Strictly viewers turn off ‘sweet’ show en masse because it doesn’t address bullying scandals

Strictly Come Dancing viewers have admitted they tuned out the show because it was “too saccharine” amid harassment scandals.

The dance competition was dealt another blow this weekend as the first live episode saw its lowest viewing figures ever.

Despite celebrating the 20th anniversary of the beloved BBC show, it only had 6.7 million viewers at its peak, down from 7.3 million for the same episode last year and 10.2 million in 2020.

The show has been at the center of controversy over the way professional dancers teach the stars, with accusations of bullying and aggressive behavior being leveled.

While the BBC has introduced new anti-bullying measures for stars, including a dedicated helpline and carers at rehearsals, these issues were not addressed during broadcast.

Between the inaugural show earlier this month and the live broadcast on Saturday, fans have expressed their disappointment and explained why they were unable to watch the show this year.

They shared: “So much love in the room, almost too sweet, I hope everyone gets along this year and there’s no drama. #Strictly’; “Can we just dance? I’m not interested in real life stories.”; “I agree. This isn’t X Factor and we don’t need sob stories about failed celebrities. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly’

‘Every time someone sheds an emotional tear or tells a sad story they lose 5 points. Agreed? Agreed. #Strictly’; ‘Oh god everyone is just too nice on Strictly, next year we’re going to start hearing horror stories and scandals, #Strictly’; It seems like we’ve overdone it this year, maybe because of the scandals #Strictly #BBCStrictly (sic)’

All 15 stars and their partners took to the dance floor for the first live show following last weekend’s premiere, during which the couples were first announced.

A source told The Sun bosses were concerned as they were already “worried” after the pre-recorded show lost almost a million viewers compared to the previous year.

They said: “The fact that the first live show also saw a drop will be a cause for concern for them – especially if the drop continues next week when the first elimination show takes place.

They are now eagerly awaiting to see if the drop in evening viewership will be offset by a rise in the number of fans watching Strictly on iPlayer, but that data is taking days and weeks to gather.

“These ongoing statistics are significant for the BBC as Strictly is still seen as one of the few programmes that provides a communal viewing experience where people come together to watch it at a set time.”

AND BBC A spokesperson told MailOnline: “Overnights no longer provides an accurate picture of all those watching the programme on demand.”

The Strictly scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her co-star Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly left the show just five weeks after it ended.

Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, has made a number of accusations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and described his behavior as “unnecessary, abusive, cruel and vile.” He vehemently denies all of these claims.

Then in July it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been fired from Strictly for “kicking out” his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

Judge Shirley Ballas apologised on Saturday after shocking the audience by kissing fellow judge Motsi Mabuse during the first live performance on Saturday night.

The 64-year-old dance expert was giving advice to Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his dance partner Nadia Bychkova on their tango performance while she improvised her own show.

Shirley explained that the style was “completely about attitude” and asked Motsi to help illustrate that point.

Anton Du Beke encouraged them by shouting “Come on, girls!” – just as Shirley moved her head in a certain direction and accidentally connected her lips with Motsi.

On Sunday morning after the show ended, Shirley broke her silence, writing on Instagram about what happened, and joked: “Sorry @motsimabuse you moved your head too soon! @bbcstrictly what did you think of last night’s show?”

Strictly returned for its 20th series after recovering from a bullying scandal, with fan favourites Amy Dowden and Aljaz Škorjanec joining the cast.

The BBC dance show has had a difficult year after a number of its contestants were accused of abuse by professional dancers.

Fans were delighted as Amy returned to the dance floor to dance a stunning waltz with her partner, JLS star JB.

Meanwhile, Aljaz performed an equally amazing routine with his partner Tasha Ghouri, wowing the judges with their exhilarating Cha Cha dance.

To everyone’s surprise, one star was spotted in the audience – Zara, who was at the centre of the scandal – as she turned up at the show to support her pal Pete Wicks.

Amy, 34, made a stunning comeback and told host Claudia: “I’m so happy I could burst” after scoring an impressive 31 points on the dance floor.

The fan favourite performed a moving waltz to Leo Sayer’s When I Need You, which moved judges and fans alike.

Viewership figures for last week’s show revealed that 5.5 million viewers tuned in to watch the stars perform with professional dancers, while in 2023 the figure was 6.2 million.

The BBC avoided mentioning the scandals surrounding the show in its inaugural episode.

Presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly enthusiastically introduced this year’s stars and announced which dancers they would be paired with – but last year’s controversy was not mentioned.