Strictly Come Dancing fans are urging others to ease up on head judge Shirley Ballas, arguing that the backlash against her is 'out of control'.
The show's shake-up has divided viewers this year, with new hosts Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and Johannes Radebe failing to win over some fans after the trio took over from Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, who left the BBC show last year. Changes to spin-off show It Takes Two on BBC Two have also drawn complaints.
Reddit post calls for calm
One Strictly supporter took to Reddit following last weekend's Halloween episodes to rebuke fellow viewers over their treatment of Ballas. Posting on the site, they wrote: "Can we chill it with the Shirley hate please?"
"I'm seeing posts on here directing negativity, hatred and vitriol towards Shirley on the daily now and it's getting tiring. Has she done anyone any physical harm? No. Has she ever been verbally abusive or nasty towards contestants? No. Has she ever had dancers publicly speak out against her? No. So why am I seeing constant piles on against her?"
Criticism over judging style
Ballas, 66, encountered substantial criticism from audiences following her Halloween week judging stint. Audiences accused her of being overly severe and disconnected from her fellow judges. Supporters on social media expressed annoyance over what they regarded as inconsistent standards in her technical assessment, asserting she was considerably more lenient towards particular contestants while penalising others substantially for technical mistakes.
Detractors also contended that her technical criticisms - such as chastising contestants on footwork and posture - were excessive for the entertaining, production-focused Halloween episodes.
Ballas has responded to her detractors, maintaining she judges purely on what she observes "without fear or favour" and does not engage in "fluff". She affirmed that 4s and 5s remain respectable marks in technical ballroom assessment and that superior scores must be deserved as the competition advances.
Mixed reactions from viewers
Numerous individuals agreed with the original Reddit poster, as one stated: "I'm a Shirley Ballas fan. I have criticisms of all the judges, none of them are perfect or everybody's cup of tea, but Shirley gets it worst. The same happened to Arlene Phillips when she was a judge. Craig is a far harsher critic than Shirley but is allowed to be the pantomime villain."
Another repeated: "Why does Shirley get the brunt of it? If you look at the show's history, Craig has said a lot of things and yet he avoids the heat." A third interjected: "She can not do right for doing wrong. We are all critics at the end of the day but she has however many years of dance experience behind her to back up her comments."
Not everyone concurred though, as one person stated: "Not seeing this personally, I absolutely don't condone extreme hate but there's a lot to criticise about Shirley and as long as it's said respectfully, I don't see a problem with it." Another remarked: "I expect more from Shirley, she is the best and most experienced dancer and she sometimes goes so off piste."
Strictly Come Dancing next airs on Saturday, 7 November 2026 at 6:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
