Strictly Come Dancing's new presenting team has received a significant setback just hours after their first live show. Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe took over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced their departure during the previous series.
Mixed Debut for New Hosts
The trio has had a shaky start, with Emma Willis receiving praise for her charisma and professionalism, while Josh and Johannes have appeared to struggle in the spotlight. Josh sparked backlash from viewers for appearing very nervous and was deemed a "spare part" during his first couple of shows, while Johannes faced several microphone and timing blunders during his first live show and appeared to miss his old role.
Viewer Poll and Ratings
Now Express readers have had their say, as 4,207 of 10,485, or 40% of voters, said at the time of writing that they would not watch Strictly with the current line-up. In comparison, 3,199 said they would "definitely" watch the new stars, while 3,079 were "undecided."
It comes as the viewing figures for the live show have been announced, with 4.8 million people tuning in to see Emma, Josh and Johannes make their live debut.
A Strictly spokesperson said: "Strictly was the most watched programme of the night, with a peak of five million viewers. As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world."
Future of the Show
It comes after the highly anticipated launch episode on September 19, which reached a peak of 5.8 million viewers and averaged 5.3 million.
Fans have called for the trio to be cut back down to the traditional two, with some pointing out that Johannes seemed to struggle backstage, while Josh seemed out of place alongside Emma Willis on the ballroom floor.
However, time will tell if bosses decide to act on the new presenting format, as the show will be on screens every weekend until mid-December.
