New Strictly Come Dancing hosts named with Oxfordshire link revealed

Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe have been announced by the BBC as the new hosts of Strictly Come Dancing.

The news was shared on the show’s Instagram page with the caption: “It’s official…September 2026.”

The trio will take over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who announced their departure from the programme in October 2025.

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Ms Daly, 56, presented the series alongside the late Sir Bruce Forsyth when it launched in 2004, while Ms Winkleman, 54, fronted its weekday companion show, It Takes Two.

Ms Winkleman eventually moved on to host the Sunday night results show alongside Daly and joined the main show every Saturday from 2014, after Sir Bruce stepped down.

One of the new hosts, Mr Widdicombe, discovered ancestry roots in Oxfordshire during an episode of the genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?.

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His family tree was traced back to the historic town of Henley-on-Thames, where he visited the monument of his 13th great-grandparents, Sir Francis Knollys and his wife Katherine (who was a cousin of Queen Elizabeth I) at St Mary’s Church.

This royal bloodline connects Widdicombe to French royalty and Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn.

Mr Widdicombe has a long-standing performance history in Oxford, frequently using the city’s venues for his stand-up tours.

The comedian also recently brought his Not My Cup of Tea live show to the New Theatre on George Street last month.