Strictly scores highest ratings of series so far with 8.2m tuning in

Saturday’s episode of Strictly Come Dancing was the most watched of the series so far, according to overnight ratings.

The programme was watched by an average audience of 8.2 million people with a 48.5% share of the audience – up on last week’s 7.9 million. The viewing figure for the BBC One celebrity dancing competition peaked at 8.8 million.

While viewership is on the rise for the 2021 series, numbers remain down on last year’s show – which fell amid much stricter covid regulations – with numbers on the same second live show show hitting peak numbers of 10.7million in 2020. 

On the up! Saturday’s episode of Strictly Come Dancing was the most watched of the series so far, according to overnight ratings

Last week’s programme was watched by an average audience of 7.9 million while the launch show was watched by 7.0 million viewers.

BBC bosses will no doubt be thrilled to see the rise in ratings after a vaccination controversy has plagued the show in recent weeks while McFly star Tom Fletcher and his pro partner Amy Dowden have also been stricken with Covid. 

The fall on last year has been attributed to socialising Brits heading out amid continued lightened lockdown rules. 

Insiders told The Sun: ‘This goes to show how many of us were cooped up indoors [last year] as Covid restrictions meant there was little or no socialising to be done.

Rising: The programme was watched by an average audience of 8.2 million people with a 48.5% share of the audience – up on last week’s 7.9 million. The viewing figure for the BBC One celebrity dancing competition peaked at 8.8 million

‘Now that the public are free to go out at the weekend, there’s a been a dip in the ratings. It’s nothing the Beeb seems worried about.’

The fall on the show was down on peak numbers but average audiences on both Saturday’s and the previous week’s shows are up on last year.  

A spokesperson for the BBC told MailOnline: ‘BBC executives are absolutely delighted that the show attracted an average of 8.2million viewers overnight on Saturday night, with a massive 48.5% share.

‘They aren’t comparing it to last year’s shorter series which took place later on in the year and tied in an impending second national lockdown.’

Saturday’s episode saw influencer Tilly Ramsay move her celebrity chef father Gordon Ramsay to tears after being given the joint best score for her Charleston.

Dragon’s Den star Sara Davies, who was bottom last week, was also awarded 34 for her foxtrot with Aljaz Skorjanec.

Shocking: BBC bosses will no doubt be thrilled to see the rise in ratings after a vaccination controversy has plagued the show in recent weeks while McFly star Tom Fletcher and his pro partner Amy Dowden have also been stricken with Covid

Celebrities including comedians Robert Webb and Judi Love, BBC Breakfast host Dan Walker, actor Greg Wise and actress Rose Ayling-Ellis are also among the stars taking part in the current series.

McFly singer Tom and his partner Amy were absent from Saturday’s show after they tested positive for coronavirus.

Hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly wished them both well at the start of show.  Bosses have said they ‘aren’t bulletproof’ to COVID in the wake of the positive tests.

It’s understood that show producers were quietly ‘dismayed’ after hearing of their shock diagnosis, with the pair now ruled out of Saturday’s show while they recover from the contagious respiratory bug. 

 Proud: Saturday’s episode saw influencer Tilly Ramsay move her celebrity chef father Gordon Ramsay to tears after being given the joint best score for her Charleston