Strictly Come Dancing achieved its best opening ratings for three years with a show that featured its first celebrity same-sex couple, Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams and dancer Katya Jones. The BBC One show attracted an average of 8.6 million viewers on Saturday evening, with a peak audience of 9 million, a spokesman said.
Covid-19 safety measures substantially changed the feel of the BBC's most popular reality show. There was a reduced studio audience with mandatory face masks, and celebrities and their professional dancers have formed support bubbles. This year there are 12 celebrity contestants instead of 15, with a reduced run of nine weeks rather than the usual 13.
Adams, who won gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics, said her partnership with Jones was "a brilliant step in the right direction, especially on the diversity side of things". The BBC announced in September that Adams had requested a same-sex partner, after the corporation said it would be "completely open" to having same-sex couples compete.
Other couples include comedian Bill Bailey with Oti Mabuse, Good Morning Britain presenter Ranvir Singh with Giovanni Pernice, EastEnders' Maisie Smith with Gorka Márquez, and actor Caroline Quentin with Johannes Radebe, who performed the show's first same-sex routine with fellow professional Graziano di Prima in 2019.
The 2020 opener markedly improved on last year, which launched with an average audience of 7.8 million. The BBC has defended its decision not to disclose the Strictly hosts' pay after criticism about transparency. The Mail on Sunday reported that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are each paid £350,000, but the corporation confirmed that because the show is produced by BBC Studios, a commercial organisation, it is not required to disclose their pay.
