Strictly breaks barrier but fewer fans give it a whirl
STRICTLY Come Dancing’s dramatic return included its first all-male dance pairing – but was hit by a big fall in the number of viewers.
Bake Off star John Whaite and pro dancer Johannes Radebe dazzled on the flagship BBC One show.
With hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman back at the helm other firsts included EastEnders star Rose Ayling-Ellis becoming its first deaf contestant and ex-dancer Anton Du Beke taking his seat as a permanent judge.
But the BBC confirmed an average 7million people watched, peaking at 7.3million – down from 8.6million with a 9million peak last year.
Audience share was higher at 44.7 per cent compared to 42.2 per cent in 2020, but that was during unusually strong ratings due to the pandemic.
Some viewers criticised changes to the show – launched in 2004 and now in its 19th series – including pro-celeb pairings being revealed in video films rather than during the live show. One fan tweeted: ‘If the format aint broke, don’t fix it.’ Another posted: ‘Drawn out + tedious to put it mildly.’ One added: ‘Am I the only one who is finding this new intro format annoying? Get on with it.’ But one hit back: ‘I much prefer this format to faux guessing on previous years.’ Pre-recording appeared to have been wise though – the BBC confirmed a professional dancer had tested positive for Covid-19 but the launch would be unaffected as it was pre-recorded. Contenders this year include Coronation Street actress Katie McGlynn, dancing with Gorka Marquez, and Karen Hauer, teamed with Sense And Sensibility actor Greg Wise.