‘Has the BBC cut the budget’ ask Strictly fans as they spot huge show moment has ‘gone missing’
FURIOUS Strictly Come Dancing fans have been left dismayed after a huge show moment 'vanished' from the latest semi-final episode.
It led fans to questions if the BBC had cut the budget for the show after noticing the striking difference in this year's penultimate episode.
Viewers watching along on BBC One at home were left disappointed that the three show finalists did not get their moment to shine as done in previous years.
Over the years, the couples who have made it through to the final week on the show have been announced by show hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman at the end of the show.
They were revealed one-by-one as they stood atop the balcony looking over the dancefloor.
However, in a shock shake-up, following Annabel Croft's elimination, the moment appeared to go missing.
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Expressing their 'annoyance' at the moment being axed, one fan said online: "I'm so annoyed they cut the results show from an hour to 40 minutes and ditched this part where the finalists stood on the balcony had their names announced before the show ends."
Another added: "They should’ve done this!!"
A third suggested that the BBC's budget was to blame, writing: "I do believe the reason for those cuts is the budget cuts though."
Before a fourth commented: "Oh i wish they did this!!"
Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell, Ellie Leach and Vito Coppola and Layton Williams and Nikita Kuzmin have managed to beat off the stiff competition to sail through to the final week of the contest.
However, tennis ace Annabel Croft's elimination did not occur without controversy as head judge Shirley Ballas found herself embroiled in a sexism row over her decision.
Shirley, 63, has already been accused this series of marking down female contestants.
Fellow judges Motsi Mabuse, 42, and Anton Du Beke, 57, had voted to save Bobby, while hard-to-please Craig Revel Horwood, 58, had backed Annabel and Johannes.
Delivering her decision, Shirley said: “I thought both couples were absolutely extraordinary.
"I felt that both couples lifted their performance. I thought there was technical qualities on both sides, improvements galore.
“But again one tiny mistake coming out of a pivot turn — and therefore my decision would be to save Bobby and Dianne.”
In the early stages of the BBC1 show, Shirley gave the lowest scores out of all four judges to former newsreader Angela Rippon, 79, former Coronation Street star Ellie Leach, 22, and media personality Zara McDermott, 26.
