Strictly Come Dancing viewers claimed the performance was “distasteful”.
11:29, 08 Dec 2025
Strictly Come Dancing fans have slammed a “disrespectful” performance during Sunday night’s results show.
Following Musicals week, Amber Davies and partner Nikita Kuzmin faced the dance-off against Lewis Cope and Katya Jones.
The Emmerdale actor was sent home after he and Katya performed their Salsa to Dance at the Gym from West Side Story, while Amber and Nikita took to the floor with their Charleston to Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat from Guys and Dolls.
Following the results, Lewis described his Strictly journey as “more than I could have ever wished for”; however, viewers were left distracted from the announcement after a special performance.
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The programme featured a guest appearance from the cast of the West End musical Titanique, a musical parody that showcases hits from Celine Dion, described as a “musical comedy bursting with nostalgia, non-stop laughs and killer vocals”.
However, it failed to impress viewers, with one writing: “Absolutely HATED #titanique. Whoever thought that a tragedy where 1,635 people died in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history would make a great musical ‘comedy’ should be ashamed. So, should the # BBC for featuring it.”
Someone else wrote: “Wow, Titanic on #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing, thank god I’ve never bought a ticket to that show. Horribly cringeworthy. Bordering on being offensive to the dead.”
Viewers branded the performance “disrespectful” (Image: BBC)
“How disrespectful,” someone else said, while yet another seethed: “@BBC Why on earth would you have Titanique on Strictly Come Dancing? It is a musical parody of the Titanic. You know – where people actually died.” They added in a comment: “Most bizarre. And distasteful.”
Someone else added: “Once again, I find Titanique remarkably tasteless. Real people died. Very much not for me.”
Reach PLC has approached the BBC for comment.
Others rushed to the show’s defence, as one person said: “Why am I seeing so many weirdo Strictly fans slamming Titanique on my timeline, get out of my face, it’s literally the best show in London rn.”
Other viewers rushed to the show’s defence (Image: BBC)
Another wrote: “Got to be honest, all this Twitter stuff for Titanic wants me to go see it again.”
Someone else added: “I love how people are complaining about Titanique on #Strictly saying it’s in poor taste. It’s a parody of the movie not the real life events and there’s also a separate Titanic musical. Titanique is hilarious and bonkers go watch it you’ll love it.”
Another echoed: “I see a lot of people aren’t getting Titanique from the short section of #Strictly tonight. It’s one of the funniest I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to do that just in a short musical section on a TV show. Give it a go, you will not be disappointed!”
Last year, former Strictly Come Dancing finalist Layton Williams hit back at anyone offended by him playing an iceberg in the musical Titanique.
Strictly’s Layton Williams previously defended Titanique after playing the iceberg on stage (Image: PA)
He told Metro: “I think when so much time passes, to make joy of something that happened… it’s more a lol on Celine [Dion], and actually all the characters are fictional.
“It’s based on the Titanic film, and we all know the characters in the movie weren’t real. So actually, we’re not taking the p**s out of real-life people who died.
“We’re taking the p**s out of made-up characters in a movie that isn’t real. And now this is doubly not real, so this is all fantasy.”
He added: “I really think you’re reaching for the stars if you’re offended, someone’s going to be offended about something, or we wouldn’t be able to leave the house, let’s be f**king real.”
Strictly Come Dancing is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
