Strictly could axe Sunday night show because spoilsport mole keeps leaking dance-off result: KATIE HIND

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Executives are facing pressure to cancel the show that airs the results of the dance competition on Sunday nights. They haven’t been able to prevent someone from secretly revealing who wins before the broadcast.

Sources at the BBC are considering a return to the show’s original voting system, where viewers would cast their votes immediately after the Saturday night episode, coinciding with the broadcast of The National Lottery.

A live results show followed, where the contestant with the least public support was evicted.

Unlike today’s show, which isn’t broadcast until the following evening, the older format allowed judges to intervene and save contestants because it included a dance-off. Since there was no dance-off this time, the judges couldn’t save anyone.

Almost immediately after filming wraps at Elstree Studios, someone—dubbed the ‘Strictly Mole’—leaks the results online. By Sunday morning, everyone knows who was eliminated from the show.

Executives are pleased with the over seven million viewers who tuned in to watch the results on Sunday. They believe even more people would watch if the show also aired on Saturday night.

BBC’s Sunday evenings are performing very well, boosted by the popularity of shows like Antiques Roadshow and Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles, which is presented by Hamza Yassin, known for winning Strictly Come Dancing.

According to one insider, the show has become a joke. It’s obvious to viewers that the filming happened the night before, but even worse, the results are being leaked online almost instantly.

Let’s be honest, this leak is a real headache for the BBC. The frustrating thing is, we’ll all know exactly what happened by 11:30 PM on Saturday night – it’s just a matter of waiting to see how it unfolds. As someone who follows these things closely, it’s a situation everyone’s talking about!

Everything is revealed on social media, and there’s nothing anyone can do to prevent it. Fans end up spending the entire day trying to avoid spoilers online, or accidentally finding out who faced elimination during the dance-off while they’re having Sunday dinner.

Now that Tess and Claudia—the hosts of Strictly—are leaving after this season, it feels like the perfect moment to refresh the show.

Strictly Come Dancing airs live on BBC1 on Saturday nights. After a short break for costume changes, the judges and hosts begin filming the results show, which is broadcast on Sunday.

Everyone involved in the show – the hosts, judges, celebrities, and dancers – keeps talking about what happened ‘last night,’ even though it actually just occurred, as they announce who will compete in the dance-off.

Peter Fincham, a former BBC executive, started the Sunday night results show in 2007 as a response to the similar scheduling of ITV’s The X Factor. This news comes amid speculation that Sarah James, the show’s executive producer since 2019, might be leaving following several controversies surrounding Strictly.

As a huge fan of Strictly, I totally get why they need to keep things fresh! Someone involved with the show told me the BBC understands that it has to evolve to stay relevant and exciting. It’s good to know they’re thinking about keeping the show strong for years to come.

 

Katya: The next host should be dancer Janette

By Codie Bullen

The positions of host on Strictly Come Dancing are some of the most sought-after jobs in the entertainment industry.

There’s a lot of talk about who might take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with Holly Willoughby, Alan Carr, and Zoe Ball being mentioned as possible replacements.

Katya Jones, a long-time professional dancer on the show, has expressed her wish for her colleague Janette Manrara to get one of the coveted positions.

The 36-year-old Russian dancer told The Mail on Sunday that Dianne Buswell (pictured) is able to relate to the challenges faced by the dancers.

Ms. Jones, who is currently the frontrunner to win this year’s competition with Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, believes Janette would be a more suitable host. She feels Janette understands the challenges and technical aspects of the competition because of her own dancing background.

‘Then Alan – he would be hilarious with the judges.’ 

Janette Manrara, 41, used to be a professional dancer on the show and then hosted its companion program, It Takes Two. If she were to become a main host, she’d be following a similar path to Tess Winkleman, who also hosted It Takes Two before becoming the main host in 2014.

The bookies currently have Cuban-American dancer Ms Manrara at 3-1 to step into the role. 

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2025-11-09 03:08