Strictly Come Dancing judge Motsi Mabuse has warned viewers that the backlash against the new series risks AI replacing real human emotion on television.
Motsi, 45, returned to her usual seat on the judging panel of the BBC show on Saturday night alongside Shirley Ballas, Anton DuBeke, and Craig Revel Horwood.
The programme made its comeback to screens with a new look following the departure of long-serving hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, with Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe now in their place. The first live show pulled in 4.8 million viewers, whilst the launch show the week before saw 6.2 million viewers tune in.
Warning over AI
Amid the division, Motsi, who has served as a judge on Strictly since 2019, took to social media to remind others of the realities on screen and claimed that what is on display now may soon be at risk amid the rise of artificial intelligence.
She wrote on Threads: "While people type away, tearing apart real human beings on television, real emotions !!!!!!! AI is getting better at replacing them."
"One day we might not even know the difference. And maybe then we’ll miss the days when television was still beautifully, imperfectly human."
The star was instantly supported by her followers, with one replying: "Beautifully said x," whilst another wrote in response: "Absolutely! Much love xx."
Viewer reaction to new hosts
On Saturday night, Johannes from an area where all the pairings gathered throughout the show, viewers commented that it "didn't work".
Meanwhile, Emma and Josh were down on the ballroom floor, presenting and speaking with the judges. But some fans thought three presenters was too much.
Others thought the number was fine, but they were all placed in the wrong areas. While some fans embraced the shake-up, others wanted to see Emma host alone, or for Emma to lead with Johannes and Josh together post-dances.
One unimpressed fan said: "Having three hosts doesn’t work," as another agreed: "Three hosts are too much." A third fan commented: "I love strictly but this trio of hosts just isn’t working for me."
A fourth fan said: "These transitions between JoJo and the other hosts are so clunky and stilted, it’s probably the reason the show is running to 2.5 hours." Another comment read: "Okay, I don’t want to be a hater but three hosts is just not working. Not at all."
Not everyone agreed though with some finding the change okay. A fan said: "There seems to be as many posts about the hosts as there are about the dancing. If it bugs you that much then just switch off."
Strictly Come Dancing airs Saturdays and Sundays on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
