BREAKING NEWS: Fuming Strictly fans switch off minutes after Tess and Claudia replacements make debut
Strictly Come Dancing fans weren’t happy with the new presenting trio.
Strictly’s new presenters debuted tonight (Image: BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing viewers were left fuming on Saturday night (September 19), as the BBC dance competition returned for a brand-new series. The show made its debut this weekend for the first time since presenters Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly quit at the end of last series, leaving Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe and Johannes Radebe to step into their shoes.
Several professional dancers were also axed from the line-up for the new series, with a string of new celebrities preparing to be matched up with their new partners. For the first time, the celebrities found out their partner in the middle of the stage as judges Shirley Ballas, Anton du Beke, Motsi Mabuse, andn Craig Revel-Horwood watched on.
The show kicked off with a huge dance number featuring everyone in the show, before Emma, Josh, and Johannes made their debut in the ballroom.
Just minutes into the episode, “cringing” fans were changing channels as they simply couldn’t take any more.
Turning to X, one tweeted: “Five minutes in and Widdecombe has already p***ed me off.”
Another said: “I used to like Strictly Come Dancing but what’s happened to it? Three weird presenters ffs, & a very woke format. ALL grinning like mad & producing zero entertainment at all. I switched off.”
Somebody else penned: “#Strictly those presenters are simply awful. Poor Josh looks so awkward. Totally wrong and off-putting! Josh has to stop laughing.”
And a fourth posted: “So have we run out of ‘celebs’ and we need to get ‘content creators’ on instead? Think I know about four in this group. Terrible.”
A different fan warned: “#Strictly, anybody expecting Josh Widdecombe to be funny, switch over now!”
The new celebs made their debut (Image: BBC)
“Why is Austin Powers presenting Strictly Come Dancing? BBC time to turn over!” someone else said.
Josh’s struggles on air were noticed by body language expert Inbaal Honigman, who told Express.co.uk: “Emma is carrying the presenter duties almost single-handedly, and they all know it. As Josh gets used to the new job, he is panicking internally. As Josh gets used to the new job, he is panicking internally.
“When the three stand together, Josh leans towards Emma, showing that he is depending on her. Josh tries to tuck himself slightly behind the others, as if trying to avoid getting noticed or picked first at school.
“Josh is doing his best to stick to the script, and even through his smile, his mounting panic is showing. He smiles with his mouth, cheeks rounded, but Josh’s smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. This smile shows that for Josh, this is serious business. He’s not having fun yet.”
She noted that Emma and Johannes, on the other hand, seemed to be in their element, as she described Johannes as “having the time of his life”, adding that his dancer’s posture conveyed his utter delight at scoring such an incredible job”.
Inbaal concluded: “Emma in charge, and she’s super aware of the fact that she’s carrying the boys, and she’s ok with it. She stands strong, shoulders square with confidence and head held high. She knows her way around a presenting job, so even though this is new, it’s not too scary.”
