A Strictly Come Dancing rep has issued a statement in response to reports that the show has lost more than a million viewers since last year’s season.
Over the weekend, Strictly returned with its first live show of 2026, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as its new hosts.
The following morning, it was reported that Strictly had pulled in an average of 4.8 million viewers for its first live show, a decrease of 1.4 million compared to the previous series’ first live show.
Strictly Come Dancing's judges and hosts performing during Saturday's live showIt also marked the first time in seven years that numbers for the inaugural live show were lower than the pre-recorded launch, which airs a week earlier.
A Strictly spokesperson subsequently told TV Zone on Sunday: “Strictly was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of five million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world.”
It should be noted that Strictly was up against an England match on Saturday night, with the show since landing a high placement on the BBC iPlayer’s chart of its most popular shows.
Meanwhile, it should be noted that the new presenting trio received something of a mixed reception from critics – with many already putting forward the same suggestion to improve things.
The cast of Strictly Come Dancing being interviewed in this year's pre-recorded launchAs has become tradition for the first live show of a new season, all 15 celebrities performed with their professional partners on Saturday night, with none of them being sent home.
However, after this week’s upcoming Movie Week special, the first dance-off and elimination of this year’s run will air as part of Sunday night’s pre-recorded results show.
Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday night at 6.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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