Finding a duo as iconic as Daly and Winkleman to present Strictly was clearly too much of a challenge for the BBC, so the news came this week that three (three!) presenters would be taking over the glitziest show on TV<\/a>. Emma Willis<\/a>, whose name had been widely reported on, felt like a predictable and safe, but strong, choice<\/a>. Johannes Radebe<\/a>, a beloved former Strictly pro, was more surprising, yet was instantly enveloped into the fandom\u2019s warm embrace.<\/p>\n But Josh Widdicombe? Now that name seemed to come out of nowhere. Not that he lacks experience; over the years, Widdicombe has transitioned from gigging stand-up to all-round TV personality. His face never seems to be off our screens, and he\u2019s the kind of celebrity everyone\u2019s mum seems to have a soft spot for, whether he\u2019s on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You or the Graham Norton Show sofa.<\/p>\n Widdicombe actually has a connection to Strictly too, having appeared on the 2024 Christmas Special to dance a Charleston dressed as a penguin. Naturally, however, many have questioned whether the camp razzle and dazzle of Strictly will be embraced by a straight male comedian whose entire career revolves around his status as a Very Normal Guy. If this is you, I\u2019d advise watching the Christmas special. Widdicombe is undeniably awkward, yes, but you can\u2019t say the man isn\u2019t giving it his all. In the YouTube comments beneath the cheesy festive routine, the show\u2019s many armchair ballroom dancing experts can be found admitting that Widdicombe surprised them with his commitment to the role. I suspect \u2013 I hope \u2013 Strictly will be the same. He might have joked that the experience made for \u201cthe worst day of my career\u201d<\/a>, but clearly it didn\u2019t put him off.<\/p>\n A West Country lad from a village in Devon (early interviews often refer to his hair being as woolly as the sheep he grew up surrounded by), Widdicombe fell into comedy more or less by accident. From his first appearance on Mock the Week, he quickly became a core member of the comedy class of the 2010s. Making the popular comedy panels of the era their playground, Widdicombe and co built their brands around poking fun at the day\u2019s headlines (remember when we could laugh at the news?) and breaking off to perform short observational routines about everyday life in Britain.<\/p>\n It was this kind of material, about the mundanity of middle-class life, that became Widdicombe\u2019s bread and butter. Michael McIntyre, who Widdicombe supported on tour early in his career, feels like a clear point of reference when it comes to subject matter, at least. But while the former\u2019s comedy was frenetic and physical, Widdicombe\u2019s style was far slouchier. Usually performing in a loose shirt (often plaid) and casual trousers, he was the comedy everyman \u2013 your slightly grumpy but ultimately affable neighbour.<\/p>\n \u201cRelatable\u201d is the word best used to describe Widdicombe\u2019s persona on stage and screen, his work undeniably funny but without much of an edge. A rebellious streak clearly lurked beneath, however. For those who watched Taskmaster in the Dave days (or have since binged the back catalogue multiple times on YouTube), Widdicombe will always be remembered for calling Greg Davies\u2019 bluff in the very first series by getting the word \u201cGreg\u201d tattooed on his foot. The look of genuine astonishment on Davies\u2019 face made for an all-time TV moment, and will always serve as a reminder of Widdicombe\u2019s ability to surprise.<\/p>\n Since then, Widdicombe\u2019s star has swiftly ascended. While he\u2019s remained a loyal core member of the presenting team on satirical Channel 4 series The Last Leg, the comic is a constant on quiz shows and presenting gigs. This ubiquity is testament to Widdecombe being well-liked within the TV industry, and a safe pair of hands who is playful and cheeky but, crucially, inoffensive. Given Strictly\u2019s clear desire for a brand overhaul after their scandal-laden few years, these factors are crucial.<\/p>\n But while Widdicombe\u2019s agent must be working double time to secure his success, the project that has arguably earned him the most praise in recent years is one he can really take the credit for. During lockdown, Widdicombe and fellow comedian Rob Beckett began Parenting Hell, a podcast about the realities of fatherhood. On paper, the whole \u201cparenting is hard, actually\u201d premise sounds pretty unbearable, particularly for mothers who know this all too well. But the podcast has proven a huge hit with all genders, and often riding high in the podcast charts.<\/p>\n Parenting Hell\u2019s success seems paramount to the Josh-Widdicombe-on-Strictly pipeline. It\u2019s proven that audiences are willing to stick with the comic week in, week out and that he has broad appeal. Strictly might be stereotyped as a show for the girls and the gays, but (and I\u2019m whispering this) throwing a straight man in there too could certainly benefit the programme. Between them, Willis, Radebe and Widdicombe cover all bases, whether for long-time viewers who want an experienced presenter at the tightly run ship that is Strictly, fans obsessed with Radebe (or Jojo, as they call him like a dear friend), or those who loudly declare that Strictly isn\u2019t for them but would likely love it if they gave it a chance.<\/p>\n Widdicombe will bring people into the show, and ultimately he\u2019ll work because he\u2019s not part of its furniture. You can imagine him in a position akin to Winkleman. She might have been involved with the Strictly Cinematic Universe from its first year, but she never quite stopped playing this slight interloper role. Winkleman clearly revelled in the chaos of it all, but was just as likely to widen her eyes or shake her head at the camera as if she remained perplexed by the whole thing two decades in. I can picture it now: the comedian operating from the baffled outsider position, raising his eyebrows and saying \u201cblimey\u201d every two to three minutes but ending up fully immersed in the world and getting his fake tan each week with glee. Throw all the glitter you want at him. Widdicombe will lap it up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[458,146,85,46],"class_list":["post-451369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/536721.jpeg\")
The comedian made his name on panel shows (BBC\/Fremantlemedia and QI)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01KS2D5123D43W6EWAAN79E0DY.jpg\")
The magic number: Johannes Radebe, Josh Widdicombe and Emma Willis will host \u2018Strictly Come Dancing\u2019 from this autumn (BBC)<\/p>\n![\"From](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/542950.jpg\")
From the Apollo to the \u2018Strictly\u2019 ballroom… (BBC\/Open Mike\/Ellis O’Brien)<\/p>\n