Strictly Come Dancing Launches New Spin-Off Show Amid Host Shake-Up and Ratings Concerns
A new BBC iPlayer series, 'Strictly: Lights Up,' aims to attract younger viewers with a TikTok star and former contestant at the helm.
Strictly Come Dancing bosses have introduced a new spin-off show, 'Strictly: Lights Up,' in an effort to engage a younger audience, following the debut of a revamped hosting lineup. The new series will air on BBC iPlayer each Sunday night after the main results show.
Fronting the spin-off are TikTok comedian Abi Clarke, 30, and former Strictly contestant Tyler West, 30. Clarke, who gained popularity through viral comedy sketches during the COVID-19 pandemic and boasts a significant following on TikTok, is expected to appeal to a younger demographic.
The new show will feature immediate reactions from the couple eliminated each week, interviews with their dance-off opponents, judges, new hosts, and other guests. This initiative comes after the recent launch of the main series saw new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe take over.
Despite the changes, the series premiere on Saturday night did not achieve the desired ratings boost for the BBC. Overnight figures indicated a peak viewership of 5.8 million, a slight increase from the previous year's 5.6 million peak. However, the average viewership for the episode was 5.3 million, down from 5.4 million in the prior year.
While the peak figure shows a marginal gain, it remains considerably lower than pre-scandal ratings. The show experienced a peak of 6.7 million viewers and an average of 6.3 million in 2023, before controversies surrounding contestant treatment and backstage culture led to significant welfare measure introductions and the departure of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima.
Bosses had hoped the new format and hosting team would recapture lapsed viewers. The launch episode featured a dance number from the professionals and the new hosts, with the 15 celebrity contestants learning their professional partners for the season. Willis, Widdicombe, and Radebe have replaced former hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who departed at the end of the 2025 series.