Strictly bosses are under pressure to axe its pre-recorded Sunday night results show as they are unable to stop a mole leaking the outcome of the popular dance-off.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal some BBC chiefs believe the programme should go back to its original format, when viewers voted after the Saturday episode while The National Lottery was aired.
A live results show followed, where the contestant with the least public support was evicted.
There was no dance-off, so the judges had no opportunity to save anyone – unlike the current arrangement, which is filmed on a Saturday night but not screened until Sunday evening.
But now, within an hour of filming finishing at Elstree Studios, the ‘Strictly Mole’ has leaked the results online, and by Sunday morning the news of who has been ousted is all over the internet.
Bosses appreciate the results show on Sunday pulls in an audience of over seven million – though it is certain Saturday night viewing figures would be boosted if results were also screened then.
The BBC’s Sunday evening schedule is now deemed to be ‘extremely healthy’ thanks to Antiques Roadshow and Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles, hosted by former Strictly winner Hamza Yassin.
One source said: ‘It’s become a complete farce, everyone watching knows that it was filmed the night before – but more significant than that, the result is out on the internet almost immediately.
A source said: ‘With Tess and Claudia (Strictly’s hosts, who are leaving at the end of this series and pictured right and left) going, it is the ideal time to change things’
‘It’s fair to say that this mole is a thorn in the BBC’s side. You can find out by 11.30pm on a Saturday night what happened.
‘A full readout appears on social media and they have no way of stopping it. Fans have to spend all day Sunday trying to avoid the spoiler online or hearing who went in the dance-off over their Sunday lunch.
‘With Tess and Claudia (Strictly’s hosts, who are leaving at the end of this series) going, it is the ideal time to change things.’
Strictly is broadcast live on BBC1 on a Saturday night. After a break, where the judges and presenters change their outfits, they start pre-recording the Sunday night results show.
The presenters, judges, celebrities and professional dancers all refer to what happened ‘last night’ as it is revealed who is in the bottom two and will face the dreaded dance-off – even though it has happened just minutes before.
It was the former BBC controller Peter Fincham who instigated the Sunday night results show in 2007 after its ITV rival The X Factor scheduled theirs in a similar slot. It comes as rumours circulate that the show’s executive producer Sarah James, who joined in 2019, could be leaving after a number of Strictly scandals.
A show source said: ‘Shows like Strictly need a shake-up every now and again, the BBC know they have to move with the times.’
Katya: The next host should be dancer Janette
By Codie Bullen
Russian professional dancer, Katya Jones, said her colleague Janette Manrara would be the perfect replacement to fill Tess and Claudia’s void as hosts of the show
Janette currently presents the spin-off show, It Takes Two. The bookies currently have her at 3-1 to step into the role
They’re among the most prestigious job vacancies in showbusiness: the two presenting roles on Strictly.
Fans are buzzing with speculation that replacements for Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman could include Holly Willoughby, Alan Carr or Zoe Ball.
Yet one of the show’s longest-serving professionals Katya Jones has revealed she would like her colleague Janette Manrara to take one of the much-desired slots.
Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, the Russian dancer, 36, said Ms Manrara (pictured) could ‘understand what the dancers are going through’.
Ms Jones – favourite to win this year’s show with Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope – said: ‘I think Janette would make a better Claudia… She knows the dancing, she knows what we are going through.
‘Then Alan – he would be hilarious with the judges.’
Ms Manrara, 41, was a dancer on the show until 2021 before presenting the spin-off show, It Takes Two. If she were to take one of the top jobs, it would see her following in the footsteps of Ms Winkleman, who fronted the spin-off before she got the big job in 2014.
The bookies currently have Cuban-American dancer Ms Manrara at 3-1 to step into the role.
