Viewers will no longer eliminate the most hopeless contestants on Strictly Come Dancing, after the BBC announced changes to restrict audience participation in the hit show and to spread it over two nights.

The public will still vote, but the judges will decide which couple should go. Telephone voting will continue for one hour after the Saturday night show. An extra “results” show will be screened on Sunday night – to boost BBC One’s weekend ratings.

The judges, led by Len Goodman, will decide who should be eliminated after the bottom-placed two couples perform a “dance-off”. The decision will be based on that performance alone. The BBC said that the change was not related to recent telephone voting scandals. A spokeswoman said that handing the decision-making power to the judges would provide a “more dramatic” conclusion.

Viewers will still get to decide who is crowned series champion. Twelve million viewers voted in last year’s final, which was won by the cricketer Mark Ramprakash. This year 12.5p from each 25p telephone vote will go to Children in Need.

In the new show the broadcaster Gabby Logan, who is a columnist for The Times, competes against her husband, Kenny, a former rugby international.

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