Strictly Come Dancing ‘suffers yet another devastating blow as scandal-plagued show’s first live episode sees ratings plummet to lowest EVER’

Strictly has reportedly suffered another setback after viewing figures for the first live episode of the latest series plummeted to their lowest level in the show’s 20-year history.

After last week’s pre-recorded launch, The Sun reported that Saturday’s episode drew a peak of 6.7 million viewers, down from 7.3 million for the same episode last year and 10.2 million in 2020.

The show has been embroiled in controversy over the way the professional dancers teach the celebrities, with multiple allegations of bullying and offensive behavior.

All 15 celebrities and their professional partners took to the dance floor for the first live show since the launch last weekend, where the couples were revealed for the first time.

A source told the publication that bosses were concerned after already being “worried” about losing almost a million viewers compared to the previous year.

Saying: ‘The fact that the first live show also showed a drop will worry them, especially if the drop continues into next week, the first elimination show.

‘They are now waiting with bated breath to see whether the drop in viewers on the night itself will be offset by an increase in fans watching Strictly via iPlayer, but those figures take days and weeks to compile.

‘These live figures are hugely important for the Beeb as Strictly is still seen as one of the few programmes that offers a shared TV experience, where people come together to watch a programme at a set time.’

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.

The Strictly scandal broke in January when actress Amanda Abbington accused her Strictly partner Giovanni Pernice of assault after she unexpectedly quit the show after just five weeks.

Sherlock actress Amanda, 50, has made a series of allegations about Giovanni’s teaching methods and has described his behavior as “unnecessary, insulting, cruel and mean.” He strongly denies all allegations.

In July it was revealed that Graziano Di Prima had been sacked from Strictly for ‘kicking’ his partner, Love Island star Zara McDermott.

On Saturday, judge Shirley Ballas apologised after shocking the audience by kissing fellow judge Motsi Mabuse during the first live show on Saturday night.

The 64-year-old dance expert was advising Olympic swimmer Tom Dean and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova on their tango performance when she gave an impromptu demonstration.

Shirley explained that the style was ‘all in the attitude’ and asked Motsi to help her illustrate this point.

Anton Du Beke encouraged them as she shouted ‘keep going girls’ – just as Shirley moved her head in a certain direction and accidentally touched her lips to Motsi’s.

Shirley broke her silence on Instagram on Sunday morning after the show, joking: ‘Sorry @motsimabuse you moved your head too fast! @bbcstrictly what did you think of last night’s show?’

Strictly returned for a 20th season, avoiding the bullying scandal, with fan favourites Amy Dowden and Aljaz Škorjanec making their return.

The BBC dance show has had a tough year after several previous contestants alleged abuse by professional dancers.

Fans were thrilled when Amy returned to the dance floor for a stunning waltz with her partner, JLS star JB.

Meanwhile, Aljaz teamed up with his partner Tasha Ghouri to perform an equally incredible routine, wowing the judges with a gleeful Cha Cha.

Surprisingly, Zara, who was at the centre of the scandal, was one of the stars in the audience, attending the show to support her boyfriend Pete Wicks.

Amy, 34, made a glorious comeback and told presenter Claudia: ‘I’m so happy I could burst’ after scoring a whopping 31 points on the dance floor.

The crowd favourite sang a moving waltz to Leo Sayer’s When I Need You, leaving both the judges and fans emotional.

Last week’s ratings showed 5.5 million viewers watching a series of celebrities teaming up with professional dancers, down from 6.2 million in 2023.

The BBC avoided any mention of the series’ string of scandals in the opening episode.

Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly enthusiastically introduced this year’s celebrities and announced which dancers they would be paired with. However, last year’s controversies remained unmentioned.