By Matthew Moore
Copyright hellomagazine
Autumn is upon us and that means that we’ll soon be hearing the iconic Strictly Come Dancing theme song as we watch 15 celebrities learn to dance. However, it has been confirmed that when the show returns on 20 September, there will be a major change to the voting process. For years, fans have called in to save their favourites from elimination and in recent years, there has been a guest celebrity reading out the BBC’s terms and conditions, but that has now come to an end as the corporation pulls the plug on the televote.
In an explanation on their website, the BBC confirmed that it would instead focus on online voting. “For years, shows like Strictly Come Dancing, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Eurovision let viewers vote by calling premium-rate numbers,” they explained on their website. “However, this is now an outdated system and also expensive to run. Online voting has become the go-to choice for most viewers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of votes for the last Strictly series were cast online. And earlier this year, BT, the company that provided these phone services for the BBC, announced it would stop offering them in early 2025.”
The news has garnered a mixed reaction from fans, with one saying: “Disney/ABC has had DWTS set up like this for years – shocked it took Strictly so long to catch up,” and a second added: “No harm. Those premium rate phone lines were always a rip off. I remember trying to vote for Gareth Gates on Pop Idol back in 2002 and the line was always busy.”
However, others said: “This is going to change the voting demographics somewhat,” while Connie Abrahams, the director of Age UK, told the Telegraph: “Being unable to phone in to a BBC vote may seem trivial, but if you’re an older person who has enjoyed participating in this way and you aren’t online, it may feel like another hurtful example of the world moving on and leaving you far behind.”
What else has been affected?
The phone lines are now down everywhere, including voting for the Eurovision Song Contest, which has its own specialist app. Other shows that have used this format include The Voice and the Countryfile Photographic Competition, which allowed viewers to vote for their favourite natural photograph that would then cover that year’s Countryfile calendar.
