Strictly Come Dancing viewers left "confused" by one thing from Johannes Radebe's live hosting debut

After months of anticipation, Strictly Come Dancing returned to the BBC on Saturday (26 September) with its first live show of the 24th season, and it didn't disappoint as the judges were impressed by some of the routines.

While John Nellis and Katya Jones topped the leaderboard after scoring an impressive 31 points for their delightful foxtrot, there were plenty of eyes on the new hosting trio of Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe.

While we got a taste of their on-screen chemistry during last weekend's pre-recorded launch show, we got a bigger hint of what's to come tonight as Emma and Josh were placed downstairs near the judges.

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Johannes, meanwhile, was upstairs in the auditorium that was previously occupied by Claudia Winkleman, with the professional dancer speaking to the celebrities and their professional partners after each routine.

Though Johannes's calm and gentle demeanour was generally praised, viewers did take issue with one element of his segment, with several noting that he was often difficult to hear when the couples made their way up the stairs.

"Why has Johannes started speaking before the camera cuts to him after EVERY dance, it's barely audible, struggling to tell if it's done this way on purpose?" asked one viewer on X, while another said they were "confused" by what was happening.

"Clearly the earpieces weren't working to tell Johannes that not a single person in the country could hear him when the celebs were running up the stairs," added another user, while a third wrote that it was a "really odd" feature of the show.

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A fourth viewer echoed these sentiments, remarking: "Why do they keep having Johannes read the bloody terms and conditions when they're running up the stairs cheering and no one can hear him?"

It wasn't the only topic of conversation on the night, with several thinking that the new hosting format could do with some tweaking. While each presenter was generally praised, some thought that comedian Josh was more suited to being upstairs.

Strictly Come Dancing airs on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.