Josh Widdicombe does NOT deserve the backlash – there’s one place BBC Strictly fans should direct their fury
This week, Tom Cruise returns to cinema screens in his latest attempt to cement himself as Hollywood royalty and bag his first-ever Oscar on his fifth time of asking.
He stars in Digger, a dark apocalyptic satire that, despite mixed early reviews, is thought by many to be the 64-year-old’s best shot at the statuette to date.
It’s been high on my list of must-watches for most of the year. Helmed by The Revenant and Birdman director Alejandro González Iñárritu, I didn’t think my anticipation for an on-screen flick would be trumped before 2026 was out.
But then I watched the first live show of this year’s Strictly Come Dancing. Suddenly, a desperate urge to binge the audition tapes of the celebrities who missed out on the hosting roles took over me.
Josh Widdicombe (left) alongside Strictly co-hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe during Saturday’s live show
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BBC
I grew curious. Curious as to what the likes of Zoe Ball, Angela Scanlon, Rylan Clark, Janette Manrara, and many others did in the audition process that led bosses to opt for Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe.
Something horrific must have happened. Did they verbally attack the show’s producers? Did Ball fall asleep during the audition? Did Clark bring up the small boats (we know how much the Beeb hates that)?
Whatever these tapes hold, it must make for intriguing and possibly horrific viewing because I can think of no other explanation that would’ve led BBC bosses to land on the current trio.
Radebe and Widdicombe were joined by presenting royalty Emma Willis for their first live show on Saturday. The former Big Brother host has already established herself as the only saving grace of the 2026 revamp.
Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis took on the role previously occupied by Tess Daly
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BBC
The nerves were palpable – and understandable. Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman’s reign as the faces of Strictly left a bar higher than even the 6ft+ Radebe could reach.
Widdicombe and Radebe bore the brunt of the backlash. The latter was tasked with overseeing the famous “Clauditorium” but irked viewers by repeatedly reading out the terms and conditions of the vote while the audience drowned him out with cheers.
A rather wooden sign-off of “Who’s next?” after chatting to each couple also proved that seamless balletic transitions on the dance floor don’t necessarily translate to reading from an autocue.
Widdicombe remained downstairs alongside Willis, accompanying each couple by the judges’ table as they awaited feedback.
What must Zoe Ball have done in her audition to be snubbed in favour of Josh and Johannes?
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PAHis presence felt unnecessary. Complaints rained in branding him a “spare part” and – for the few who stopped short of directly calling for his axe – some pleaded for him to swap roles with Radebe.
But unlike Radebe, who’d built up a fanbase as a pro dancer on the show, the backlash facing Widdicombe felt more barbed.
He hasn’t built that rapport with the fanbase; he hasn’t got the risque quick-wit required for one of the campest shows on TV, and side-by-side with Willis, he’ll never command the screen.
His stint on The Last Leg proved this. He’s not a front-man. And his brand of comedy is a lot more corduroy than it is sequins.
Was Rylan Clark’s audition really so bad that Josh and Johannes were preferable options?
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GETTYFollowing the launch show, my colleagues Mark White and Anne Diamond and I discussed the new-look trio on Breakfast. Mark, like so many others, directed his ire Widdicombe’s way.
I don’t blame him or the thousands of others unimpressed with Widdicombe’s efforts thus far.
But that isn’t to say the comic should bear the brunt of the fury. Quite the contrary, in fact.
Widdicombe and Radebe have been thrust into the unforgiving arena that is the Strictly universe as sacrificial lambs. Unqualified for the gig and unprepared for the inevitable onslaught.
Johannes Radebe could not live up to the standards of Claudia Winkleman
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BBC
The fault does not lie with them, but rather with the BBC Studios team who decided these two men could breathe new life into a scandal-hit Strictly brand in need of resuscitation.
At the time of their appointment, Kate Phillips, the BBC’s Chief Content Officer, said the trio’s “chemistry was undeniable” and that she and her colleagues had “chosen three outstanding hosts to take up the mantle.”
Sarah James, Executive Producer for BBC Studios, added that the trio’s “magic was undeniable” from the get-go.
“Emma brings a wealth of presenting experience and a natural warmth… Josh had us all in stitches with his unique style of self-deprecating humour and razor-sharp wit… And then there’s Jojo, a one-of-a-kind talent… who will bring all his experience and knowledge to this new role,” she added.
The Strictly trio has to change if the show wants to survive
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BBC
The delusion – or should it be incompetence? – didn’t stop there. Suzy Lamb, MD for Entertainment at BBC Studios, added that “individually, each of them brings something audiences already love – personality, insight, and wit”.
“When you put those qualities together, the result is a kind of chemistry that feels fresh, dynamic, and impossible to ignore,” she hilariously added.
Willis has already hit back at the “judging” the three have faced. The likes of Motsi Mabuse, Gabby Logan, and others at the BBC have rallied around the trio.
Meanwhile, Phillips, James, and Lamb remain blissfully shielded from the glitter-covered toxicity and abuse that their decision has prompted.
Josh Widdicombe is best known for his stand-up comedy | PA
Widdicombe says he’s now using a tool called “the Brick” to limit his time on social media. Whether this is to shield himself from the tirade is unknown.
But with the time he’ll save, I’d be using it to break down the doors of Phillips, James, and Lamb, demanding answers as to why they put him in this position when he clearly isn’t up to the task.
Because, despite only being two shows in, Strictly cannot go on this way if it has any hope of surviving in this new age of TV.
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