Nearly a million fewer viewers tune in for Strictly launch show

Nearly a million fewer viewers watched the 2024 Strictly Come Dancing launch show on Saturday compared with last year, audience figures indicate.

An average of 5.5 million viewers watched the BBC One programme, which returned amid a wave of controversy from 7.20pm to 9pm, according to overnight TV ratings.

Viewing figures have fluctuated over the years, and an increasing number of people watch on BBC iPlayer or catch-up TV, which are not captured in overnight data.

A total of 6.2 million viewers watched the first episode of Strictly in 2023, while an average of 5.4 million watched 2022’s launch, and the 2021 pre-recorded launch show drew in seven million.

A peak of 5.7 million tuned in to watch the launch show at the weekend, while last year the series enjoyed a peak of 6.7 million viewers during the first show of 2023.

As Strictly contestants’ professional partners were revealed, Welsh dancer Amy Dowden made a triumphant return to the celebrity reality show after being absent from the competition due to a breast cancer diagnosis.

The pre-record episode saw her do an emotional routine, after a mastectomy and chemotherapy left her with “no evidence of disease”. It saw her as the central focus, and ended with her being lifted by other dancers.

She was also partnered for the first time since she was paired with EastEnders star James Bye in 2022, and found a lump in 2023 shortly before her honeymoon.

Dowden was put with JLS star JB Gill, while other 2024 contestants were also paired.

Toyah Willcox was partnered with Neil Jones, as Love Island star Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz Skorjanec were put together, along with Miranda actress Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola and Morning Live star Dr Punam Krishan and Gorka Marquez.

Also partnered were Olympian Montell Douglas with Johannes Radebe; reality star Pete Wicks with Jowita Przystal; presenter and former hockey player Sam Quek with Nikita Kuzmin, and comedian Chris McCausland with Dianne Buswell.

Other pairings included: Wynne Evans and Katya Jones; singer and actor Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu; EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas; former footballer Paul Merson and Karen Hauer; Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and Nadiya Bychkova, and DIY SOS star Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk.

There were no same-sex couples in the show for the first time since 2019.

A BBC spokesman said that “Strictly pairings have never been about ticking boxes”, and each season of the show is “unique and there is no hard and fast rule on the show regarding same-sex pairings”.

There was also no mention on the show of the accusations that have hit Strictly during its 20th anniversary year.

Findings into an investigation launched by the BBC after allegations were made about Giovanni Pernice by 2023 Strictly participant Amanda Abbington are yet to be revealed.

Sherlock actress Abbington was the first to publicly allege “inappropriate” behaviour on the show and claimed she was subjected to a “toxic environment” while she danced alongside Pernice, who denies any wrongdoing and has left the show.

Fellow dancer Graziano Di Prima also departed, and said he “wasn’t meaning to kick” his 2023 dance partner Zara McDermott and did not know where the Love Island star’s allegations had come from.

TV presenter Laura Whitmore and Paralympian Will Bayley have also spoken about duty of care issues.