Strictly Come Dancing faces a major schedule shake-up as BBC bosses are forced to shelve Saturday night live shows for the World Cup with live shows set to air on Fridays and Sundays instead.
Loyal fans of the beloved BBC One ballroom competition will be forced to watch the nail-biting show on different days as the sporting season starts this December.
Executives at the Beeb have been hard at work this year to eliminate all possible clashes with their flagship show and the football event which is being held in winter for the first time ever.
READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing co-stars spotted looking cosy amid backstage romance rumours
But it isn’t just the sporting event that is making new format changes, as Strictly will also be making TV history by airing their live shows on Friday and Sunday nights throughout the month of December.
(Image: PA)
It is understood that this year’s glitzy final will be held on Saturday, December 17, but fans have been warned that the TV schedule will soon be chopped and changed in the build up to the final to accommodate for the World Cup.
The World Cup round of 16 starts on December 3, and although England or Wales won’t be playing in the evening slot if they get through, the home nations could be in action just hours before.
Later in December, the live show will be switched again meaning the show will be moved from Saturday December 10 to Sunday December 11.
(Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
Bosses came to the difficult decision because the final World Cup quarter-final is taking place on a Saturday which leaves Sunday totally football free.
The scheduling chaos was brought about following the controversial winter World Cup in Qatar which has caused anger between football fans and avid viewers up and down the country.
While the tournament would typically take place in June and July, this year’s kick off won’t start until November 20 due to the intense summer heat in the heart of the Middle East.
(Image: PA)
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The news comes after Strictly celebrated 100 years of the BBC with a special themed week to mark the centenary.
Stars were seen dancing “to a theme tune from iconic BBC programme in tribute to one of the BBC’s most-loved services”.
The pre-recorded piece saw a slew of previous stars from the ballroom show return to the BBC series for a one-off stint.
This included EastEnders actress Emma Barton from 2019 and MasterChef judge Greg Wallace who participated back in 2014 amongst many more.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
