Strictly Come Dancing TV review turned the first live show into a test of the new presenting setup, and Josh Widdicombe came out as the weak link. The Independent said the new trio showed promise, but his on-air style needed work if Strictly Come Dancing 2.0 is going to settle in.
Jojo in the Johann-arena
The review called the departure of Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman a monumental shift for the series, then put Johannes Radebe, Emma Willis, and Josh Widdicombe under the microscope as the 3 presenters. It also described the first live show as the real test of the format after a pre-recorded launch show the Saturday before.
Radebe handled the post-dance debrief in the area once called the Clauditorium, which the review jokingly renamed the Johann-arena? The pros were said to be ecstatic to see their “Jojo” get the top job, giving the format an immediate sense of buy-in from the dance side of the show.
Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe
Emma Willis and Josh Widdicombe stayed on the dance floor, splitting one role into two. The scripted portions of Saturday worked for both of them, which gives the new structure a usable base rather than a total reset.
Things went haywire when they strayed from the script. Widdicombe was said to talk over Willis a lot, and his strong comedic impulses were described as the point where he stopped serving the format and started fighting it.
The Saturday shake-up
The wider changes also included a new online companion show and changes to the pairing process, so the presenting shift was only one part of a larger redesign. That makes the first live show more than a personality test: it is the point where the production proves whether the pieces fit together under pressure.
The straight answer after this first live broadcast is that Willis and Radebe look workable, but Widdicombe needs to tighten his timing and cut back on the jokes if the split-floor experiment is going to survive. The next question is whether the show trims his freedom, because the current setup already showed where it breaks.
