Strictly Come Dancing has come under fire over a major rule change to the 2025 series.
The glitzy BBC One show is just weeks away from starting. And fans can expect a fresh line-up of celebrity contestants, including Dani Dyer, Thomas Skinner and Lewis Cope.
However, it was recently announced that the Beeb has axed premium rate phone voting, meaning fans will now have to vote online. And the decision hasn’t gone down well with some people…
Strictly phone voting scrapped for 2025 series
This week, the BBC announced that phone voting for Strictly Come Dancing would be scrapped. Instead, fans wanting to vote for their favourite contestant, will have to create an account on the BBC website in where they will be directed to the programme’s website.
Defending the decision, the broadcaster said phone voting is an “outdated system and also expensive to run”.
They added: “Online voting has become the go-to choice for most viewers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of votes for the last Strictly series were cast online.
“And earlier this year, BT, the company that provided these phone services for the BBC, announced it would stop offering them in early 2025.”
Strictly 2025 under fire
But now, the show has been called out by a major UK charity over the huge rule change.
Dennis Reed, director of the campaign group Silver Voices, told The Telegraph: “Once again, the BBC is showing that it treats its loyal older viewers with contempt.
“Older people who are not online, but enjoy participating through phone polls, are being disenfranchised.”
What did the charity say?
Dennis continued: “This is a thinly concealed plot to force all viewers online and into iPlayer, in preparation for an early end of terrestrial TV, which the BBC is obsessed with achieving.”
Caroline Abrahams, charity director for Age UK, also agreed and said: “Being unable to phone in to a BBC vote may seem trivial, but if you’re an older person who has enjoyed participating in this way and you aren’t online, it may feel like another hurtful example of the world moving on and leaving you far behind.”
ED! has contacted the BBC for comment.
Read more: Strictly Come Dancing bosses fear host Claudia Winkleman ‘will walk’
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