BREAKING: Strictly Launch Show Hit By Devastating Blow BBC Bosses Won’t Want To See
Strictly Come Dancing returned for its 24th series with a major new-look format and three new presenters — but the launch reportedly failed to deliver the ratings surge BBC bosses had been hoping for.
Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe made their much-anticipated hosting debut on Saturday night, September 19, as the 2026 celebrity contestants were officially introduced and paired with their professional dancers.
According to overnight viewing figures cited in the report, the launch peaked at 5.8 million viewers.
That was slightly higher than last year’s peak of 5.6 million.
However, the average audience slipped from 5.4 million in 2025 to 5.3 million this year.
The figures therefore suggest that while the revamped launch attracted a marginally bigger peak audience, it did not produce the significant ratings revival reportedly hoped for.
[
Ratings Still Below Earlier Strictly Years
The latest audience figures remain lower than those recorded before a period of controversy surrounding the BBC competition.
In 2023, the launch reportedly peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million.
Since then, Strictly has undergone several major changes.
Professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima both left the programme following separate controversies and allegations concerning their treatment of celebrity partners.
The show has also now lost longtime presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down last year.
Their departure paved the way for one of the biggest presenting shake-ups in Strictly history.
Emma, Josh and Johannes have taken over as the programme’s first-ever three-person hosting team.
BBC Reportedly Hoped Revamp Would Bring Viewers Back
According to MailOnline, BBC bosses had hoped the combination of new presenters and a refreshed format would tempt viewers back to the ballroom.
The overnight figures indicate there was no dramatic jump in the audience for the launch show.
However, the peak did improve slightly compared with 2025, meaning the changes did not result in an outright fall across every measurement.
The episode had been pre-recorded the previous week and began with a large opening routine featuring the professional dancers.
Five new professionals also made their first appearances: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.
Viewers Complain About Celebrity Line-Up
Ratings were not the only subject generating discussion during the launch.
A number of viewers took to social media to complain that they did not recognise many of this year’s celebrity contestants.
Some went as far as branding the 2026 cast the “worst line-up ever”.
The full cast includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey and Jaime Winstone.
They are joined by Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis and Melanie Walters.
One viewer complained: “Not got the foggiest who half of these are.”
Another joked: “When they say, ‘Let’s meet the celebrities’, I never tire of saying ‘Who?’ for every single ‘celebrity’.”
A third claimed the programme was “scraping the barrel”, adding that they recognised only two names.
Another simply wrote: “Not got a clue who any of them are.”
Those comments represent individual viewer reactions rather than a measure of how the wider audience feels about the cast.
New Strictly Era Faces Early Test
The 2026 series has introduced several major changes at once.
Along with its new presenters and professional dancers, the launch also featured a revamped celebrity pairing system, with stars discovering their partners during specially choreographed routines rather than through the more familiar reveal format used in recent years.
That meant the BBC entered the new series with a clear attempt to refresh one of its biggest entertainment programmes.
But the first overnight ratings suggest the overhaul has not immediately restored Strictly to the audience levels seen several years ago.
The 5.8 million peak was an improvement on last year, but the slightly lower average audience means the overall picture is more mixed.
It is also only the launch show, with the live competition still ahead and plenty of time for viewing figures to change as audiences become more familiar with the new presenters, contestants and format.
For now, though, the BBC’s heavily revamped Strictly era has begun without the dramatic ratings bounce some reportedly hoped it would deliver.
