Strictly Come Dancing's overnight viewing figures have fallen this series, with the show now being beaten in the ratings by The Great British Bake Off and Celebrity Traitors. Fans have taken to social media to 'work out the reason' for the decline.
Ratings Drop Below 5 Million
The live Saturday main show overnight figures dropped to around 4.8-5.1 million viewers early in the series, with Sunday results shows dipping to around 4.5 million. In contrast, consolidated viewing for equivalent early-series weeks in 2025 frequently hovered closer to 7-8 million.
Following the departures of hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman last year, the introduction of a new presenting lineup featuring Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe has divided regular viewers, contributing to initial audience drift.
Competition and Fan Reactions
Tough competition from rival networks and major live sports broadcasts on multi-screen channels has also dented live overnight shares during key weekend slots. It was revealed this week that Celebrity Traitors is now dominating Strictly in ratings this year, and the show has also been beaten by Channel 4's Great British Bake Off, which airs on a Tuesday, as well as ITV's crime thriller series The Blame.
After the news was shared on X, many viewers shared their theories. One viewer wrote: "They needed to go so much bigger and bolder with the Strictly revamp. Some viewers left with Claudia and Tess did." While someone else blamed host Josh Widdicombe, who has faced intense backlash about his performance as presenter.
Others disagreed it was just about the hosts, as one person wrote: "It has zero to do with presenters. it’s the poor line-up this year." Another agreed: "It’s casting for me, it's felt soo poor the last few series." Someone else said the show was just 'tired' in general, adding: "It’s just had its day, it’s been going for 22 years! I use to love Strictly but I stopped watching in 2021. I think it has a couple of years left then they should go out on a high and have a big celebration of it."
BBC Response and Next Steps
BBC representatives stress that conventional overnight figures fail to include catch-up viewing through BBC iPlayer and on-demand platforms, where an increasing number of viewers now watch the show. Strictly Come Dancing airs on Saturday 24 October 2026, at 6:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
