The key facts

  • The new hosting trio (Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe) received polarised press reviews — from 'a triumph' to 'a total failure'.
  • The new hosting trio (Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe) has received polarised press coverage — from a 'triumph' to a 'complete failure'.
  • Ratings have dropped: around six million viewers a week, roughly a million fewer than before.
  • Ratings have declined: around six million viewers a week, roughly a million fewer than before.
  • Experts and critics note that the trio is gradually 'finding its feet', although Widdicombe remains the most criticised member.

The change of hosts has not been easy

Replacing the hosts of the BBC's flagship Saturday show Strictly Come Dancing was never going to be simple: instead of two hosts — Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who left the show at the end of 2025, there are now three, each with their own role. Emma Willis and comedian Josh Widdicombe front the live broadcasts, while former professional dancer Johannes Radebe has taken over Winkleman's spot on the mezzanine, where he interviews contestants after their dances. This is reported by BBC News.

Polarised reviews from critics

After the debut in September, the reviews were divided. Carol Midgley of The Times called the trio 'the most awkward ménage à trois on TV', while Chris Bennion of The Daily Telegraph declared that the new trio was 'a total failure', 'a mess, a muddle, a shambolic pudding'. At the same time, Adam Miller of Metro called the debut 'a triumph', and Sarah Carson of the i Paper wrote that the show 'pulled it off brilliantly', even though the hosts 'sometimes looked a little awkward as a threesome'.

Widdicombe — the main target of criticism

Josh Widdicombe has borne the brunt of the criticism. Sasha Morris of the Daily Express wrote that he 'feels like an awkward spare part' and looks like 'an intern', while Isobel Lewis of The Independent called him 'a problem the show needs to solve'. In her words, the host 'behaves too much like a comedian and not enough like a presenter': in the roughly 20 seconds allotted to him with each judge, his spontaneous interjections look fussy, although, the journalist stresses, this is not ego but a comedic reflex. Lewis notes that over time Widdicombe has grown more confident, and some fans online are 'warming' to him.

Experts: the trio is gradually finding its feet

Radio Times TV editor Caroline Frost agrees that the first episodes had 'bumps', but that the hosts are 'very slowly relaxing into their new roles'. She believes Willis and Widdicombe should rely less on the script and pre-written jokes, and suggests swapping the roles: sending Widdicombe upstairs for the interviews and making Radebe an 'expert commentator' in the rehearsal rooms. Strictly on the Sofa podcast co-founder Flo Seyers praises Radebe — in her words, he is 'less of a comedian and more of a supportive friend' to contestants who are vulnerable after their dance, and his fashion looks have become an event of the week in their own right. Dr Karen Wood of the Centre for Dance Research at Coventry University adds that Radebe 'has made a beautiful transition from professional dancer to presenter', Willis carries herself with confidence, and last week the Willis and Widdicombe duo seemed 'genuinely funny' to her for the first time.

Ratings and roles

The season's ratings have declined: according to figures cited by the BBC, the show is watched each week by around six million people — roughly a million fewer than before. Seyers is not sure whether this is connected to the change of hosts. The trio's roles have largely settled, despite Widdicombe's earlier talk of 'total football' and reports of Radebe as a 'roving reporter': only individual segments remain flexible, especially in the Sunday results show. Over the past weekend, Dame Sarah Storey and her partner Julian Caillon were eliminated from the competition.

Why it matters

Strictly is the BBC's flagship Saturday programme, and the success of the host transition after the departure of Daly and Winkleman directly affects the future of one of the country's most popular shows. The confirmed facts so far point to an audience decline of roughly one million viewers and a mixed press reaction, but the experts interviewed by BBC note the trio's gradual adaptation. In practical terms, this means that, judging by Frost's suggestions, the producers will have to decide whether to adjust the division of roles within the trio, while viewers will watch whether the positive trend holds over the remaining episodes of the season.

Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe smiling and standing together in a three-way dance hold
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Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe have adapted Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's 'keep dancing' move for three

Strictly hosts and judges dancing in a line in the Strictly studio
Image caption,

The new hosts joined the judges on the dance floor when the series began

Josh Widdicombe holding a bin bag next to Shirley Ballas, who is emerging from a wheelie bin, as Emma Willis looks on and smiles
Image caption,

Widdicombe has been at the centre of comic sketches with the other hosts and judges

The three Strictly hosts standing together, with Josh Widdicombe laughing, and Emma Willis smiling and looking at Johannes Radebe, who is speaking and wearing a bright orange top and red trousers
Image caption,

Emma Willis has hosted shows including Big Brother and The Voice

Josh Widdicombe holding an umbrella and apparently flying in the studio with an expression of mock horror, with Emma Willis standing and presenting as usual
Image caption,

One episode featured Widdicombe and Willis in a Mary Poppins-inspired sketch

A composite image of Johannes Radebe. On the left he is wearing a red vest top with green highlights and baggy red trousers. In the centre he is wearing black vest and trousers with a cinched waist and on the right he is wearing a velvet green jacket with a large bow tied to the right side of his neckImage source, Guy Levy / Ray Burmiston / BBC
Image caption,

Radebe has already gained a reputation for his flamboyant fashion

Strictly hosts in the background with their arms around each other, with Sarah Storey being carried by dance partner Julian Caillon
Image caption,

The presenting trio watched on as Dame Sarah Storey and dance partner Julian Caillon were eliminated last weekend

Left to right: Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe sit in a line on a sofa.Johannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis smiling together in smart, presenting clothesStrictly presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly dancing together on their final show