Strictly Come Dancing viewers are complaining that the new presenting team is no longer introducing the friends and family of celebrities seated in the audience, a segment they previously enjoyed.
After Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman stepped down from their presenting roles last year, the BBC carried out compatibility assessments before choosing Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe as the new hosts. The change also affected spin-off It Takes Two, where Ellie Taylor was named host, and several professional dancers were dropped.
Reddit viewers question the change
A Reddit user posted: "Anyone know why most of the contestants' guests weren't introduced in the Clauditorium?", referring to the elevated studio area where contestants are interviewed after their performances.
They added: "We saw a lot of family and friends etc in the audience today, but then we never heard from the celebs who they were? I used to really enjoy this bit as we'd see family and friends emotional etc."
Another user pointed out that the previous host also skipped some introductions, citing the example of Robert Webb's series when the Mitchells were not mentioned.
Time constraints and presenter style
One viewer suggested the change was due to time constraints, saying: "Time factor. There will be more room for chatting when there are fewer couples."
The original poster responded: "But [Johannes] kept asking the pro how proud they were of their celeb. Obviously they're all proud of their celebs, they're hardly going to say they're not proud are they. Felt like that limited time could have been better spent."
Another viewer wrote: "JoJo was on a loop with just six words - 'My darling, how did that feel?' I don't think asking about guests was on the agenda for him today."
A further fan remarked: "JoJo mentioned Chris' kids in the audience but other than that I can't remember others. As another person said, I think JoJo was just trying to get through the night without improving too much."
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturday at 6:15pm on BBC One.
