Overview
- The BBC appointed Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe as a deliberate three-presenter experiment earlier this year and launched the new team on the pre-recorded opener and the first live show.
- Viewer reaction to the first live show was mixed, with many users labelling Josh Widdicombe a 'spare part' while Emma Willis received broadly positive feedback.
- Overnight figures showed the first live show averaged about 4.8 million viewers with a peak near 5 million, down on last year’s live debut, prompting concern about the series’ audience.
- Producers kept the trio in the same roles into week two; Johannes was praised for correcting earlier timing issues, and the show moved Movie Week earlier so every celebrity would take part in a themed week.
- A Strictly spokesman defended the numbers by highlighting the programme’s nightly peak and on-demand viewing, while the overhaul continues to be judged against recent backstage controversies and welfare reforms.