Strictly Come Dancing was just dealt brutal blow from Saturday night icon
TV legend Michael Barrymore has claimed he could "get viewers back" to Strictly Come Dancing as he slammed the show as "controlled and contrived". The 74-year-old was dubbed "Mr. Saturday Night" at the height of his career. He dominated the weekend prime-time television slots with highly successful light entertainment and game shows such as Strike It Lucky, Barrymore and Michael Barrymore’s Saturday Night Out that drew up to 20 million viewers. While Strictly may currently be the biggest show on Saturday Night TV, he said: "It’s too controlled and contrived. It’s not what people want anymore.
TL;DR
- Michael Barrymore believes Strictly Come Dancing is "too controlled and contrived" and "too safe".
- He claims that he, as a performer with a background in stand-up, could "get viewers back" to the show.
- Barrymore highlighted a significant drop in Strictly's overnight ratings for its 2026 opening live show compared to the previous year.
- He suggested that producers need to be willing to take more risks, citing his own past approach to Saturday night television.
- Barrymore's television career was interrupted by an incident in 2001, but he has since returned to public life via Celebrity Big Brother and TikTok.