Strictly Come Dancing icon Oti Mabuse has weighed in on criticism of the show's new presenting team, saying she thought the same as fans who complained Johannes Radebe was hard to hear.
Johannes, along with Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe, has taken over presenting duties from long-running duo Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. Some viewers have complained that the links between the three new presenters are not as slick as the interplay between Daly and Winkleman.
Josh has faced particular disapproval, with social media complaints suggesting the 43-year-old comedian kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part” on the show.
Oti agrees with fan complaint
On The Fifth Judge podcast, which she hosts with husband and fellow dancer Marius Iepure, one fan wrote in to say Johannes couldn't always be heard clearly against the clapping and cheering of the live audience.
The fan complained: “Jojo was drowned out as he started talking as the contestants were walking up the stairs. So he needs to wake a little bit [so we can hear him].”
Oti agreed, saying: “I thought the same thing. there were moments where people are coming up the stairs, they're clapping, and then Jojo starts speaking, and I'm like, what did he say? I don't understand.”
However, Oti added, the fault probably lay with the show's production team rather than with Johannes himself, if he had been cued to start the link.
Defending contestant Cach Mercer
Another viewer, named Francine, sprang to contestant Cach Mercer's defence, writing: “I don't think they should have criticised Cach. He didn't choreograph the dance and he did amazing with what he was taught.
“That's a very good point, Francine,” Oti said. “They criticised him for what he was showing, but that wasn't his fault. That's such a good point. You shouldn't mock something when it's the pro who actually did the choreography.
Oti went on to say that, during her time on the show, she didn't pay too much attention to the judging panel: “As a pro, I used to sit at the back and I would zone out. I would zone out and the and I would say to my celeb, the judges don't give you the score. I give you the score. You spent five days with me. I will tell you your score.
“These four [judges] came in for a Saturday roast. They got their hair and makeup done. You listen to me. If that was good, I'll tell you if it was good…” She added that she would quite frequently disagree with the judges' opinions about what she did.
Praise for the opening and insight into show format
Despite the criticisms levelled at the new-format show, Oti said she thought the opening of the popular BBC dance contest's 24th series was “fantastic.”
She also gave viewers an insight into how the show is organised. Answering a question about whether the specific dances are imposed on the couple, Oti explained: "How it works is, production sit down with you at the beginning of the series and they go ‘These are your three dances, these are your three songs. These are your three concepts. They cannot be changed. You have no choice. You have to dance with them.’
“After that, if you make it past week three, we can negotiate. We can discuss. You can bring in your ideas if we like them. We could not like them or we could like them for another couple’.”
