Strictly Come Dancing: how to vote in the semi-final? Rules explained after change
Strictly Come Dancing has changed how voting works in 2025 🕺💃📺
- Strictly Come Dancing has made a big change to voting.
- It comes after the BBC made a major decision in 2025.
- But what is different in series 23?
After two decades on air, Strictly Come Dancing has introduced a major change to the way viewers can vote. The semi-final is upon us and it is more important than ever that fans familiarise themselves with the new rules.
Just four couples remain in the competition heading into this week’s live show. It comes after a shock elimination last weekend.
But only three of the stars will be able to make it to the Strictly Come Dancing final. Here’s how you can help to decide.
When does voting open on Strictly Come Dancing?
If your favourite goes first tonight (December 13), you might be getting itchy fingers wanting to cast your vote. But you will have to hold those horses, partner.
Voting does not open until the end of the evening, so make sure you are listening carefully. The hosts will let you know when you can vote and how long you have to cast them.
The results show is scheduled to take place tomorrow (December 14) night.
How to vote in Strictly Come Dancing’s semi-final?
In a major shake-up, the Beeb is stopping premium-rate phone voting. It was announced that Eurovision 2025 earlier this year was the last major BBC show to offer it.
A spokesperson for the broadcaster explained: “For years, shows like Strictly Come Dancing, BBC Sports Personality of the Year and Eurovision let viewers vote by calling premium-rate numbers. However, this is now an outdated system and also expensive to run.
“Online voting has become the go-to choice for most viewers. In fact, the overwhelming majority of votes for the last Strictly series were cast online.
“And earlier this year, BT, the company that provided these phone services for the BBC, announced it would stop offering them in early 2025.”
It means that from now on, voting for BBC shows will be done online only. It’s quick and easy -and if you have a BBC account, you’re already set. Plus, having an account gives you extra benefits like:
- A more personalised iPlayer experience
- The ability to pick up shows across devices
- Local weather updates tailored to you
If you already have a BBC account, you don’t need to do anything. During voting, you’ll be directed to the show’s website where the voting link will be clearly shown.
If you don’t have an account yet, signing up is simple and free here. The BBC spokesperson added: “We know this is a change for some viewers, so we’ll be sharing clear instructions during shows like Strictly to explain how to get set up and vote.”
How is the bottom-two decided?
With just three spots available in next week’s grand final, it does mean that one celebrity will unfortunately be missing out. Once again, the elimination will be decided by a dance-off.
Only the bottom-two will face having to dance again tomorrow night. It is decided based on a combination of judges’ scores and the public vote, which, when combined together will give an overall table.