Josh Widdicombe, 43, has divided viewers with his hosting of the BBC show alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, with fans suggesting the current trio format ‘doesn’t work’
Josh Widdicombe is keeping quiet about his experience on Strictly, declining to even speak about it on his podcast.
The comedian, 43, has divided viewers with his hosting of the BBC show alongside Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, with fans suggesting the current trio format “doesn’t work”.
While Josh appeared to ignore the backlash by re-sharing a post from a pro dancer who said they “couldn’t be in safer hands” than with the trio, the presenter himself seems disinclined to offer up any details of his time on the show.
In the new episode released today of the podcast he hosts with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, Parenting Hell, ‘Strictly’ is only mentioned once by his co-host within the 52 minute 43 second segment… and is quickly brushed over. Is it an intentional move from Josh to not mention the BBC show?
Strictly was referred to when Rob spoke about Josh’s hectic schedule. “Well, we were in London, weren’t we? Doing Parenting Hell.”
“Yeah,” Josh pointed out. “And then we got a car, we went to Heathrow. You were annoyed that I’d got check-in luggage.”
“No, I wasn’t annoyed,” Rob replied. “I was slightly surprised and a little bit put out, because I’m like, oh, we’re going to have to wait for Josh now to get his check-in luggage. But then you explained that you were going straight to Strictly after and you were away for four nights, five nights.
“So I was like, okay, let’s not get annoyed at him. But yes, yeah, I was slightly put out that we had to wait for this dweeb to put his bag in the hold for one night.”
It comes after Josh re-shared a post from Strictly dancer Lauren Oakley, which read: “We couldn’t be in safer hands than with these beautiful people.
“Strictly is about family, uplifting others, and creating a safe space for celebrity contestants to be vulnerable and do something so outside of their comfort zone.
“This trio have been so warm and welcoming, and they felt like family from the minute they stepped into the studio, and we love having them with us.
“Professional, funny, kind and fantastic at what they do. I couldn’t feel more lucky to be sharing the screen and our Saturday nights with them.”
Fans have been left concerned over the current hosting format and believe a change to Josh and Johannes’ roles could help save the show.
One fan suggested that producers may switch up the roles each week. “I’m curious to see if they might ‘Rotate or alternate’ the roles in a similar style to the launch show,” they wrote. “It’s only Week 1 so there’s time to make changes and it feels very ‘trial and error’ right now.
“I think they’ll keep Emma downstairs – she’s a natural in the ‘Tess role’ and she can shine on her own. I’d like to see Josh on his own one week in Claudia’s area where his comedy/jokes might work better. JoJo was quite wooden and static in Claudia’s area – He’s definitely a better dancer compared to presenter but I think he’ll get better as he settles into the role it’s only week 1.
“Two hosts at the judges desk really don’t work and that needs to change.”
Other viewers have suggested more defined roles for each host which suits their skillsets.
A fan commented: “My plan for the hosts; Emma – main host downstairs. Josh – Upstairs chaos, chats to help the celebs relax after their dances. Johannes – I would have him doing dance commentary and breaking down the performances, probably every 3 or 4 dances for a couple of mins.”
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