By Fatma Younis
Strictly Come Dancing judge Anton Du Beke has said he is not concerned about the show's declining audience numbers, arguing that television viewing habits have changed fundamentally.
Viewing figures drop
The BBC revealed that an average of 4.8 million viewers watched the first live show of the 2026 series, down from 6.2 million for the 2025 opener. Weekly consolidated ratings have since ranged between 5 and 6 million, compared with an average of 7 million for the previous series. In October, Strictly was outperformed in the weekly ratings by ITV drama The Blame, Channel 4's The Great British Bake Off and the first two episodes of The Celebrity Traitors.
Du Beke's response
Du Beke, who has been on the show since its first series in 2004, told The Times that he has "seen it all before" and does not worry about ratings. He noted that overall television audiences are smaller, saying the key metric is audience share. Strictly's Saturday night share stands at 58 per cent, with no other programme exceeding 30 per cent except possibly The Traitors.
New hosting lineup
The 2026 series introduced a new presenting trio of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe, following the departures of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Du Beke said the change has not altered the show's essence, describing the hosts' role as simply welcoming viewers and introducing the dancing.
Criticism and defense
Some viewers and critics have questioned the need for three presenters, with Widdicombe's comedic style described as awkward in a group setting. However, head judge Shirley Ballas called Widdicombe "brilliant at his job", and It Takes Two presenter Ellie Taylor said the new line-up are "great" and will settle further as the series progresses.
Remaining contestants
Ten couples remain in the competition. Eliminated so far are hair stylist Chris Appleton, Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters, Paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey, former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb.
