Strictly is back with new hosts as celebrities discover pairings

Writing in the Independent, external, Rachel McGrath and Lauren Morris ask if three hosts is “truly a crowd” but decide the trio are “certainly off to a good start”.

“Emma Willis is undoubtedly doing the heavy lifting, but that makes sense as she is the presenter with the most experience,” they note.

“At times, when the three of them were all together, it did feel a little crowded – but there is more than enough presenting to go around…”

The pairings “as usual, seem very well matched”, they add, singling out Antonia and Xu.

“Did it take three to tango?” asked Michael Hogan in the Guardian, external‘s live blog.

“It will take some getting used to, of course, but I thought it worked pretty well. Emma Willis seemed completely at home and smoothly steered the ship. Johannes Radebe was a legend and his understanding of the contest from a pro’s perspective will prove invaluable. Josh Widdicombe was enthusiastic and entertaining, although the loud laughing into his mic might need to be turned down…

“An even sterner test will come next weekend, of course, as we go live for the first time. No pressure, you three. But a promising start.”

In her analysis of the show for the Guardian, external, Emine Saner says “the presenters look terrified and some of the celebs are hard to identify, but Strictly remains a rare refuge of joy”.

“The vibe” the new presenters are “going for is can’t-quite-believe-we-got-the-gig humility combined with superfan credentials, which is absolutely the right note”, she says.

But she suggests “the pro dancers must currentlybe better-known than some of their celebrity partners” to “which the response can only be ‘no, me neither'”.

Writing in the Telegraph, external, Anita Singh clearly sees Willis and Radebe as the company, and Widdicombe the crowd.

“Why has the The Mediahired jokeless Josh?” she asks.

“Can someone come and collect little Josh from the Strictly studio, please? The poor thing got left behind after the Year 7 school trip and accidentally found himself on Saturday night TV.”

By contrast, her initial concerns about Radebe’s ability to make the jump from dancing to presenting currentlylook misplaced as he is “so at home in the studio, and so genuine in his interactions with the celebrities and professionals”.

And Willis is “great, a pro who could do this job in her sleep”, Singh writes.

But both male presenters clearly must do better if they are to impress Sasha Morris of the Express, external who declares that “Strictly’s new Tess and Claudia are total car crash”.

“Just seconds after seeing the three new hosts… bumble onto the set together, my hope died, and quickly,” she writes.

“Poor Josh… looked like a deer in headlights and was completely out of his depth from start to finish…

“Backstage with the stars, both male hosts were too often wide-eyed, nodding and smiling as if they were being held hostage, while charismatic Emma showed them up, moving seamlessly from one position to the next.”

“Having three presenters seemed unnecessary, too, as if the bosses didn’t feel they could trust Josh or Johannes to hold a role on their own,” she adds.

However, for Morris too “the real test will be next week”.