Michael Barrymore has slammed Strictly Come Dancing for being ‘too controlled and contrived’ as he claims he could ‘soon get the viewers back’ if he were in charge.
The former king of Saturday-night television, 74, said the BBC show had become ‘too safe’ and urged producers to take more risks.
Speaking to Radio Times, he said: ‘It’s too controlled and contrived… It’s not what people want any more. Because of years of people watching telly and learning about it, and social media, audiences require more.
'It’s too safe. When I was hosting Saturday-night TV, there was a bit of an edge. Producers have to be willing to take more risks.'
Barrymore also suggested broadcasters are now reluctant to build shows around a single star, asking: ‘Look what’s happened with Strictly. Why does Bake Off have four judges and presenters? It means if one of them gets cancelled, the show goes on. They can spread the risk.'
The presenter, who was once ITV’s ‘Mr Saturday Night’, fronted a string of hit shows including Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People and Kids Say the Funniest Things.
Michael Barrymore, 74, has slammed Strictly Come Dancing for being ‘too controlled and contrived’ as he claims he could ‘soon get the viewers back’ if he were in charge
The BBC has replaced long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman with Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, attracting mixed reactions from viewers
His cheery catchphrase ‘Awight!’ became a Saturday-night staple, with his programmes drawing audiences of up to 15 million.
His comments come as Strictly faces a testing start to its 22nd series after a major shake-up to its format and presenting team.
The BBC has replaced long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, with the new-look show attracting mixed reactions from viewers.
This year’s pre-recorded launch show averaged 5.3million viewers, down from 5.4million in 2025.
And while the figure represents a small decrease from last year, it remains well below the figures recorded before the programme was hit by a series of controversies.
This includes allegations about the treatment of celebrity contestants and the culture behind the scenes, leading to the departure of professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima and prompting the BBC to introduce tougher welfare measures.
Prior to the string of scandals, the Strictly launch peaked at 6.7 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million in 2023.
Bosses will have hoped that a fresh format and new hosting line-up could tempt lapsed viewers back to the BBC One favourite. However, the overnight figures suggest the changes have yet to produce a significant ratings resurgence.
It also comes after sources close to the BBC show warn that bosses are terrified that the departure of Claudia and Tess will lead to the judges going too.
Their contracts finish at the end of this season – meaning it will be time for head judge Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke to renegotiate with the corporation.
Insiders suggest that Shirley may not return for what would be her 11th series, with speculation rife that she may relocate to the US to spend more time with her son Mark, a professional dancer on America's Dancing With The Stars, and his two children.
One source said: 'The one thing that the BBC knew would keep some continuity this year was that the judges would all be back.
'They are under contract so that was a guarantee for the bosses and was definitely one less headache for them. But anything could happen. Any of them could walk away now and they will be free agents.
'The most likely is Shirley. She has done a decade now and she has grandchildren that she wants to see more of.
'The terms of their contracts will have to be renegotiated, and if the judges don't like what the BBC is offering maybe they won't return.
'It will all be very up in the air in December once this run is over.'
In 2023, the judges enraged BBC bosses when they demanded an 11 per cent pay rise on their salaries, which are thought to be between £200,000 and £300,000 for the three-and-a-half-month stint.
Chiefs were furious at the demands and refused. Instead, the judges took a raise of between 3 and 5 per cent.
A show source said: 'If they want more money again, it's unlikely that will happen.
'The BBC can't justify these salaries and now the viewing figures have tanked there's even less of a chance they will get more next time.'