10 Million Tune in the X Factor Suffered Worst Launch

It’s being billed as the hottest series of Strictly Come Dancing yet.

And viewers of the opening show on Saturday night certainly seemed to agree, with a record 10 million tuning in.

Viewers were gripped as model Daisy Lowe was paired with previous winner Aljaz Skorjanec, Ed Balls with a ‘fierce and fabulous’ new Russian dancer, and presenter Laura Whitmore with newly single Giovanni Pernice.

Nearly half of people watching TV (46 per cent) were watching Strictly as one in six of the UK population tuned in.

The figures are 600,000 up on last year, when an average of 8.7 million tuned in.

The 14th series of the ballroom dancing show, which beat The X Factor in the ratings last year, goes live in three weeks.