Former Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan has said the judging panel should have been shaken up alongside the other changes made to the BBC show this year, describing the current panel as "wishy-washy".
This year's series features a new presenting line-up after Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman left, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and professional dancer Johannes Radebe taking over. Five new professional dancers also joined the competition following the exit of fan favourites including Karen Hauer, Gorka Márquez and Nadiya Bychkova.
Judging panel criticism
Asked whether fans could see him return for a potential all-star series, Jordan said: "No, I would go on the judging panel. I think the judging panel should have been shaken up a little bit as well, if they're going to make all of these changes. I find the judging panel a little bit wishy-washy for me. I think that could be a bit stronger."
Speaking about the new presenters, Jordan praised their work, calling Emma Willis "amazing". He added: "I'm not 100% sure why they have three presenters, but hopefully once the show actually starts, it'll start to make more sense. I felt in the launch show, I didn't really get why they needed three. I didn't understand why they needed three presenters. We'll see, but Emma at the helm of the show, she's perfect for the job."
Professional dancer rotation
Regarding the rotation of professional dancers, Jordan, who is currently in rehearsals for his upcoming tour Legends of the Dancefloor, said it is part of the programme people have to accept.
He commented: "You have to let the younger generation come and take over, you hand the baton over to these new pros. People are getting better at dancing. It's great having pros on the show that you know and can relate to, but at some point, you have to hang up your dance shoes and go, 'you know what, let someone else have a go' cause at some point you've taken someone else's position. When I came on the show, someone was obviously not asked back, and I took their position."
He added: "So my feeling is at some point I have to accept that I'm no longer going to be on the show and someone else is going to take over, and hopefully they do a great job. I'm sure the pros this year are all going to do a fantastic job. If you just look at Alexis (Warr) last year, what a brilliant addition to the team."
Jordan added that although all of the professionals do an "amazing job", people need to be aware when it's time to "hang your dancing shoes up". Strictly Come Dancing continues Saturday September 26 on BBC One from 6:15pm.
