Strictly's new presenters - after frosty reviews have they warmed up?
Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe have adapted Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s “keep dancing” move for three
Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosting trio received a very mixed reception when the latest series began a month ago. Ratings have dipped and the jury’s still out, but critics say they are slowly getting into the groove.
Changing the hosting team on the BBC’s flagship Saturday night entertainment show was never likely to be a waltz in the park.
And going from two presenters to three, and giving them slightly different roles, upset the show’s rhythm even more.
Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman were always going to be a hard act to follow.
Into their sparkly shoes have stepped the safe and smooth Emma Willis; the flamboyant former professional dancer Johannes Radebe; and cheeky comedian Josh Widdicombe, a wildcard who was not hitherto associated with either the dance world or prime-time TV.
Willis and Widdicombe have been paired on the live shows, where he is tasked with injecting humour into the moments before and after each dance – with mixed results, say critics.
Radebe, meanwhile, has taken over from Winkleman upstairs on the mezzanine, bringing his warmth and dance expertise to the celebrity interviews following each routine.
The new hosts joined the judges on the dance floor when the series began
After they made their debuts in September, the Times’ Carol Midgley billed them as, external “TV’s most awkward ménage à trois”.
The Daily Telegraph’s Chris Bennion declared, external that Strictly’s “new ‘throuple’ is an utter disaster”, adding: “It’s a mess, a muddle, a confusing pudding”.
Widdicombe has come in for particular flack. He “felt like an awkward spare part” and looked like “the work experience boy”, wrote Sasha Morris of the Daily Express, external.
And the Independent’s Isobel Lewis said, external Widdicombe “is a problem the show needs to solve”.
She believes things have now improved, although the show hasn’t completely solved the problem.
“He’s basically acting too much like a comedian to be a presenter,” the freelance culture journalist tells BBC News.
“I think he’s getting more comfortable with it. When it’s him and Emma doing the bits when they intro each act, and they’re obviously reading off an autocue, they feel way more confident there, and it feels more like it works.”
Widdicombe has been at the centre of comic sketches with the other hosts and judges
The problem grows when Widdicombe does what comes naturally as a good comedian, Lewis says, and tries to be spontaneous.
“They’ve got, like, 20 seconds with each judge. It’s such a tight amount of time, and that’s what lends it to feeling sloppy and like he’s constantly jumping in.
“Unfortunately it reads a bit like trying to steal attention and have the last laugh. I actually don’t think that is what he’s trying to do as a selfish act. I just think that is his comedic impulse.”
She says it’s unfair to put the criticism on Widdicombe, and says as time has gone on he feels less awkward, with comments online suggesting some fans are “warming to him”.
“But at the beginning there’s always that knee-jerk reaction of, ‘I don’t like this’,” Lewis says.
Emma Willis has hosted shows including Big Brother and The Voice
Radio Times TV and podcast editor Caroline Frost agrees that the trio have gradually settled in.
“I think it’s fair to say there were some bumps in the road in the first couple of episodes,” she says, “but they do appear to be very slowly relaxing into their new roles.”
When it comes to Willis and Widdicombe’s double act, Frost would like to see more spontaneity, not less.
“They’ve been relying quite visibly on scripts and gags, and I would like to see them relax into themselves,” she adds.
“It’s completely understandable that they would be very scripted, very alert to the clock and to all of the other many demands of running a live show of that scale – but the really talented people can do that on the fly.
“Josh is very likeable, and we know he’s a very funny man,” she notes. “He doesn’t need the shackles of the script that he’s currently handcuffed to, and I would love to see him take off those cuffs and become more spontaneous.”
One episode featured Widdicombe and Willis in a Mary Poppins-inspired sketch
Frost suggests sending Widdicombe upstairs to conduct the post-dance interviews instead of Radebe, who at times struggles to control his exuberant former fellow dancers. “It’s a bit like when you get an internal promotion at work,” she reflects.
The producers should make the most of Radebe’s strengths and make him “a sort of talent pundit”, she suggests.
“Have him in the rehearsal rooms, telling us what’s going on. He would be a lovely middleman between what we’re seeing on the dance floor and what is going on technically.”
Ahead of the series, there had been reports that Radebe would be used as a “roving reporter”.
Widdicombe previously suggested the trio’s roles would be fluid, telling The Rest Is Entertainment it was “going to be like total football… We’re going to be moving everywhere”.
Radebe has already gained a reputation for his flamboyant fashion
But while some segments are flexible – especially in the Sunday result show – their main roles appear fixed.
Some fans have been won over by Radebe since he took over Winkleman’s old domain.
“JoJo has been really brilliant up in… I guess the Claudatorium, but I’m not sure what we call it now,” says Flo Sayers, co-host of the Strictly on the Sofa podcast.
“He is the link to previous Strictly, and I think he has taken to that role really well. I like that he’s a bit different from Claudia. He’s less the comedian and more the supportive friend for the contestants when they’ve got off the dance floor and they’re probably feeling a little bit vulnerable.
“And his fashion has been amazing, so I’m excited to see what he wears every week.”
Sayers isn’t sure whether the new line-up has contributed to lower ratings – about six million people are tuning in every week this year, down by about a million.
But overall, she believes that the trio are getting used to the demands of the series.
The presenting trio watched on as Dame Sarah Storey and dance partner Julian Caillon were eliminated last weekend
Dr Karen Wood, associate professor at the Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University, agrees and says the trio “are now really starting to feel a bit more settled”.
“I think JoJo has transitioned beautifully from professional dancer to host, and obviously he comes with all his fabulousness,” she says.
“He’s able to talk about the technical details as well as be very supportive to the professional dancers and the celebrities. And his outfits are just marvellous. So I think he suits that role very well.
“Likewise, Emma is holding her own when she’s with Josh and when she’s not. She’s an experienced presenter. You can you can tell.
“And Josh is bringing the humour. I know it’s come with some criticism. But last week was the first week that I felt, oh, these two are actually funny.”
She concludes: “It’s really feeling like they’re finding their stride and their rhythm with it. And I think that’s going to develop more and more – very much as the celebrities do.”
Just as the show’s celebrity contestants improve week by week, the same may be true of the hosts – except viewers can’t vote them off if they don’t like them.
The next episode of Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One at 18:30 BST on Saturday.
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