BBC insiders have told the Daily Mail of growing panic inside the corporation over Strictly Come Dancing's new celebrity line-up, which is dominated by influencers, reality television stars and YouTubers ahead of the show's launch on September 19.
Staff have reportedly taken to googling the names of this year's contestants to work out who they are. The new cast brings the average age of the line-up down to 36, the lowest in the programme's 22-year history, fuelling concern that older, loyal viewers who have watched since Strictly began in 2004 could switch off.
Fears of a repeat of Question of Sport
Sources say the situation has echoes of the BBC's 2021 overhaul of Question of Sport, when long-standing presenter Sue Barker was replaced by Paddy McGuinness. Ratings collapsed and the show was axed in 2023 after 52 years on air.
"It's bad enough that we don't have the foggiest who most of them are," one BBC insider said. "But what is more depressing is when you do realise who they are, they're influencers and reality television stars. This isn't what Strictly is. We have a bunch of people who the core viewers will hardly know and that is worrying for the viewing figures."
Influencers and reality stars join the line-up
The 2026 cast includes 2025 Love Island champion Cach Mercer, an Islington-born former dancer and model who has built a lucrative social media career since leaving the villa.
Also joining is Chris Appleton, the American hairdresser to stars including Kim Kardashian. "He isn't even a social media star, he just cuts their hair," one insider said.
Sports YouTuber John Nellis, who has 20 million followers online, and Will Best, host of ITV2's Big Brother, round out the contestants aimed at attracting younger viewers who are largely unknown to traditional Strictly fans.
More recognisable faces on the bill
Bringing the average age up slightly is 41-year-old Delta Goodrem, remembered by some older viewers for playing Nina Tucker in Neighbours between 2002 and 2005 before leaving to pursue a pop career.
Also signed up is 44-year-old Shaun Wright-Phillips, the former Manchester City and Chelsea footballer, of whom insiders admitted he is "hardly the best sportsman we could get."
Dog trainer Graeme Hall, best known for Channel 5's Dogs Behaving (Very) Badly, has also joined the line-up, alongside 25-year-old Olympic gold medallist skeleton racer Tabitha Stoecker.
Emmerdale's Lawrence Robb, 34, who plays Mackenzie Boyd in the soap, and actor Bethany Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen in HBO's House of the Dragon, are also among the newcomers.
BBC chiefs are pinning hopes on the more established names, including Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, Gavin and Stacey actress Melanie Walters, EastEnders star Lacey Turner and Dani Dyer, who has moved from reality television to mainstream celebrity, as the contestants most likely to be recognised by the show's core audience.
New hosts and a cancelled press conference
The cast shake-up follows the departure of long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Their replacements, former MTV presenter Emma Willis, The Last Leg's Josh Widdicombe and Strictly professional dancer Johannes Radebe, were announced in May.
Speculation had previously centred on Zoe Ball and Rylan Clark taking the roles. Sources said some senior BBC figures were not initially certain who Willis and Widdicombe were, having expected bigger household names. Matters were complicated by Willis already having a pre-recorded series for rival ITV show The Voice, which she has hosted since 2014.
For the first time since Strictly began, bosses have cancelled the press conference at which contestants are usually interviewed by journalists ahead of the series. Instead, a new photograph was issued showing the three hosts aboard a backstage passenger cart. "The only two things the same are that it will be filmed in the same Elstree studio and the judging panel is still intact," one associate of the show said.
A source involved with the programme said: "Who knows what the audience will think until they see it. But there are seven million or so people who have a choice now over whether they watch it or not and for some, the show is about all they watch on the BBC. They love Strictly as they've known it, but it's about to change and they have no idea what is coming to their living rooms."
Scandals that have overshadowed the show
The overhaul follows a series of controversies. In 2023 Amanda Abbington accused her dance partner Giovanni Pernice of bullying. A review upheld six of her 17 claims against him, though he was cleared of the most serious allegations of physical aggression or threatening behaviour.
Graziano Di Prima was sacked from Strictly after video showed him kicking his partner Zara McDermott while she lay on the floor during rehearsals after losing his temper. Wynne Evans was also caught making an offensive comment about It Takes Two host Janette Manrara at the Strictly tour launch at the start of last year.
There have also been allegations that people involved with the show were using cocaine, and an unnamed Strictly star was arrested on suspicion of rape earlier this year. Last week it emerged that former professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova had complained to senior BBC bosses about an abusive colleague, only to be told she would still have to work in their orbit.
"It has been a pretty difficult time for the show," a BBC source said. "Sadly, there were a couple of bad eggs who were brought onto the show who probably, with hindsight, should not have been. Sadly, this means that in some ways Strictly has been tarred, and that hasn't been good for anyone. The viewers are angry; they hate seeing their show being made to appear like a tawdry mess."
Johannes Radebe tipped as the show's saviour
Amid the upheaval, insiders say professional dancer turned host Johannes Radebe is expected to be the one bright spot for viewers. The South African joined Strictly in 2018 and has become its most popular professional dancer, earning praise for partnerships with Annabel Croft and Alex Kingston. In 2021 he reached the final with Bake Off winner John Whaite in the show's first all-male partnership. He also appeared in the West End musical Kinky Boots earlier this year.
There had been reports last year that Radebe wanted to leave the show, prompting bosses to act to keep him. "Johannes will be the saviour of Strictly this season," a programme insider said. "There are questions over whether it was a good idea to take him from being a dancer to be a host, but the feeling was that the BBC would rather have him than not. If Johannes walked away, then that really would be the nail in the coffin. Everyone is thanking the Lord for Johannes right now, and praying that he decides to stay for a long time yet."
