If you’ve been listening to the naysayers this year, then this will be the final autumn that any of us will be settling down to watch Strictly Come Dancing. The BBC show returns for its 24th season tonight, and 15 brand-new celebrities will be discovering their professional partners.
This isn’t the only change as we’ll be meeting five new professional dancers, and more importantly, three new hosts as Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe will be taking over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, after they left following the end of the last season.
The departure of the hosts has been what’s spooked many fans, although the show has survived the departure of Bruce Forsyth beforehand. On top of that, a less than stellar line-up (although I’m more than happy to defend it) and many believe that the BBC will finally call time on the show that’s been airing from 2004.
But I am far from convinced. The BBC has shown in the past that it can revolutionise popular shows. Have I Got News For You swapped to a guest host format decades ago, and the topical news quiz is more popular than ever, while Death in Paradise remains heavily popular despite switching its main star every few seasons.
And why would we want the exact same show on our screens every year? Strictly has always adapted, whether with the introduction of themed weeks, like Movies or Halloween that we now can’t imagine the show without or the launch of last year’s ‘Instant Dance’ challenge, which was one of the highlights of last year.
As Johannes told HELLO! and other media: “The show is never quite the same, is it? Every year we have twists and turns, and this year more than ever. It would become monotonous if we did the exact same thing.”
This is simply a new era of Strictly Come Dancing, and after speaking to three new hosts, it’s clear that the BBC juggernaut that we’ve loved for decades is in very safe hands for its future.
The new hosts are stars who are at the top of their game, Emma has been hosting live television for decades, while Johannes could appear on any West End show that his heart desires and Josh is one of the current kings of the comedy circuit.
What’s clear is that for the three new stars, this isn’t just another gig that will be phoned in, this is a role that many have wanted. Josh even joked that the role was “like becoming the England manager or the Prime Minister – only I’d say it’s more important!”
And they’re not going in blind, the trio have 23 series of watching Sir Bruce, Tess and Claudia to know what fans will want from the show. “Before Bruce Forsyth, Tess Daly, Claudia Winkleman, there was no template, they had to figure it out,” Johannes said. “Now we can learn from them.”
© BBCWhat will be interesting to see over the next few months is their chemistry. Emma admitted to us that producers originally weren’t envisioning a three-person presenting team, so I get the feeling that a very special kind of presenting magic is about to unfold.
She explained: “They said to us when we went in, ‘We’ve gone a bit rogue here because a trio was not something we’d ever really thought of. But seeing what we’ve seen, we wondered if you three might work quite well together’.”
© WireImageAnd despite their high caliber, they’re also humble enough to know that people don’t tune in to Strictly to watch the presenters. As Josh said: “The show is about the dancers and celebrities. We’re just holding it together. We’re the guides, but the stars are on the dance floor rehearsing 100 hours a week to get these paso dobles correct.
“If we can be the eyes of the fans at home, because that’s what we are, and ask the questions they would ask, that’s what we can do.”
© CREDIT LINE:BBC/Guy LevyChange is never easy to handle, and even more so when it comes to one of the most beloved shows on the BBC. And while Emma, Josh and Johannes are honest that they’ll have nerves as they step onto the ballroom floor.
But I think in a few weeks, we’ll have hardly noticed the changes, and we will be cheering on whichever celebrity has managed to win our heart this year, while shouting at Craig Revel Horwood for pointing out someone’s thumb sticking up in what we thought was a perfect tango.
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