The overnights ratings for the first live show of this year's 20th anniversary season of Strictly Come Dancing are in, with the episode being watched by a peak audience of 6.6 million viewers.
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It also saw an average viewership of 6.4 million viewers, with an audience share of 49.4 per cent.
The 6.6 million peak audience was down from 7.3 million last year. Meanwhile, the show's highest point of viewership to date came in 2020, when the first live show was watched by a peak audience of 10.2 million.
For comparison, the launch show earlier this month, in which the couples were officially partnered up, was watched by an average of 5.5 million viewers across the slot.
Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly on Strictly Come Dancing. BBC/Guy Levy
Meanwhile, Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec and Sarah Hadland and Vito Coppola both impressed with their dances, scoring 30 points each, while Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe and Wynne Evans and Katya Jones followed up with 26 points each.
Hadland and Coppola's dance broke an impressive record for the series, proving to be the highest scoring Quickstep for the first week in the competition in the show's history.
Commenting on the dance, Motsi Mabuse said: "Honestly, what a year it's going to be, starting the Quickstep like that – fast, rhythmical, great hold, great timing, well done."
This year's season of Strictly will continue next Saturday, before the first results show of the year airs on Sunday night, and the first contestant is eliminated from the series.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
