First Strictly MEGA POLL Results Are In!

After more than two decades of dazzling routines, glittering costumes and its fair share of scandals, Come Dancing is facing its biggest shake-up to date.

Of all the questions about the future of a show which has become the jewel in the ’s Saturday night crown, one in particular has set the entertainment industry alight: who has the requisite va-va-voom to take on the coveted presenting roles from departing hosts and ?

The last few months of fevered speculation has, it seems, provided an opportunity for almost every television star in the country to either throw their hat in the glitterball ring or emphatically rule themselves out.

A final decision will, no doubt, be a tough call for producers. But it’s arguably even more critical that the Strictly diehard fanbase – those whose support has kept the BBC show on its perfectly- aligned toes over the past two decades – give the new hosts their nod of approval.

With that in mind, The Mail on Sunday has conducted a survey of thousands of our readers, the viewers who tune in every weekend and live and breathe every Paso Doble, Cha Cha and Viennese Waltz – as well as any scandalous mis-steps.

That study, carried out by pollsters FindOutNow, has revealed that there are two clear favourites among fans to take on Strictly’s sequinned reins: and .

The former X Factor star and BBC presenter – who each received 28 per cent of the vote in our poll – are already part of the Strictly family, having each presented its spin-off show, It Takes Two, including a two-year stint hosting it together.

The survey results will be good news for the BBC. Last month, the Corporation invited Rylan – who rose to fame on the ITV talent show in 2012, and went on to present This Morning – for a screen test alongside a number of possible female co-presenters.

Friends of the star tell me he is ‘super keen’ to get the role and being asked to go along for a chemistry test was a ‘dream come true’.

Zoe, meanwhile, conveniently has a bit more time on her hands these days, having stepped away from her BBC Radio 2 duties.

Curiously, the timing of her departure coincided with Tess and Claudia’s decision to leave Strictly – a coincidence, perhaps, but one that has only fuelled speculation she was vying for the job.

I do hear, however, that Zoe is quite content with her life on the South Coast, where she has recently bought a stunning new home in Hove, close to her ex- husband, DJ Norman Cook.

But the BBC has other options. Emma Willis, 50, who has hosted The Voice for more than a decade, is also considered a safe pair of hands by TV execs – and took 25 per cent of the votes in our poll.

Alison Hammond, who presents Bake Off, This Morning and Channel 4’s new singing contest Your Song, scooped 17 per cent of the votes, the majority from women.

She has seemingly ruled herself out of the running after claiming last month that she had been approached for the role and had turned it down.

‘I’m so happy they considered me but, like Traitors, I can’t do it because everything clashes,’ she said.

Meanwhile, veteran presenter and actor Bradley Walsh, 65, currently hosting The Chase, Gladiators and Blankety Blank, was thought to have also been a frontrunner despite a few vigorous denials. But viewers aren’t as keen on him as producers might have suspected – he received just 14 per cent of the votes in our poll, with comedian Tom Allen only just behind.

In fact, last year’s contestant La Voix – the drag persona of performer Christopher Dennis – who proved popular with viewers until she was forced to drop out due to injury, is more popular than Bradley, with 15 per cent of the vote.

The One Show’s Alex Jones, 49, and presenter and Irish broadcaster Angela Scanlon, 42, both of whom have previously appeared on Strictly as contestants, are the least popular by far with 11 per cent and 10 per cent of viewers’ votes respectively.

An overwhelming 88 per cent of survey respondents said it didn’t matter to them whether or not the new hosts were the same sex like Claudia and Tess.

Viewers are similarly unconcerned about the new presenters already being part of the ‘Strictly family’, with 74 per cent saying it doesn’t matter.

But for Kate Phillips, the BBC’s chief content officer, who oversees the show and is responsible for making the final decision on the new appointments, it will be a juggling act.

She will have to maintain a fine balance between staying true to the show’s long-standing fanbase and freshening the format up so it continues to attract new audiences.

That is particularly important to safeguard the show’s future after a series of scandals left it teetering on the brink.

The past few years in the show’s 22-year history have been plagued by allegations of bullying and sexual harassment, on-set drug use and even rape allegations.

Among the changes that producers have already implemented was a cull of professional dancers – with stars such as Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova, Michelle Tsiakkas and Luba Mushtuk sacked to make way for fresh blood.

This has not gone down well with viewers.

More than half – some 52 per cent – said they were ‘sad to see them go’ and that the show ‘wouldn’t be the same without them’.

At least one thing will be staying the same: the judging panel.

I’m told Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Anton du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood will remain in situ – and all four have another year left on their contracts.

While head judge Shirley, 65, has received backlash from some viewers and cruel trolling that has seen her accused of bias towards male contestants, it was Motsi, 45, who those in our poll most wanted to get rid of. She got 22 per cent of the vote, while Shirley took 17 per cent.

Just seven per cent wanted to see Craig leave and eight per cent voted for Anton.

Viewers were similarly decisive when it came to another controversy that rears its head every series: If celebrities who have had professional dance training should be allowed to compete.

While there has always been a spectrum in terms of celebrities’ dancing ability, last year saw West End performers Amber Davies and Lewis Cope face backlash for their inclusion when other contestants, such as Chris Robshaw and Ross King, had never danced before.

Those involved in the show have always justified the discrepancy by saying it makes for a more entertaining programme but our survey reveals that the majority of viewers – 57 per cent – believe trained dancers should be excluded from taking part. Only 34 per cent thought dancers of any ability should be allowed on the celeb line-up.

Other gimmicks recently introduced to freshen up the format, including an ‘instant dance’ challenge and the return of four Strictly alumni for a group dance, have gone down well and more than half said they enjoyed the changes.