BREAKING NEWS: Strictly launch show viewing figures revealed in devastating blow to BBC
The Strictly Come Dancing launch show didn’t deliver the ratings BBC bosses hoped for.
Strictly’s series 24 aired on Saturday (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing finally made its series 24 premiere with the new hosting trio, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe making their eagerly awaited debut. Although Saturday’s (September 19) launch show also unveiled the celebrity contestants and their pairings, the show reportedly failed to deliver the ratings boost BBC bosses had hoped for. The revamped competition series peaked at 5.8 million viewers, according to overnight figures, up slightly on last year’s peak of 5.6 million.
The episode averaged at 5.3 million viewers, down from 5.4 million in 2025. Although the peak figure shows a small rise compared to last year, it remains lower than the figures recorded before Strictly was hit by a string of controversies. This includes the departures of pros Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima after allegations of their treatment of celebrity contestants. Before the scandals, the launch peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million in 2023.
The new hosting trio made their Strictly debut (Image: BBC)
According to the MailOnline, bosses are said to have hoped that a fresh format and new hosting line-up could tempt the vanished viewers back to the BBC favourite.
Yet the overnight figures suggest the changes have not produced a significant ratings resurgence.
Pre-recorded last week, the episode opened with a dance number by the professionals, including the five new dancers: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.
Despite this, viewers voiced a common complaint throughout the episode after a number of fans aired their frustration at failing to recognise many of the names, with some branding it the “worst line-up ever”.
Strictly fans aired frustrations (Image: BBC)
The full line-up of contestants includes Lacey Turner, Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Chris Appleton, Cach Mercer, Will Best, Dame Sarah Storey and Jaime Winstone.
Alongside Bethany Antonia, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Graeme Hall, Lawrence Robb, Tabby Stoecker, John Nellis and Melanie Walters.
Among the complaints, one wrote: “Not got the foggiest who half of these are” As a second echoed: “When they say, ‘Let’s meet the celebrities’, I never tire of saying ‘Who?’ for every single ‘celebrity’.”
As another accused the programme of “Scraping the barrel, I only know two names.” While a fourth viewer stated: “Not got a clue who any of them are.”
