Strictly Come Dancing's 'dance-off' to be axed

Strictly Come Dancing's 'dance-off' to be axed
Strictly Come Dancing's 'dance-off' to be axed (Image credit: BBC)

The Strictly Come Dancing 'dance-off' which traditionally decides the outcome of the show is to be axed in the new series, according to the papers. The Mirror reports that viewers will be given more power over the results of the show, which returns in October. And instead of the bottom two couples reprising their performances, with one being saved by the judges, the show will now feature a professional dance and the results. "We want people at home to feel they are really in control of the show and this seems a way to make sure they have the last say, and not the judges, who used to save someone in the dance-off," a source told the paper. "They can’t save anyone now." The new series will see the return of the Sunday night results show - presented by Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman - after last year's extended Saturday night show proved unpopular with viewers. "Strictly pioneered the Sunday night results format and this year we're back with the perfect finish to the weekend," said Mark Linsey, BBC Controller Of Entertainment Commissioning. The show returns on October 2, with a launch show introducing this year's celebrities and their partners to be screened on September 11.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.