Strictly Come Dancing faces a fresh blow as ratings fall AGAIN after the BBC show lost almost a million viewers for its launch episode

Strictly Come Dancing has faced a fresh blow as its ratings fell for the second week in a row.

Saturday saw the first live demonstration by public vote; but tonight’s viewership was only 7.1 million, down from 7.8 million the previous year.

The decline in viewing audiences mirrored a similar decline at both launch and first live shows; Almost a million people didn’t watch the first one.

But it’s not all doom and gloom for scandal-ridden Strictly, as it is reportedly still the most-watched Saturday night programme.

A source told Sun On Sunday: ‘Definitely the most watched program on Saturday nights; It reaches twice the number of viewers of its closest rating rival.

‘And although catch-up audiences are growing, the BBC has always prided itself on the fact that dance performance offers a shared experience.

‘But it seems fewer and fewer people are choosing to share on a Saturday night.’

The BBC Latin and ballroom show returned to screens this weekend amid a massive scandal and a shock victory for the NTA on its 20th anniversary.

Actress Amanda Abbington unexpectedly left the soap last October before claiming her partner Giovanni Pernice was abusive towards her.

The competition was shaken by a new wave of scandals when Graziano Di Prima was fired in July for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

But after the launch show it became clear that Strictly had lost a huge audience since last year.

The first live show peaked with 6.7 million viewers, up from 7.3 million for the same episode last year and 10.2 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, overnight ratings for the launch show revealed 5.5 million viewers tuned in to see a host of celebrities paired up with professional dancers, compared to 6.2 million in 2023.

The BBC avoided mentioning a number of the show’s scandals in its launch episode.

Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly excitedly introduced this year’s celebrities and revealed which dancers they would be paired with, but last year’s controversy was not mentioned.

Giovanni, 33, was suspended during an investigation by the BBC into allegations made by Amanda and two other celebrity partners.

He vehemently denied the allegations.

With the report into her misconduct due to be released any day now, Amanda is reportedly deeply disappointed over fears BBC bosses are ‘protecting’ the dancer during the bullying investigation.

High-level meetings were held among BBC bosses as they explored how to communicate their findings, as they feared the possibility of legal action if Amanda or Giovanni were disappointed with the outcome.

Despite the disappointing numbers, Saturday’s launch show started with the usual bells and whistles.

Now cancer-free, professional dancer Amy Dowden was a sight to behold in a dazzling fuchsia ballroom gown as she showed off her incredible moves alongside fellow dancers as part of her triumphant comeback.

Strictly’s Class of 2024 includes stars including EastEnders actor Jamie Borthwick, Love Island contestant Tasha Ghouri and JLS singer JB Gill.

Other contestants include X Factor winner Shayne Ward, Miranda star Sarah Hadland and DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles.

Comedian Chris McCausland, who made history as the first blind participant in the show. has already become a fan favorite thanks to his wicked sense of humor.

Strictly Come Dancing continues on Saturday 21 September on BBC1.