ points. The question awaiting viewers on Sunday is whether those strong performances will carry them safely through the public vote, and which couple will be leaving the ballroom next.