Strictly Come Dancing Ratings See Slight Rise, But Remain Below Pre-Scandal Figures

The launch of the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing, featuring a new hosting lineup and format, saw a slight increase in peak viewership compared to the previous year, but overall ratings remain below levels recorded before recent controversies impacted the BBC show.

The pre-recorded launch episode, which revealed the celebrity pairings for the season, peaked at 5.8 million viewers, a marginal increase from last year's 5.6 million peak, according to overnight figures. However, the average viewership for the episode was 5.3 million, down from 5.4 million in 2025.

These figures fall significantly short of the ratings achieved prior to a series of controversies that led to the departure of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima and prompted the BBC to implement stricter welfare measures. In 2023, the Strictly launch show peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million.

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe have taken over hosting duties from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who departed at the end of the 2025 series. The new trio opened the show with the professional dancers, judges, and the 15 celebrity contestants.

Viewers on social media shared mixed reactions to the new presenting team. Emma Willis received praise for her performance, while others found the three-presenter format to be "awkward and forced." Some viewers also expressed the opinion that Widdicombe appeared "out of his depth."

In a tactical scheduling move, ITV's The Voice, also hosted by Emma Willis, began its broadcast earlier at 6:10 p.m. to avoid a direct clash with Strictly, which started at 7:25 p.m. Despite this, The Voice's viewership peaked at 2 million and averaged 1.6 million, a decrease from the previous week. This scheduling saw Willis effectively competing against herself on primetime television, drawing a combined audience of approximately 7 million viewers across both programs.

Strictly Come Dancing's first live show of the new series is scheduled for next Saturday at 6:15 p.m. on BBC One and iPlayer.