Strictly Come Dancing's launch this weekend in doubt after Queen's death

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The launch of Strictly Come Dancing is in doubt this weekend following the death of the Queen - with fans are still waiting to hear if the hit BBC show will kick off on Saturday.

As it stands, the BBC is only issuing its TV schedule a day in advance, with many changes being made following Her Majesty's death.There's said to be a "50/50" chance of the launch episode airing.

TV Zone's Twitter page said today: "For everybody asking: It's still 50/50 as to whether #Strictly will air next weekend. The question the BBC will be weighing up is whether it's appropriate to air it on the bank holiday weekend of the funeral and period of national mourning. "Two most likely scenarios if the launch show does NOT air next weekend: a) Launch show airs on Sat 24th Sept.

Live shows begin on Sat 1st Oct (series will be a week shorter than planned). b) Launch shows airs on Fri 23rd Sept. Live shows begin on Sat 24th Sept as planned."The BBC has said it is only confirming schedules for today and tomorrow.However, with the Queen's funeral due to take place on September 19, many fans think Strictly's launch is looking unlikely for next weekend.One tweeted: “Strictly doesn't start airing live until the 24th, but next Saturday's launch episode will definitely be cancelled."Another said: "It's possible they could instead air the launch episode on the Friday night (23rd) before the first live show the following evening.”While a third commented: “More likely they'll just delay the first episode by a week, then the celebs will all compete properly the week after that.”The pre-recorded Strictly Come Dancing launch episode, which sees the celebrity stars matched up with their professional dancing partners, was set to air on Saturday, September 17.How