For the last few years, the once squeaky clean Strictly Come Dancing has found itself embroiled in a series of scandals including claims of bullying, drug use while one professional even kicked his professional partner.
So much as the drama that there have been calls for the BBC One dance programmed to be axed.
And now even a former BBC boss who worked on the launch of Strictly back in 2004 has told how he believes that it should be rested next year in a bid to rebuild its reputation and not have to rush to fill the shoes of presenters Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.
In an astonishing post on LinkedIn, Sam Hodges, who worked as the communications chief at the BBC for more than ten years, also claims that a pause would mean that people would realise what they were missing – and called for a ‘fallow year’ like Glastonbury in 2026.
Hodges, who also worked at Twitter and Netflix, before moving to PR Agency, The Romans in 2023, also claims that a rest would ‘allow new energy to return’ to Strictly.
He wrote: ‘It’s 20+ years since I launched Strictly Come Dancing as an Assistant Publicist at the BBC. A non-priority new show with the working title Pro-Celebrity Come Dancing. No one knew the hit it would become.
A former BBC boss who launched Strictly Come Dancing calls for it to be rested next year in a bid to rebuild its reputation
‘For the first time though, I think it’s time to take a leaf out of Glastonbury’s book and consider a fallow year for 2026.
‘This series has clearly been tough on a whole host of fronts, but reputationally its biggest boost might well come from helping people realise what they’d miss, rather than chasing salvation by rushing into immediate contract talks with new producers, presenters, and cast.
‘Things rarely finish on a high in TV – more often an exhausted final series or a controversy that brings things to a sudden or crashing end. Glastonbury’s fallow years increase demand for tickets rather than opening the door to competitors – they allow new energy to return to both the line-up and the land.
‘To save the show’s reputation, 2026 might be the year for the BBC and Strictly to do the same.’
Hodges’ outburst prompted fury amongst some of his former colleagues at the Corporation who disagree with him that viewers would like a rest.
However, it is undeniable that there have been scandals since 2023.
In January, former Strictly contestant Wynne Evans axed from the show’s live tour over lewd comments he made to It Takes Two Host Janette Manrara, and Amanda Abbington’s claims of abuse against Giovanni Pernice leading to an internal investigation in 2024 – though the Italian heart throb was cleared of most serious claims she made.
Professional dancer Graziano Di Prima was sacked last year after he kicked his celebrity partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals. There have also been claims of cocaine use, while two unnamed former stars of the programme have been arrested for rape.
The live final saw ex-footballer Karen Carney and her partner Carlos Gu crowned champions after beating George Clarke and Amber Davies
And now bosses face finding replacements for Tess and Claudia after told fans they were stepping down from the BBC’s flagship entertainment show in a video message midway through the series in October.
Now the future of Strictly now hinges on who the BBC can get in to replace them; the wrong hire could spell disaster for the already beleaguered show, following a string of controversies in recent years.
And only last week, Strictly was then hit by a fresh blow when the ratings for the 2025 final were revealed.
The live final saw ex-footballer Karen Carney and her partner Carlos Gu crowned champions after beating George Clarke and Amber Davies.
Despite this year’s very glitzy lineup, it wasn’t enough to bring in the same level of viewership, and the competition saw its finale ratings dip for the fourth year in a row.
Last year, the show peaked at 9.3million viewers, but this year failed to attract as many viewers as it did, peaking at just 8.4million.
