‘It was like being a spy in the Cold War’: New Strictly presenters on the secretive casting process
As Strictly returns to BBC One, Emma Willis, Johannes Radebe and Josh Widdicombe share their excitement about joining the beloved show. By Lynn Rusk
As the leaves start to change colour, there are a few constants we can look forward to: cosy nights in, winter coats, and the return of Strictly Come Dancing.
This series, the nation’s favourite dancing show, welcomes a new line-up of hosts and 15 new celebrities, who will tango, jive, salsa and quickstep alongside their professional partners in the hope of winning the coveted Glitterball Trophy.
Judges Shirley Ballas, Motsi Mabuse, Craig Revel Horwood and Anton Du Beke will once again take their seats, ready to scrutinise every step, turn and flourish.
Stepping in to replace long-time hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, presenter Emma Willis, professional dancer Johannes Radebe and comedian Josh Widdicombe will take the baton and guide viewers through another glittering series.
The three incoming hosts have spoken about the pressure of taking over from Daly and Winkleman, as well as the incredibly secretive audition process.
“It’s amazing to just get to do this kind of legendary show,” says Widdicombe, 43.
“If a TV show can be a national treasure, this is it. It’s like the ultimate show, and so it just feels surreal. The pressure that comes with it is exciting because that’s what you want to do, isn’t it? And that shows you really care, and you really are just thrilled to get this opportunity.”
Speaking about the audition process, the London-born stand-up comedian compared it to a John le Carré novel.
“I turned up on my own because none of us knew who was going to be there,” he explains.
“It was this wild thing where everything was really secretive. You didn’t know where the location was; you just got in the car.
“The show the drivers were told they were driving to was called The Great Garden Glow Up. So it was like being a kind of spy in the Cold War. It was brilliant. I was pretending I was in a John le Carré book or whatever, and then you’d turn up and you didn’t know who was going to be there.”
Willis, 50, who has presented shows including Big Brother, The Voice, The Circle and Love Is Blind, speaks about the enormity of the role.
“There’s obviously a kind of fear that comes with it because of the enormity of it, and you have nerves about being good enough to do the job and step into the role,” she explains.
“But there’s definitely a recognition of wanting to be able to step into this show and work on it.
“I think as a presenter, there are few shows that have been on for that length of time, that are live television, and that are so iconic. They’re few and far between now. So that was definitely a positive aspect of it for me.”
She is also prepared for the comparisons to Daly and Winkleman.
“I’m ready for the comparisons. I am ready for the negative opinions that can come with these things, but on the flip side, there are always positives as well.
“But at the end of the day, I feel like it’s really simple, right? We work in this industry, and we’ve been given the opportunity to work on a phenomenal show that is really well loved by the public and also by ourselves.
“We aren’t reinventing the wheel, and we’re not rocket scientists. We are working on an entertainment show about dancing that is meant to hopefully bring joy to everybody watching it. So hopefully we can be a small part of that joy and have a really lovely time doing it.”
Former Strictly professional dancer Radebe says he had to overcome imposter syndrome when taking on the hosting role.
“I had to sit with myself when I got the phone call and say, ‘But who do you think you are?’” laughs the 39-year-old South African.
“But then I called my agent, and he was the one who said to me, ‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’
“And I just thought to myself, ‘Yeah, because if anybody was afforded this opportunity amongst my peers, any one of them would jump on it, whether they knew how to do it or not.’ Do you know what I’m saying?
“But I feel like I know my stuff. And he said to me, ‘This is not tennis. This is not football. You’re speaking about your passion.’
“So that’s how I came around.”
Speaking about how presenting will work as a trio, Widdicombe says: “In the rehearsals and audition, we all did different roles. And I think because there are three of us, it’s quite nice. It’s not a straight swap. It’s not like, ‘You’re Tess, you’re Claudia.’
“We’re spending a lot of time as a three on the launch show and stuff. So we want it to feel like the roles aren’t divided or completely separate. We want it to feel like we’re a team.”
Willis adds: “I think that’s where the difference will be, right? We aren’t Tess and Claudia, so they brought their own personalities, views, insight and love for Strictly, and we’ll bring our version of that, which is basically just us.
“We keep asking, don’t we? We’re like, ‘What are they all like? How do they dance? Who’s going to be good? Who do you think is going to go all the way?’ And obviously, you know because you’ve been on that side of it. But we just keep getting the same answers, and that is, it’s so hard to call at this stage because anything can happen. And that’s the beauty of Strictly.”
The celebrity contestants this season include former Love Island winner Dani Dyer-Bowen, actress Melanie Walters, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips and Australian singer Delta Goodrem.
They will be joined by actress Lacey Turner, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Love Island winner Cach Mercer, presenter Will Best, Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey, actress Jaime Winstone, actress Bethany Antonia, dog trainer and presenter Graeme “The Dogfather” Hall, Emmerdale’s Lawrence Robb, Olympian Tabby Stoecker and sports content creator John Nellis.
The BBC has confirmed that five new professional dancers are joining the show this year: Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita.
Strictly will return on Saturday, September 19, on BBC One and iPlayer.
