Sir Bruce Forsyth last night said goodbye to Strictly Come Dancing.
The 86-year-old star - who has been host of the BBC One celebrity dance contest alongside Tess Daly since the show first began in 2004 - took part in a special routine on the first episode of the new series last night, to mark his departure.
Sir Bruce ForsythThe veteran entertainer led a "flashmob" dance before officially handing over his duties to Tess and Claudia Winkleman, 42 - who replaced Bruce on the Sunday shows last year after a successful stint on Strictly spin-off show, 'Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two'.
Bruce stood down from the show at the end of the last series - which saw Olympic gymnast Louis Smith take home the coveted glitterball trophy - because he wanted to leave "the rigours" of live television behind.
However, he will continue to present one-off episodes such as the Christmas and Children in Need specials.
Announcing his departure from the show last year, he said: "[Live television] takes its toll when you've been doing it for many years, it's a pressure thing.
"But I'm not retiring, that's the last thing in the world I want to do. This isn't Brucie walking into the sunset."
This year's celebrity contestants, who include former 'The Only Way Is Essex' star Mark Wright, The Saturdays singer Frankie Bridge, 'EastEnders' actor Jake Wood and 'Mama Do' hitmaker Pixie Lott, also discovered the identity of their dance partners on the series premiere.
The pairings are as follows:
Steve Backshall and Ola Jordan
Frankie Bridge and Kevin Clifton
Thom Evans and Iveta Lukosiute
Caroline Flack and Pasha Kovalev
Jennifer Gibney and Tristan McManus
Alison Hammond and Aljaz Skorjanec
Pixie Lott and Trent Whiddon
Scott Mills and Joanne Clifton
Judy Murray and Anton Du Beke
Sunetra Sarker and Brendan Cole
Greg Wallace and Aliona Vilani
Simon Webbe and Kristina Rihanoff
Tim Wonnacott and Natalie Lowe
Jake Wood and Janette Manrara
Mark Wright and Karen Hauer
Tagged in Claudia Winkleman Tess Daly Mark Wright