TV BAFTAs 2025: Strictly Come Dancing wins major award despite nomination snub

Strictly Come Dancing picked up an award at the 2025 TV BAFTAs thanks to a public vote after being snubbed in other categories. The long-running dance show was in the Memorable Moment category which was voted for by the public.

The show had been snubbed from the Best Entertainment Programme category for the first time in its history after enduring a string of scandals. But the drama surrounding the light entertainment show did not appear to put off the public who voted and waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone as the most memorable moment in TV.

Dianne was at the ceremony to pick up the gong - which recognised a special dance routine with her celebrity partner, blind comedian Chris. The winning couple’s “blackout” dance, which went viral on social media, saw McCausland place his hands over Buswell’s eyes as the room faded to black, mimicking his everyday experience.

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When the lights returned, McCausland, 47, was spinning around with Buswell on his shoulders as pyrotechnics flared in the background. Dianne gushed: “In one minute and 30 seconds of a dance, I feel like this told such a story. A story of hope, determination, resilience and vulnerability.”

She added: “This moment meant so much to the both of us, so I’m just so thrilled that we have this.”

Chris was not at the ceremony, but Buswell said: “Chris did have something he wanted me to say, and that is ‘after 22 years in comedy, he wins a Bafta for dancing’.” The moment won over scenes that aired on , Rivals, Bridgerton, Gavin and Stacey and .

Strictly is normally up for the Best Entertainment Programme but has been snubbed this year for the first time ever in the show's history.

Instead, the Entertainment Programme is made up of nominees The 1% Club (ITV1), Michael McIntyre’s Big Show ( One), Taskmaster () and Would I Lie To You? (BBC One).

Last year, Amanda Abbington, 51, alleged she was subjected to "inappropriate, mean, nasty bullying" in a "toxic environment" while she was a contestant on Strictly in 2023. The BBC upheld "some, but not all" of the allegations made by Amanda about her dance partner Giovanni Pernice – who has always denied the accusations.

The Bafta TV Awards show began in Traitors style with Alan Cumming wearing the well-known dark cloak in the Scottish Highlands castle. Cumming, who described himself as the “devilishly handsome” host of the US Traitors, was summoned to the Traitor turret and asked to host the Bafta TV Awards this year.

The host wore a dark Traitor cloak donned with an embellished letter C on the front, despite joking that he would “not wear one of those drab cloaks”.

The Scottish actor said that accepting the role of host would be “the 12th biggest honour of my life”. He was required to take on the “Bafta’s oath” in which he was asked whether he would “swear that should someone’s speech go on for too long you will be willing to cut them off regardless of status?” to which he quickly quipped “I do”.

He was then asked: “Do you swear that none of your outfits will suffer a wardrobe with malfunction?” “I do. I did the best of my ability. But you know, whatever pops out, pops out,” Cumming replied. He also swore that he would not swear on-stage, but did not promise if he would avoid foul language off-stage.

“On stage, I will have the vocabulary of a nun. Offstage that’d be more like a trucker,” he joked. The Bafta TV Awards 2025 are being held at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

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