Johannes Radebe is back in the middle of Strictly Come Dancing's ratings story, after the show’s first Sunday results episode averaged about 4.5 million viewers. That was down from 6.5 million in 2025, even as the programme remained the weekend’s most-watched show on conventional television.
4.8 million on Saturday
The opening Saturday live episode averaged around 4.8 million viewers, a sharp drop from 6.2 million in the corresponding 2025 broadcast. It was the first time in seven years that the inaugural live instalment drew fewer overnight viewers than the pre-recorded launch episode, which is the kind of shift that turns a routine ratings note into an industry problem.
For the, the basic reading is simple: overnight audience levels fell on both nights, and they fell enough to reset the comparison with last year. For viewers tracking the series as a live TV event, those figures show a weaker first weekend than the show posted in 2025.
Sunday results leak
The Sunday results show matters because it is pre-recorded, and the result can be spoiled online before transmission. One viewer wrote: “The result had leaked out on Saturday night so I'm sure a lot of people didn't watch because they knew Chris was voted out.” Another added: “Results are most pointless show. It gets leaked. The show is dragged out with who cares it needs to go.”
That complaint has a practical consequence for the ratings picture. A pre-recorded result can reduce the incentive to tune in live, while the live Saturday episode still has to carry the launch audience on its own. When the second half of the weekend is easier to spoil, the overnight figure is more exposed to audience drift.
iPlayer gap
officials said standard overnight statistics do not account for catch-up viewing through iPlayer and on-demand platforms. That leaves the live numbers as only part of the story, but it also means the overnight drop should not be treated as the full audience total.
One commenter put the point bluntly: “Didn't this happen with I'm A Celebrity last year where every night was the LOWEST ever but once they added all the viewers who didn't watch it live, it was still a healthy rating? It will be fine.” The remark captures the split the now has to manage: a softer overnight performance on one side, and a larger delayed audience that is not visible in the overnight release on the other.
Sunday 11 October 2026
The next results show is set for Sunday 11 October 2026 at 7:10pm on One and iPlayer. If the programme wants to stabilise its live audience, that broadcast will need to hold viewers in spite of the leak problem and the controversy swirl around Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.
