Emma Willis ready for comparisons as new Strictly host
Emma Willis joins Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe to take over hosting duties for the beloved television institution in a new three-person format.
Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, 19 September 2026, featuring an unprecedented three-person presenting line-up comprising Emma Willis, comedian Josh Widdicombe, and professional dancer Johannes Radebe. According to reporting from The Independent, the new trio succeeds long-serving hosts Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who stepped down at the conclusion of the previous series in December 2025. Daly had co-hosted the programme alongside Sir Bruce Forsyth since its launch in 2004, while Winkleman initially fronted the weekday companion show, It Takes Two, before joining the main Saturday broadcast in 2014 after Sir Bruce stepped down, as detailed across multiple sources including inkl and TVGuide.co.uk.
The recruitment process for the new presenters was shrouded in secrecy, described by Willis in BBC coverage as the most cloak-and-dagger operation she had ever encountered, lasting approximately four months. Candidates endured a covert audition phase where they were taken to secret locations, and Widdicombe recounted in TVGuide.co.uk reports having to mislead taxi drivers by claiming he was auditioning for a fake show titled The Great Garden Glow Up, comparing the clandestine operation to a Cold War espionage novel. The three-host format itself emerged as a last-minute wild card decision when producers tested how the personalities interacted together in a room.
Media additions
Addressing public expectations and potential scrutiny, Willis acknowledged she is ready for comparisons and negative opinions, noting in joint remarks reported by the Press Association and cited by inkl and The Independent:
"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."
Emma Willis, Presenter, via The Independent and inkl
Willis also admitted to feeling a natural sense of fear and nerves regarding the enormity of stepping into the role. Widdicombe described taking over as surreal while calling the surrounding pressure exciting, adding that the incoming team would not reinvent the show but would bring their own personalities. Radebe revealed that former hosts Daly and Winkleman reached out to offer guidance, wishing them well for the upcoming season and reminding them simply to enjoy it, according to The Independent and inkl.
Unlike their predecessors — where Daly anchored the floor and Winkleman managed post-dance debriefs in the gallery known as the Clauditorium — the new team will share duties fluidly without fixed individual roles, according to BBC coverage. Willis told Richard Osman on The Rest is Entertainment podcast that no one is directly replacing anyone and confirmed that reports of a backstage roving reporter role were entirely false. Widdicombe likened their dynamic to Total Football, with presenters moving freely across the studio floor, while Radebe noted he would still do a little prying and uncovering of the truth given his deep familiarity with everyone on the show. Radebe also insisted there is a plan in place for him to continue dancing and performing routines, telling The Sun's TVBiz column that he is not hanging up his dancing shoes yet.
The behind-the-scenes shake-up extends to the production floor as the new team navigates logistical adjustments. Willis told Magic FM that traditional physical formations, such as holding hands and leaning toward the camera to deliver the catchphrase "keep dancing", present unique challenges when executed by three people rather than two, prompting ongoing production days testing various blocking and positioning arrangements across the studio floor, as reported by the Telegraph and Argus.
Returning head judge Shirley Ballas expressed enthusiasm for the new chapter, sharing with the Manchester Evening News and Metro her first-ever interaction with Willis while working together on Cooking with the Stars, where Willis offered words of encouragement. Ballas, alongside fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, and Anton Du Beke, will return to the panel for the new series, as confirmed by BBC reports.
The upcoming series features a diverse celebrity line-up competing for the glitterball trophy. Among the contestants is Dani Dyer, who returns to the competition after being forced to withdraw last year due to an ankle fracture sustained during training ahead of the first live show, as reported by The News International. Dyer revealed feelings of nervousness and a fear of getting injured again, but expressed excitement to finally experience the full Strictly journey after receiving advice from her 2025 co-star Vicky Pattison. Other celebrity contestants confirmed across the corpus include actress Melanie Walters, former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, Australian singer Delta Goodrem, 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 actor Lawrence Robb, Olympian Tabby Stoecker, and sports content creator John Nellis. Additionally, the BBC confirmed that five new professional dancers, Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby, and Mark Karmalita, are joining the professional line-up.
Following the launch show on Sunday, 19 September 2026, where the 15 celebrities will meet their professional partners and dance together for the first time without active voting lines, the official competition gets underway when the first live show airs on Saturday, 26 September 2026, as outlined by TVGuide.co.uk.
