The BBC has been urged to heed a ‘warning sign’ following the end of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing and transform the series before it returns next year.
Already, hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have stepped down from the show – but could we see even more changes before the next batch of celebrities step out onto the BBC ballroom floor?
Ex-pro Ola Jordan certainly thinks so, especially as viewing figures slide…
BBC urged to cull ‘half’ of the current Strictly pros
Speaking to Mecca Bingo, Ola shared her plans for a Strictly shake-up. Ola, who was on the show between 2006 and 2015, said she’d replace some of the judges, “half” of the pros, overhaul the voting system, change the way the VTs are filmed and put Anton Du Beke in place as host.
She said: “There are still professional dancers there who make an impact. But I think about half should go.
“Bringing someone like Alexis [Warr] into the show this year was amazing. Some of the lifts she did, I couldn’t do, and you’ve got to be honest with yourself. It just shows that bringing fresh blood into the show freshens things up.”
She added: “There are so many amazing dancers out there, and they should be bringing more in. Some professionals now look a bit bored. They’re not really bringing much to the table any more.
“When I did my 10 years, there was a point where I thought, I’ve done enough. Otherwise, you’re just there for the sake of being there. At the beginning, there’s excitement and drive, you work really hard. But after 10 years, you think, I’ve done it all. I’ve won. I’ve had different partners. What else can I bring?
“Some of them feel like that but are scared to leave because life after the show is very different,” she added. “But as an audience, you can see when people are over it.”
‘Let’s shake it all up’
Another thing she’d shake up is the judging line-up.
“I do agree with a big shake-up. It’s already going to change because of the presenters, but let’s shake it all up. Let’s do big things. I think it’s time. I think people are getting slightly bored, and the viewing figures are dropping. Let’s shake it up and do something different.
“I would definitely change some professional dancers. I’d change some judges. Shake it up properly. I’d also maybe change the voting system. You can’t have ties on the leaderboard – the judges need to decide who’s done better and rank them accordingly.”
Speaking more about Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and Anton Du Beke’s future on the show, Ola continued: “I’d change some judges, not all of them, change the format slightly, especially the voting. Maybe go back to Saturday night-only results. I’d definitely make changes.”
As for who she wants on the panel, there’s no surprises over who Ola is backing: “My James. He’s very honest, and he wouldn’t mess about. You couldn’t tell him to be soft, he’d say what he thinks, but never in a horrible way.
“There’s no need to be horrible when giving criticism. You just say: ‘You didn’t do this right.’ I think he’d be brilliant. Also, I’d make Anton the presenter,” she added.
‘Warning sign’
Ola also said the BBC has been handed a ‘warning sign’ after this year’s viewing figures dropped.
“Yes, I’d say that’s a warning sign,” she said. “And especially with the presenters leaving, it’s the right time to change things.”
Overnight figures shared on Sunday (December 21) claimed that Saturday’s live final drew a peak audience of 8.4 million viewers. This continues a downward trend that has now seen the programme’s finale audience fall for a fourth consecutive year.
By comparison, last year’s final peaked at 9.3 million viewers, while the 2023 show reached a high of 9.7 million. The decline was mirrored across the wider series, with the 2025 run averaging 7.6 million viewers, down from 8.6 million in 2024 and 8.8 million two years ago.
Read more: Zoe Ball ‘in the mix’ for Strictly hosting role, her famous dad confirms
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