Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe were seen arriving for a photoshoot alongside the stars of this year’s series.
In October, Tess Daly caused shockwaves when she announced she was stepping down from hosting after 21 years alongside her co-host Claudia Winkleman, who had fronted the show alongside Tess for 15 years.
After months of speculation, in May it was announced Emma, 50, and Johannes, 39, would be joining Josh Widdicombe in hosting the show, following a bloodbath among the line-up of pros – of which Johannes was previously included.
While the duo looked delighted to be arriving, there has been much discussion over the line-up – with some branding the cast ‘the worst to date’.
Some of the best known of the lead-up are Dani Dyer, Delta Goodrem, Jaime Winstone, Will Best and Gavin & Stacey actress Melanie Walters, however many of the stars have been deemed unrecognisable to viewers.
Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe were seen arriving for a photo shoot alongside the stars of this year’s series
While he may be used to the dancefloor, Johannes was taking on a whole different job as he too headed in sporting a slick white jumper
After months of speculation, in May it was announced Emma, 50, and Johannes, 39, would be joining Josh Widdicombe in hosting the show, following a bloodbath among the line-up of pros – of which Johannes was previously included
Emma looked sensational in an androgynous ensemble comprising a cropped, unbuttoned waistcoat layered over a sleeveless shirt and trousers.
She wore her trademark cropped locks slicked back while wearing minimal make-up and thin wired glasses for her big first day.
While he may be used to the dancefloor, Johannes was taking on a whole different job as he too headed in sporting a slick white jumper.
Strictly is one of the BBC’s most popular shows, with millions tuning in every weekend and the professional dancers quickly becoming household names.
This year, however, there’s been one big problem – that the dancers are better known than the ‘stars’ they’re set to partner up with.
YouTuber John, for example, doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page.
But that doesn’t seem to matter to producers, who are said to have specifically selected stars who have large social media followings.
Emma looked chic in the ensemble
Emma looked sensational in an androgynous ensemble comprising a cropped, unbuttoned waistcoat layered over a sleeveless shirt and trousers
He wore a gold bracelet and matching necklace
He clutched an envy-inducing Gucci handbag and matching loafers
Stars such as Kim Kardashian’s hair stylist Chris might not be a household name, but he does boast a huge social media following with 4million fans on Instagram.
John has an even bigger fanbase, with 15.7million YouTube subscribers.
However, loyal fans have been left scratching their heads over the lineup, with many of the comments on the Strictly social posts asking who the celebrity is, rather than expressing any excitement.
Indeed, while bosses may be keen to attract Gen Z (14 to 29 years old), the majority of Strictly viewers are currently Gen X (46 to 61 years old) and Baby Boomers (62 to 80 years old).
The Strictly Come Dancing class of 2026 came together for the first time on Thursday as they headed to their first dance rehearsals (pictured: Dani Dyer)
The contestants still looked in great spirits as they arrived at the studio in London (pictured: Delta Goodrem, left, and Jaime Winstone)
Delta was seen arriving at rehearsals
Dani opted for a skintight co-ord and trainers for the rehearsals
Audience demographic data indicates that around 60 per cent of the audience is aged 55 or older, putting the average viewer age firmly in the mid-50s and above.
Yet this year, it’s time for an overhaul, with suggestions Strictly is following a similar, hugely successful social media strategy employed by its US counterpart Dancing With The Stars.
Dancing With The Stars has used its celebrity contestants’ followings to its advantage, introducing a TikTok Night last year – an episode which saw the contestants perform viral dance routines, sparking an uptick in interaction from younger viewers.
The Dancing With The Stars TikTok account now has more than five million followers, in comparison to Strictly’s 670,000.
