Strictly Come Dancing presenters Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe will stay in the roles they have been assigned for the rest of the BBC series, insiders have revealed.
The trio, who have replaced Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly, initially suggested they might swap around on the live Saturday show each week, citing a desire for “more movement” and “more freedom”.
But, as the show enters its third week on air, it has become clear that Emma and Josh will remain on the ballroom floor - essentially taking over from Tess, 57 - while South African former pro dancer Jojo becomes the direct replacement for Claudia, 54, in the upstairs area formerly known as the Clauditorium.
Bosses stand firm after public outcry
The public outcry after the debut episode led to some calls for major surgery ahead of the second show. But Strictly Come Dancing bosses stood firm on their decisions in a bid to allow the new hosts to get over their nerves and give the public time to adjust to the new line-up. The response from viewers this weekend is felt to have been more positive.
One insider said: “The fact that there were no changes made between week one and week two is very telling - you can read plenty into that. The producers and the presenters had fun playing around in the run-up, but now these roles are sticking.
“Emma and Josh are a double-act on the ballroom floor on Saturday nights, while Johannes does his own thing with the relieved dancers and their partners upstairs.
“The public needs a bit of time to get used to them and they need a bit of space to bed in. This will happen in the coming weeks. Already there was a much more positive reaction this weekend than after the first live show. We’re British and we’re not very good at change - but this formula is here to stay so everyone needs to get used to it.”
Criticism and reversal of plans
After the first week, Johannes, 39, was criticised for talking over the clapping as the performers ran up the stairs, meaning no one could hear what he said. He also got flak for multiple repeats of the same phrases - including “who is dancing next?” - and for referring to his co-host as Joshy.
But the most severe comments were reserved for stand-up comedian and dad-of-two Josh, a Strictly superfan, who seemed to struggle with his delivery of the autocue lines and was blamed for several awkward pauses.
Some viewers were keen to see Josh freed from the autocue jokes by taking on the upstairs role, where - some felt - he'd feel more at home with the spontaneous humour. But now that option has been firmly ruled out.
The source said: “Honestly, it’s all fine. There were always going to be grumbles and no one expected it to be universally adored. But we are confident in the choices that have been made and are pleased with how they have all thrown themselves into the job.”
Fluid approach on results show
In August, as rehearsals got underway, Emma suggested that there was no set plan in place for who would present which bits. “We’re working around what feels good and how it's going to work - we’re kind of having a nice play,” she explained to journalists, saying that it would create “more freedom”.
Josh then suggested there would not be any set plan, because they had all had a go at each of the different roles and enjoyed it. “I think the great thing about it is it's not a straight swap, one for one,” he said. “It's not like you're Tess, you're Claud. It's going to give it more movement - it’s a gang show.”
While this decision for the Saturday show appears to have been reversed, viewers have now seen a more fluid approach to the Sunday night results show. While Tess was never seen upstairs, this time Emma, 50, and Josh joined Johannes to chat with the judges and with the celebrities as they learned they’d escaped the dreaded dance off.
The results show aired for the first time this weekend, spelling doom for celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton and his partner Amy Dowden, who lost out in a dance-off with Jaime Winstone and last year’s winning pro Carlos Gu.
