Strictly ratings plummet by millions as ex-pro calls out 'really nervous' Josh Widdicombe

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Karasin, E. (2026, October 7). Strictly ratings plummet by millions as ex-pro calls out 'really nervous' Josh Widdicombe. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/strictly-ratings-josh-widdicombe-b1299909.html

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Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-07 · by Ekin Karasin

Quick Summary

The latest episode of "Strictly Come Dancing" saw a significant drop in viewership to 4.5 million from 6.2 million last year, according to Digital i ratings data. Jordan, a former Strictly winner, criticized host Josh Widdicombe for appearing nervous and suggested that co-host Tess Willis should take on more responsibilities. Jordan also noted the show's current format is messy and needs improvement.

Written by AI on 2026-10-07, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Sunday's episode of Strictly Come Dancing saw a significant drop in viewership, drawing only 4.5 million viewers compared to 6.2 million last year, according to data from Digital i. Former Strictly winner Jordan, speaking to Mecca Bingo, criticized new host Josh Widdicombe, saying he appears "really nervous" and suggested that co-host Emma Willis should take a more prominent role. The decline in ratings has sparked discussions about the show's direction and performance, with critics pointing out the need for both hosts to improve their on-screen chemistry and confidence. A BBC spokesperson acknowledged the drop but noted that overnight ratings do not reflect total viewership including those who watch via on-demand services.

Written for “Strictly Ratings Drop” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Strictly Ratings Drop

Entertainment · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Strictly fans demand line-up change as Josh Widdicombe savaged for second week Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 1 of 20 claims Outlet record 65/100

“While both articles discuss issues related to Josh Widdicombe's performance on Strictly Come Dancing, they describe different aspects of the show and different times: Article A focuses on viewer reactions during or soon after a specific live show, while Article B discusses ratings and critiques from an ex-Strictly winner for a later episode.”

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“The articles describe different events: one about ratings and critical comments on the show, the other about a celebrity couple being eliminated from Strictly Come Dancing.”

OPINION - Give Josh Widdicombe a break! Why Strictly host's critics need to calm down Different event

Evening Standard

Hedges 2 of 28 claims Outlet record 65/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of Josh Widdicombe's hosting on Strictly, but describe separate occurrences: one about criticism and opinion, the other about ratings and a former contestant's comments.”

Sara Cox gives honest verdict on new Strictly hosts after 'disgusting' backlash Different event

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Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of the new Strictly line-up but describe separate events and outcomes.”

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Uncertain

12%

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not political

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65/100

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Evening Standard · 7865 article(s) · 64 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 64 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Ekin Karasin

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 76 articles by Ekin Karasin →

Topics

BBC Digital i. Mecca Bingo Strictly Voice

Subjects

Widdicombe PERSON · 5× Willis PERSON · 2× BBC ORG · 1× Digital i. ORG · 1× Emma PERSON · 1× Johannes Radebe PERSON · 1× Jordan GPE · 1× Josh Widdicombe PERSON · 1× Mecca Bingo ORG · 1× Strictly ORG · 1×

Narrative

Discussing the backlash surrounding Widdicombe, she added: “I think maybe Josh Widdicombe is really nervous still, so I think we're not getting that comedy as we would like to.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-07

🔮 Sunday's show drew in just 4.5 million viewers, compared to 6.2 million last year, according to ratings data shared by Digital i. Speaking to Mecca Bingo, former Strictly winner Jordan said Widdicombe comes across as “really nervous” and Willis should “take over more”.

2026-10-07 · Evening Standard

Strictly ratings plummet by millions as ex-pro calls out 'really nervous' Josh Widdicombe · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 2 hedged)

Sunday's show drew in just 4.5 million viewers, compared to 6.2 million last year, according to ratings data shared by Digital i. Speaking to Mecca Bingo, former Strictly winner Jordan said Widdicombe comes across as “really nervous” and Willis should “take over more”. uncertain

Willis → draw → more

Discussing the new line-up, she said: “It's just so fresh at the moment. asserted

It → discuss → moment

I think Emma is amazing and I would like her to talk more. asserted

her → think → ?

I would like her to take over more. asserted

her → like → more

The other two, obviously, I think they're still finding their feet. asserted

they → think → feet

I think they just need to clean it all up and make it a bit cleaner for next time.” asserted

it → think → time

Discussing the backlash surrounding Widdicombe, she added: “I think maybe Josh Widdicombe is really nervous still, so I think we're not getting that comedy as we would like to. asserted

we → discuss → comedy

I think he needs to maybe warm up a bit more and maybe he's just really nervous.” asserted

he → think → ?

A BBC spokesperson said of the ratings: "The UK's most watched programmes this weekend were Strictly Come Dancing and the Strictly Come Dancing results show. asserted

programmes → say → ratings

As ever, overnight ratings do not give the full picture of all those who watch in an on-demand world." asserted

who → give → world

Widdicombe has been under fire after a series of apparent blunders during the live shows, with critics claiming he kept “missing his cue” and looked like a “spare part”. asserted

he → claim → part

The same issue appeared to happen again during a different handover. asserted

issue → appear → handover

Widdicombe broke his silence after the backlash by re-sharing a round-up post from the official Strictly Instagram page. asserted

Widdicombe → break → page

It was captioned, "Caught on camera from week one!" and featured a snap of him flashing a peace sign while posing backstage with Willis. asserted

him → caption → Willis

The comments on the post were full of support for Widdicombe, with fans saying they were “saddened” by the “disgusting” backlash. asserted

they → say → backlash

The Voice presenter shared a snap of a pink canvas with blue writing that read: “You will get judged either way so may as well pick the fun option.” uncertain

You → share → option

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