Strictly Come Dancing embroiled in row over cronyism after BBC bosses accused of ‘excessive’ and giving ‘preferential treatment’ to popular couple

Strictly Come Dancing could be embroiled in a new row over cronyism, with several viewers accusing BBC bosses of giving special treatment to a celebrity couple.

Wynne Evans And Katya Jones are starring in the current series of the hit dance show and consistently receive high scores each week, ranging from 30 to 34, with only their first week scoring slightly lower: 26.

The Welsh opera star, 52, and professional dancer, 35, took to the Strictly floor again on Saturday to record The Salsa.

Craig commented: “I loved loved those lifts, you are a born entertainer,” while Motsi said Wynne was her “sunshine” and added that she “adored” him.

Dressed as red devils, the dance earned the duo an impressive 31 for Halloween week, with Motsi, Shirley and Anton each scoring an eight.

Despite the high praise and scores, some fans were unimpressed, claiming Wynne and Katya were too high.

Some even accused him of ‘having something in his contract’, while others said it depends on who the jury likes, while one branded it an ‘absolute joke’.

When they went to X, they fumed, “Wynne is so blatantly overrated every week and it absolutely kills me. That dance was by far his worst dance yet in my opinion and yet he still got three 8’s????? I’m really baffled #strictly

‘Sorry, but a 31 is a joke! Is there certainly BBC favoritism at the moment? What am I missing that is so good about Wynne? #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing’

‘Absolutely get out. both jb and wynne were extremely exaggerated. far too much fiddling and the loss of all technical aspects. an absolute joke #strictly’

“Wynne has far exceeded IMHO. It was more like 25 or 26 and certainly not 31…. Judges have the people they like and they generally get an extra point per judge. It seems unfair to me, but it’s not a dance show anymore….#StrictlySpoiler #strictly #scd’

‘I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand what the judges see with Wynne… he had Katya do gymnastics on his shoulders for half the dance and even that didn’t look flawless…#Strictly’

“What the hell did Wynne write in his contract? More than marked every time. #Strictly #StrictlyComeDancing’

‘What does Wynne have on the BBC? Overmarked and overhyped #Strictly’

It comes after Wynne found himself in further controversy this week after a ‘vulgar’ joke he allegedly made behind the scenes was ‘leaked’.

The star, who was recently involved in a ‘wandering hand’ incident, is said to have joked that his double chin resembled female genitals as he got make-up done backstage.

Insiders claim Wynne made the distasteful joke ahead of the BBC competition’s glitzy launch show and said it was said in a private conversation with a make-up artist.

A source said The mirror: ‘It was a bit of an ordinary dad joke.’

The publication stated that there was at least one other person in the room at the time, adding that the makeup artist was not offended by Wynne’s joke.

Strictly returns on Sunday October 27 on BBC One and iPlayer.

All episodes are now available to watch via BBC iPlayer.