"Way to cut off most of your audience"
The BBC recently rolled out a new voting system that has affected Strictly Come Dancing, among other shows.
Rather than calling up to vote for your favourite couple, viewers can now scan a QR code on the screen, and they will need a BBC account to be able to do so. Signing up to their BBC account or create one online for free is the only way fans can send their votes.
The end of premium rate phone-lines hasn't gone down well with all viewers, with many saying it cuts off most of the audience. After Strictly shared a step-by-step guide on how to vote under the new system on their Instagram, many took to the comments to share their views on behalf of those who aren't online.
"My nan has been a fan of Strictly for years and is not online at all, it's really upset her as she loves to support her favourite couples each year," one wrote.
"Not everyone has Internet access or the computer skills for this, particularly the older fans, of which I am sure that there are many," another added. "For a show that's seemingly doing its best to promote inclusion this makes that gesture feel quite performative."
"This is a ridiculous change. Some people have been watching for 20 years, and have no idea how to do anything online. You're excluding a large amount of your audience for no reason," another said.
The BBC previously explained the decision to stop offering premium-rate phone voting by saying that the system, run by phone company BT, is "outdated" and "expensive to run".
The public broadcaster added that online voting had become "the go-to choice" for most viewers, with the majority of votes for the last season of Strictly being cast online.
Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2025 10:04 pm