Strictly Come Dancing faces huge blow amidst 'bullying' allegations after first live episode

After Strictly Come Dancing returned to the small screen, it's said many fans have not - with viewing figures for the first live show reportedly the lowest of a series since the show began.

Figures have shown that at its peak, 6.7million fans watched the live edition on Saturday. That is down from the 7.3million peak of last year's show, with the highest to date being 10.2million in 2020.

It marks a steady continuous decline in recent years, with an insider claiming the drop has left bosses of the reality dance contest "worried". However, the BBC still insist the series was the most watched show on TV on Saturday.

"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." an insider claimed.

They continued to tell The Sun: "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."

The source added that it was the live figures however that "really matter" to the company.

The decline in audience follows months of turmoil for the show after hit was hit by bullying allegations. Both Graziano Di Prima and Giovanni Pernice have not returned to the series after accusations were made against them, leading to an internal investigation.

This year's line-up of celebrities sees the likes of former footballer Paul Merson take to the dance floor. As too do famous faces including Love Island's Tasha Ghouri and JB Gill of JLS fame.

There were question marks over Pete Wicks' performance as he was given a less-than-glowing review by judges following his week one dance with Jowita Przystał. The couple had been tasked with a high-paced Paso Doble, but received a disappointing 4, 5, 3 and 5 from Craig, Motsi, Shirley and Anton.

The show also saw comedian Chris McCausland make history by becoming the first blind contestant to take part. His performance stunned viewers as well as the judges. The 47-year-old star danced alongside pro Dianne Buswell. Chris stunned with his incredible performance that left the audience gobsmacked, as he shimmied and sashayed confidently around the dancefloor.

In the run-up to making his debut, however, he confessed he had questioned his decision to take part. He revealed he started panicking over the impact his lack of sight would have on his performance. Writing for The Telegraph, the comedian explained he had been feeling “terrified”, and was worried he would make a fool of himself on live TV every week.

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