Strictly Come Dancing fans unimpressed as they complain about change to Halloween week

Strictly Come Dancing enthusiasts have been voicing their disappointment after noticing that the judges refrained from using the iconic ghost-shaped paddles for scoring during Saturday's Halloween special.

As the competition's sixth week got underway, the studio embraced the eerie spirit of Halloween, much to the anticipation of contestants aiming to avoid the same fate as last week's eliminated Paul Merson, joining the list of those who have left the dance floor including Nick Knowles, Toyah Willcox, and Tom Dean.

With this week's performances taking inspiration from cult classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Beetlejuice, each pair was determined to impress with their latest dances, all in hopes of advancing to week seven's contest.

However, a break from tradition caught the audience's attention when judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood, and Anton Du Beke did not brandish the usual ghost-shaped paddles used in past Halloween weeks.

The noticeable absence of the ghostly scoring paddles prompted fans to express their dissatisfaction on social media, labelling it a "mistake".

One viewer lamented on X: "Where are the ghost paddles that the judges use in Halloween week #Strictly."

Another distressed fan commented: "#strictly where are the ghost score paddles? ", coupled with a sad emoticon.

A third queried: "Where are the ghost-shaped scoring paddles? ! #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing."

Further echoing the sentiment, a different individual reiterated: "Where are the ghost shaped scoring paddles?! #strictly #StrictlyComeDancing".

There are currently 11 celebrity couples left all vying for the coveted Glitterball trophy.

Bookmakers have pegged Dr Punam Krishan and her professional dance partner Gorka Marquez as the most likely to be sent home from the show this week.

They garnered enough votes from viewers to dodge the dreaded dance-off last Sunday after finishing second bottom in the judges' leader board.

Olympian Sam Quek and partner Nikita Kuzmin could join them in the dance-off after their odds of elimination were drastically cut from 33/1 to 7/2.

Strictly Come Dancing continues every Saturday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.