Strictly Come Dancing viewers have revealed they turned off the show because it was 'sickly sweet' in the wake of the programme's abuse scandals.
This weekend, the dance competition was dealt another blow last weekend as the first live episode saw ratings plummet to its lowest ever.
Despite the series marking the beloved BBC programme's 20th anniversary, only a peak 6.7 million viewers tuned in for the episode. This is down from 7.3M for the same episode last year and 10.2M in 2020.
The show has found itself embroiled in controversy over how the professional dancers teach the celebs, with multiple accusations emerging of bullying and abusive behaviour.
While the BBC have introduced new anti-bullying measures for the stars, including a dedicated helpline and chaperones at rehearsals, these were not addressed during the transmission.
Strictly viewers have revealed they turned off the show because it was 'sickly sweet' in the wake of the programme's abuse scandals (pictured: hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly)
This weekend, the dance competition was dealt another blow last weekend as the first live episode saw ratings plummet to its lowest ever (pictured: Motsi Mabuse and Shirley Ballas)
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, between the launch show earlier this month and the live show on Saturday, fans expressed their disappointment and gave an insight into why they couldn't connect with the programme this year.
They shared: 'So much love in the room, almost OTT sickly sweet, hope they all get on this year and there’s no drama. #Strictly'; 'Can we just have dancing please? Not interested in life stories.'; 'Agreed. This is not the X Factor and we don't need the sob stories of washed up celebs. #StrictlyComeDancing #Strictly'
'Every time someone sheds an emotional tear, or tells a sob story, they get docked 5 points. Deal? Deal. #Strictly'; 'God,everybody is just too nice on strictly,come next year,we start hearing the horror stories and scandals,#Strictly'; Feels like a massive amount of over trying this year, maybe due to the scandals #Strictly #BBCStrictly [sic]'
All 15 celebrities and their pro partners took to the dancefloor for the first live show following last weekend's launch, where the pairings were first revealed.
A source told The Sun that after bosses were fretting after already being 'worried' following the pre-recorded show losing nearly a million viewers on the previous year.
They said: 'The fact that the first live show saw a drop too will be of concern to them — particularly if the drop continues into next week, which is the first elimination show.
'They now face an anxious wait to see whether the drop in on-the-night viewers is made up for by an increase in fans watching Strictly on iPlayer, but those figures take days and weeks to compile.
'These live figures really matter to the Beeb, because Strictly is still seen as one of the few shows that provide the shared TV experience where people come together to watch a programme at a set time.'
A BBC Spokesperson told MailOnline: 'Overnights no longer provide an accurate picture of all those who watch in an on demand world.'
Taking to X, formerly Twitter, between the launch show earlier this month and the live show on Saturday, fans expressed their disappointment
In recent months, the dancing competition has been hit by a wave of scandals , with Giovanni Pernice being probed after his partner Amanda Abbington accused him of abusive behaviour
Graziano Di Prima was sacked over reports he verbally and physically abused Zara McDermott during rehearsals
The Strictly scandal erupted in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of abuse after she unexpectedly quit the show just five weeks in.
Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, a has made a series of accusations about Giovanni's teaching methods and has described his behaviour as 'unnecessary, abusive, cruel and mean'. He strongly denies all of the claims.
Then, in July, it emerged that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for 'kicking' his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.
On Saturday, judge Shirley Ballas apologised after shocking audiences by kissing fellow judge Motsi Mabuse during the first live show on Saturday night.
The dancing expert, 64, was giving advice to Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova about their tango performance when she gave an impromptu demonstration.
Shirley explained that the style was 'all in the posture' as she asked Motsi to help her illustrate the point.
Anton Du Beke encouraged them as she shouted 'go on girls' - just as Shirley moved her head a certain way and accidentally locked lips with Motsi.
Breaking her silence on the moment on Instagram on Sunday morning after the show Shirley joked: 'Sorry @motsimabuse you moved your head too soon! @bbcstrictly what did you think of last night's show?'
Strictly returned for its 20th series as it shrugged off the bullying scandal with fan favourites Amy Dowden and Aljaz Škorjanec making their return.
The BBC dancing show has been through a tough year after numerous previous contestants alleged abuse by professional dancers.
Fans were delighted as Amy returned to the dancefloor for a stunning Waltz with her partner, JLS star JB.
Meanwhile Aljaz performed an equally incredible routine with his partner Tasha Ghouri, as they stunned the judges with an upbeat Cha Cha.
Surprisingly, one star spotted in the audience was Zara - who was at the heart of the scandal - as she turned up for the show to support her pal Pete Wicks.
Amy, 34, made a glorious comeback and told host Claudia 'I'm so happy I could burst' after scoring an impressive 31 points on the dancefloor.
On Saturday judge Shirley Ballas apologised after shocking audiences by kissing fellow judge Motsi Mabuse during the first live show
The fan favourite performed a moving Waltz to When I Need You by Leo Sayer, leaving both judges and fans emotional.
Overnight ratings for last week's show revealed that 5.5 million viewers tuned in to see a string of celebrities paired up with professional dancers compared to 6.2 million in 2023.
The BBC dodged any mention of the show's string of scandals during its launch episode.
Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly excitedly introduced this year's celebrities and announced which dancers they would be paired with - but the controversies of the last year went unmentioned.
Strictly Come Dancing 2024: Who are the couples?
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell
JB Gill and Amy Dowden MBE
Nick Knowles and Luba Mushtuk
Paul Merson and Karen Hauer
Pete Wicks and Jowita Przystał
Sam Quek MBE and Nikita Kuzmin
Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola
Toyah Willcox and Neil Jones
Punam Krishan and Gorka Márquez
Wynne Evans and Katya Jones
Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec
Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas
Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe
Tom Dean MBE and Nadiya Bychkova
Shayne Ward and Nancy Xu
Advertisement
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
