Strictly Come Dancing has beaten The X Factor in the ratings for the first time in four years.
Though Strictly has beaten The X Factor when the two shows have gone head to head for the past two weeks, this is the first time since 2007 that the dancing competition has outstripped the singing contest completely on a Saturday night.
Strictly hauled in an average audience of 10.1 million, while The X Factor could only manage an average of 9.1 million – a whole one million viewers fewer.
And while Strictly achieved a peak of 11.5 million viewers, The X Factor’s peak number was just 11 million.
The X Factor’s latest episode was down by 2.5 million compared with the same stage last year. It is just the latest bump in the road for the show after it lost head judge Simon Cowell to the US version. Mentor Kelly Rowland, of Destiny’s Child, was not present for this weekend’s show after an alleged huge bust-up with fellow judge Tulisa last week.
Strictly, however, pulled in an extra 700,000 viewers since last weekend.
Strictly last beat The X Factor in 2007 when Alesha Dixon was a contestant.
Former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke stood in for Kelly Rowland on The X Factor this weekend after the US star could apparently not fly back to the UK from her home in the US because of a throat infection.
Two of Rowland’s acts, Sophie Habibis and Misha B, wound up in the bottom two after a public vote. The judges – including Rowland, who called in from the US – unanimously sent Sophie home.
Meanwhile in Strictly, Nancy Dell’Olio was kicked off by the judges after ending up in the bottom two with boxer Audely Harrison. Judge Alesha Dixon told her: “Your legs are so far apart and that’s not very feminine.”
