Strictly Come Dancing returns to our screens tonight and former Bolton School student Max George will be taking part.

The 31-year-old singer and actor is best known for being one fifth of pop band The Wanted alongside Jay McGuiness, Tom Parker, Nathan Sykes and Siva Kaneswaran.

The launch show will be broadcast tonight on BBC One at 7.50pm.

Max is the second band member to take part after McGuiness won the show back in 2015 with dance partner Aliona Vilani.

It was announced in September that Max would be taking part.

Talking about Strictly, Max joked: “Buzzing to be on Strictly this year. Not really one for the dance floor, but I take a lot of comfort in the fact that Jay McGuiness set The Wanted’s bar so low....”

This year’s series will be shorter than usual due to the pandemic.

Judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas will return to the panel this year.

Bruno Tonioli will initially be absent from the Saturday night panel because he is in the US as a judge on Dancing With The Stars.

However he will join remotely for the Sunday night results show and is due to return full-time towards the end of the series, the BBC has said.

The show will take place in front of a much-reduced live audience.

Coronavirus measures also mean that while couples will be in close quarters with each other during rehearsals and performances, they will socially distance from other contestants.

Either the professional dancer or the celebrity will also be living on their own for the duration of the series as they form an exclusive support bubble.