Strictly Come Dancing returned to the BBC this past weekend as the latest crop of 15 celebrities discovered who their pro dance partners would be.
As is usual for the BBC dance show, there was no live dancing to be seen but rather viewers got to know more about this year's crop of famous faces.
There was also the usual blends of glitz and glam as this year's cast of professional dancers performed a couple of group routines - including a touching performance in honour of returning dancer Amy Dowden.
Craig Revel Horwood returned to the judging panel with a striking new look, Chris McCausland became a fan-favourite with his quick-witted putdowns and Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman sparked controversy when they avoided mention of the ongoing investigation into the conduct of its pro dancers.
The show has been surrounded by controversy ever since Amanda Abbington lodged complaints against dancer Giovanni Pernice - who has since left the show - and an investigation was launched into the conduct of its stars. He's denied any claims of "abusive" behaviour.
The noise surrounding the show appears to have failed to translate into viewing figures, however, according to overnight ratings from Saturday's show.
BBC Strictly: Nancy and Shayne were paired up during the launch show
BBC
Figures revealed 5.5 million people tuned into Saturday's launch show, hundreds of thousands down on last year's premiere.
Approximately 6.2 million watched the launch show for last year's series while the year before that attracted a little under seven million.
The news prompted mixed reactions from BBC viewers online, with some unsurprised by the slump in figures while others defended the fact millions still tuned in.
"I won’t even lie. I didn’t even know it had started yesterday. Wow," one person penned on X while a second added: "I watched half hour, it was truly nauseating!"
RATINGS 🚨 Strictly Come Dancing kicked off last night with 5.4 million viewers watching the 2024 launch show. This is #Strictly’s lowest rating ever, down another chunk year-on-year…
— sᴜᴘᴇʀ ᴛᴠ (@superTV247) September 15, 2024
2024 - 5.4m
2023 - 6.2m
2022 - 6.8m
2021 - 7.0m pic.twitter.com/rVLCdTxAhE
"Ouch, that's pretty brutal overnights!" another weighed in before a fourth commented on the ratings: "Ouch - As an occasional viewer it felt long and drawn out.
"Like all long running shows its creaking a bit - not a cause for wholesale updating (which never helps) but it feels like i know every camera shot, reaction and next scene."
However, others jumped to the show's defence, including one fan who argued: "That still seems like a decent number.
"Dunno if they did as many adverts as they usually do cos I only found out when looking at the tv guide and pressed record and watched now. With iPlayer and record, don't have to watch things on the actual time."
And a second echoed: "Still a decent audience, and, to be fair, episode 1 is full of manufactured shrieks and woops as 'I so wanted this partner/pro-dancer' echo around.
"However, the pros put on a terrific show and delighted to see Amy in good health. It'll improve. It does." (sic)
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The first live show of the series arrives on Saturday night as the BBC undoubtedly hopes for more positive news from the overnight ratings.
However, it should be noted that viewing figures don't take into account those catching up with the launch on iPlayer or other streaming services.
