Strictly Come Dancing’s future has reportedly been sealed after a string of scandals surrounding the BBC show.
Bosses were said to be considering pausing the show in the wake of a star’s arrest on suspicion of raping a woman after a BBC event.
The man, who cannot be named, was arrested last month. The victim was not a contestant or dancer on the BBC show, but the two met because of the man’s involvement in the programme.
Hertfordshire Police confirmed a man had been arrested and that inquiries were ongoing.
Sources have now insisted to the Daily Mail that the show will go ahead in 2026, revealing: ‘It’s already been commissioned for 2026. And after that, there is no way it is going anywhere.’
They added that viewers could be inclined to cancel their TV licence if the show were to be axed.
‘If you take that away there is a huge risk they will stop paying for their licence, and that would be an absolute catastrophe,’ the source said.
It comes just three months after another unnamed male star was arrested on suspicion of rape. Police said a man was arrested in August on suspicion of rape and for possessing ‘non-consensual intimate image abuse’.
The scandal is said to have left the BBC senior bosses ‘divided’ between those adamant the show must go on and others considering a pause in 2026.
This would reportedly allow the show to ‘bolster’ safeguarding measures and also revamp the format.
An insider at the BBC has told The Sun that it is felt that Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s shock exit from the show could offer producers an opportunity to put Strictly on hiatus.
They said: ‘It’s frankly beyond embarrassing. The feeling among many is, we limp through the rest of the series, try and give Tess and Claudia a proper send off then use the new hosts as a credible reason to reset.
‘The rot runs so deep this needs a proper fix. The feeling at Broadcasting House is to take the new chapter as an excuse to do that.’
A sequence of high-profile scandals has embattled the show in recent years. In 2023, Amanda Abbington complained about Giovanni Pernice being ‘abusive’ while they were partnered on the show.
A probe then upheld a number of her complaints of verbal bullying and harassment, prompting the Italian dancer’s departure from the show.
During the investigation, it was also discovered that Graziano Di Prima had kicked Zara McDermott during their rehearsals, which led to his exit from the BBC show.
Strictly subsequently introduced chaperones to watch over training sessions, as part of new duty of care measures.
Then in the lead-up to the Strictly tour, Wynne Evans was forced to apologise for making a lewd remark about It Takes Two host Jannette Manrara during a photo call event. The Welsh opera singer was later let go from his radio commitments at the BBC.
Then this year, the BBC launched an inquiry into claims two of its stars had used drugs during their stint on the programme. One of the stars involved was also suspected of drinking, after a crew member smelled alcohol on their breath.
Winkleman and Daly announced this series would be their last as co-hosts in the middle of its run, to the huge surprise of fans and Strictly staff members alike.
Metro contacted the BBC for comment and a spokesperson said: ‘It would not be appropriate to comment on an ongoing police investigation.’
