Strictly Come Dancing bosses are being forced to reveal last year’s voting results after a fan submitted a Freedom of Information request.
Viewers were left furious when producers refused to announce which contestants finished second, third and fourth in the 2017 final.
The series’ Glitterball trophy was won by Holby City star Joe McFadden and his professional ballroom partner Katya Jones.
But fans who paid 15p per phone vote during the thrilling final were angry at being left in the dark about fellow finalists Alexandra Burke, Gemma Atkinson and Debbie McGee.
Now, the BBC has been instructed to reveal the full results after keeping them secret for half a year.
Writing to the BBC in December, one viewer wrote: “Under the FOI you are requested to provide the voting figures for each of the final four Strictly Come Dancing candidates 2017.”
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The following month they contacted the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) saying that the BBC had failed to respond.
Then in May, the ICO issued an official notice requiring the BBC to respond to the request within 35 days.
Failure to comply could mean Auntie is reported to the High Court.
However, a spokesman for the BBC told the Mail Online that it did respond to the original request but that it would still not be providing the results because the corporation has the right to retain information for the purposes of “art, journalism and literature”.
That is one of the exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act.
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He said: “Releasing voting figures could affect the way that people vote and also have an impact on the participants. We therefore do not disclose the exact voting figures.”
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It comes just a day after Craig Revel Horwood accidentally confirmed the judging line-up for this year’s competition before the BBC could make an official announcement.
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