Strictly Come Dancing had its biggest opening night in three years on Saturday (17 October), with millions tuning in to watch the show.
The BBC One dancing competition attracted an average of 8.6 million viewers and took a 42.2% audience share with a peak audience of nine million viewers, a spokesman for the programme told The Guardian.
The series 18 debut featured the programme’s first ever same-sex couple, with Olympic champion boxer Nicola Adams paired with dancer Katya Jones.
Strictly bosses have had to make considerable changes to the show this year, with Covid-19 safety measures meaning there was a reduced studio audience. Face masks were mandatory and the celebrity contestants and their professional dancers have formed support bubbles so they can closely interact.
This year’s series is shorter than others, running for nine weeks rather than 13. There are also 12 contestants instead of 15 and the cast is tested twice weekly for coronavirus.
In a five-star review, The Independent’s Strictly critic Emma Bullimore wrote that the opening night was “more natural, less prolonged – and quite frankly a relief for everyone involved”.
