JOSH WIDDICOMBE LEFT HANGING AFTER STRICTLY JOKE FALLS FLAT — VIEWERS SAY THE ‘DEAFENING SILENCE’ SPEAKS FOR ITSELF

Josh Widdicombe was left facing an awkward moment on Strictly Come Dancing after a scripted joke landed with little more than silence from the studio audience.

The comedian, 43, is part of the BBC show’s brand-new presenting line-up alongside Emma Willis and professional dancer Johannes Radebe, who have taken over from fan favourites Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman.

But Saturday night’s Movie Week brought another uncomfortable moment for Josh as he attempted to inject some humour into the show — only to be met with an apparently indifferent response.

Introducing Jowita Przystał and her celebrity partner Lawrence Robb for their Viennese waltz inspired by Ratatouille, Josh joked: “Lawrence will be playing the role of diced tomato, and Jowita will be channelling the garlic and courgette base.”

The gag was quickly followed by silence before the cameras moved on to the dance floor.

‘THE SILENCE FROM THE AUDIENCE IS DEAFENING’

Viewers watching at home were quick to comment on the uncomfortable exchange.

One person wrote on X: “Some of the presenter jokes are so bad tonight that producers are adding canned silence!”

Another questioned whether Emma should have been given the presenting role alone, praising her experience and live-TV presence while suggesting the new set-up was making things awkward.

“They really need to let Emma go alone. She has handled thousands of hours of live TV and has a great presence. She’s a natural but this is making it awkward for her,” they wrote.

A third viewer focused on the reaction inside the studio, writing: “Thing that’s striking me is the audience. They’re completely disconnected from the presenters. That can’t be a good sign.”

Another simply declared: “The silence from the audience is deafening.”

And a fifth viewer appeared to take particular delight in Josh’s predicament, writing: “Good to see the audience on #strictly have made Josh Widdecombe feel right at home by greeting his jokes with a deafening silence.”

JOSH HAS HAD A ROUGH START

The latest incident adds to what has already been a difficult introduction to the Strictly ballroom for Josh.

He was brought into the new line-up to provide a different energy alongside Emma’s polished presenting style and Johannes’ experience as a professional dancer.

But since the trio made their debut, Josh has attracted the most criticism from viewers, with some questioning his presenting style and even calling for changes to the line-up.

The backlash has reportedly become intense enough for the comedian to scale back his presence on social media.

Emma, meanwhile, appeared to offer her colleague some support in a recent Instagram post, sharing a motivational quote that seemed particularly fitting amid the criticism.

It read: “You’ll get judged either way, so may as well pick one fun option.”

A NEW ERA UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

The pressure on the new presenters is hardly surprising.

Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman became such an established part of Strictly that replacing them was always going to invite scrutiny, particularly during a series where viewers are still getting used to a very different presenting dynamic.

For Josh, the challenge is especially visible. His reputation as a comedian means humour is naturally part of what he brings to the programme, but live entertainment depends heavily on timing — and, crucially, on an audience willing to play along.

On Saturday night, that reaction simply did not arrive.

Whether the silence was a one-off awkward moment or another sign that Josh has yet to find his rhythm on the show remains to be seen. But for a presenter already under pressure, a joke followed by near-total silence was hardly the response he needed.