A former BBC boss has sparked some furious debate after calling for Strictly Come Dancing to be axed in a bid to ‘save the show’s reputation’ and bring it ‘new energy’
Ex-BBC boss Sam Hodges has spoken out about the future of hit BBC show Strictly – and claimed that resting it would ‘allow new energy to return’. Hodges, who was the communications chief at the BBC for over a decade, maintained the show needs to take a break for a year.
He compared the sparkly show to the world-famous Glastonbury Festival – which is taking a break in 2026 for a “fallow year”, which it famously does every four years to allow the land to recover- but will be back in 2027.
In a post shared to his LinkedIn, Sam wrote: ‘It’s 20+ years since I launched Strictly Come Dancing as an Assistant Publicist at the BBC. For the first time though, I think it’s time to take a leaf out of Glastonbury’s book and consider a fallow year for 2026.”
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“This series has clearly been tough on a whole host of fronts, but reputationally its biggest boost might well come from helping people realise what they’d miss, rather than chasing salvation by rushing into immediate contract talks with new producers, presenters, and cast.”
He added: “Things rarely finish on a high in TV – more often an exhausted final series or a controversy that brings things to a sudden or crashing end.
Most recently, the show was rocked by the shock revelation last October 23 by popular co-hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman that they were leaving the show.
The unexpected announcement came just 10 days after one of the show’s stars was arrested on suspicion of rape. The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in relation to an alleged incident dating back to 2024.
Hodges continued, “A non-priority new show with the working title Pro-Celebrity Come Dancing. No one knew the hit it would become.
“Glastonbury’s fallow years increase demand for tickets rather than opening the door to competitors – they allow new energy to return to both the line-up and the land. To save the show’s reputation, 2026 might be the year for the BBC and Strictly to do the same.”
But not everyone was in agreement. One fan of the show commented under his post, “I’m not sure I agree, but I do understand the sentiment. I’ve only really come to Strictly in the last few years, and for me it’s simply been a lovely thing to watch.
“Warm, familiar TV and a chance to properly switch off once a week. It’s still bringing people together in big numbers — and that feels worth holding on to.”
Another wrote, “As an avid fan with a vested interest, I don’t think it needs a break. It’s one of the few live TV shows that’s appointment to view, a rarity in today’s world of binge watching and box sets.
They added, “Millions of viewers gather to watch on a Saturday night (and on iPlayer in the following days) and despite the initial moans of ‘its full of nobodies’, by the middle of the run, we’ve got to know and care about the newcomers, such as La Voix and George Clarke this season.
“Watching Carlos’s emotional rollercoaster and Karen’s admission that she misses being part of a team prove that it’s more than just a dancing show.”
Strictly has been the focus of a whirl of controversies to date, from bullying allegations to alleged drugs use and two arrests on suspicion of rape. One of the biggest scandals to hit the show in its 21-year history was a bullying probe last year into former Italian pro, Giovanni Pernice.
Fellow Italian dancer Graziano Di Prima also left the show in June 2024 after it was revealed that he had kicked partner Zara McDermott during rehearsals.
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