Strictly Come Dancing launch show gets highest ratings since 2021 debut

The latest season of the award-winning Strictly Come Dancing, which recently secured the Best Talent Show title at the National Television Awards, kicked off on Saturday, lighting up screens with its trademark sparkle, elegance, and dazzling dance performances. 

It's no wonder that the ratings soared to their highest levels since 2021, with an average of 6.1 million viewers tuning in on Saturday, as reported by overnight ratings. 

This marked a notable increase from the previous year when the debut episode attracted an average of 5.4 million viewers, following the tremendous success of 2021's 7.9 million viewers.

During Saturday's launch, the 15 celebrity contestants were paired with their professional dance partners, reaching a peak of 6.7 million viewers. In comparison, last year's premiere episode drew an average of 5.4 million fans, peaking at 5.6 million.

Intriguingly, Strictly fans have already begun speculating about the potential winner of the new season, as the launch featured the celebrities taking to the dance floor for the first time in a disco-themed group routine. 

Many are predicting that Layton Williams could make history by becoming part of the show's first-ever winning same-sex pairing, teaming up with professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.