Strictly judge responds to staggering dip in viewing figures - The Independent
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Anton Du Beke has said that he’s not worried about the future of Strictly Come Dancing amid declining viewing figures, revealing that he’s “seen it all before”.
The BBC show underwent a number of changes this year following Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s departures, however not all of them have been received well. Viewers have been divided over the new hosting line-up of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, while audience figures have been on the decline.
When asked whether Strictly was “in trouble”, Du Beke argued in a new interview that viewing figures generally “aren’t what they were” as the way audiences watch content has changed.
“I never worry about all that,” he told The Times. “I’ve seen it all before. All before.
“The viewing figures aren’t what they were because [television’s] all different now. The key is the viewer percentage of whoever’s watching the television at that moment. There’s no point saying, ‘We don’t get 12 million viewers like we used to,’ if only 5 million are watching television anyway.”
In September, the BBC revealed that an average of 4.8 million people watched Strictly’s first live show, which is down on last year’s figure of 6.2 million. Since then, the show’s weekly ratings (which include those watching on catch-up) have ranged between 5 and 6 million – whereas an average of 7 million were watching the 2025 series.
In October, it was revealed that Strictly had been beaten 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 went onto reveal that those watching Strictly on Saturday nights make up 58 per cent of the audience share, adding: “Nobody else is getting more than 30 per cent of the share. Well, maybe Traitors.”
As for whether it’s been different for him with the show’s new hosts, Du Beke said that it’s business as usual and that they’re all “used to change”.
“It hasn’t changed anything about the show. The only thing you have is great excitement about new people coming in and joining the family. It sounds a bit twee, but it is that. All the hosts do is say ‘Hello, welcome to the show,’ and, ‘Here’s who’s coming next.’ The bit we want is the dancing.”
Widdicombe and Willis made their Strictly hosting debuts with the 2026 series in September, with professional dancer Radebe joining them to form the new presenting trio. While fans have praised Willis on the show, some have questioned the need for three presenters in the line-up – with Widdicombe being seen as a spare part.
The Independent’s Isobel Lewis wrote at the time that Widdicombe’s “strong comedic impulses” got in the way of him “being a good presenter”.
“Whether he was talking over Willis (this happened a lot), clapping back at Shirley Ballas or trying to cover up Will Best’s nipples, Widdicombe was constantly ‘yes and’-ing. This gag-at-all-costs attitude works for comedy or even solo presenting, but in a group, it felt awkward and stilted,” she wrote in her three-star review of Strictly’s first live show.
Various Strictly stars have leapt to Widdicombe’s defence; head judge Shirley Ballas said that he is “brilliant at his job”, while It Takes Two presenter Ellie Taylor said that she thinks the new line-up are “great” and will “settle into the roles even better than they already have” as the series goes on.
Strictly continues on Saturday, with 10 couples remaining in the competition. So far, we’ve seen hair stylist Chris Appleton, Gavin & Stacey’s Melanie Walters, Paralympic cyclist Dame Sarah Storey, footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Emmerdale actor Lawrence Robb leave the competition.
