Strictly Come Dancing Faces Ratings Drop After Presenter Changes

Strictly Come Dancing has recorded a decline in overnight viewing figures during its 2026 series on BBC One, with attention focused on the new presenting lineup of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe and reactions from viewers.

According to Devon Live, the opening Saturday live episode attracted around 4.8 million viewers, compared with 6.2 million for the equivalent 2025 broadcast. The first Sunday results show fell to about 4.5 million viewers from 6.5 million the previous year.

Johannes Radebe, who joined Strictly Come Dancing as a presenter after eight years as a professional dancer on the BBC show, has also discussed personal experiences connected to his public role.

Radebe described growing up in South Africa as "a country where homosexuality was frowned upon" in an interview reported by AOL.co.uk.

He recalled an incident during school when another pupil approached him with a baseball bat, saying "What have I done? What did I do to you?" before describing the response he received.

Radebe said the confrontation became physical after the other pupil insulted him, and he later explained the incident was connected to hostility toward his identity.

"He was not a fan of me - he was punishing me for the fact that I am what I am." was said by Johannes Radebe.

Radebe told HELLO! Magazine that he only spoke with his mother about his sexuality after his 2019 Strictly performance wearing black heeled boots.

"I only discussed my sexuality with my mom in 2019 after that heels performance on Strictly, so you can imagine that barrier and it hasn't been great," said Johannes Radebe.

He said the conversation followed the death of a friend in a homophobic attack and described how the event affected his family discussions.

"Because it was a homophobic attack," said Johannes Radebe.

Radebe added that he had kept parts of his life private from relatives while navigating relationships and personal trust.

"I said its sad because that could have happened to me because I'm gay, you know. We've never, ever, ever fully spoken about it." said Johannes Radebe.

He later said he felt more able to discuss his experiences openly with his mother.

"I'm grown now and I'm seeing things differently and I'm in a position to speak to my mom about everything now in my life." said Johannes Radebe.

Some viewers linked the ratings decline to the pre-recorded results programme, which allows elimination outcomes to spread online before broadcast, according to Devon Live.

One viewer wrote, "The result had leaked out on Saturday night so I'm sure a lot of people didn't watch because they knew Chris was voted out."

Other audience members criticized the format of the results episode, while BBC officials noted that overnight figures do not include catch-up viewing through BBC iPlayer and other on-demand services.

Despite the lower overnight numbers, Devon Live reported that Strictly Come Dancing remained the most-watched weekend programme through conventional television viewing, with the results show scheduled for Sunday 11 October 2026 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.