Ex Strictly pro Brendan Cole criticises new hosts and a lack of 'household names' in the line-up as he addresses show's falling viewing figures

Former Strictly pro Brendan Cole has given his take on why the show has fewer viewers than last year as he appeared on The Jeremy Vine Show on Wednesday. The dancer, 50, who starred on the BBC programme from 2004 to 2017, weighed in on why he thought viewing figures had slumped, after it was reported Sunday's results show drew in 4.5million viewers, compared to 6.2million last year. The first live show, meanwhile, saw 4.8 million tune in – down substantially on last year's 6.2 million.Brendan said he believes a lack of household names, the new presenting trio and the lengthy airing time has made him and other viewers struggle with this series. He said: 'It's a massive show. The show is too long 2 hours and 45 minutes on a Saturday night. People haven't got that much time to sit around watching television. 'If you take Traitors, you can put the face to the name, pretty much. Whereas Strictly, I think I knew three of them by name and face, the rest of them I don't know. Former Strictly pro Brendan Cole has given his take on why the show has less viewers than last year as he appeared on The Jeremy Vine Show on Wednesday Brendan said he believes a lack of household names, the new presenting trio and the lengthy airing time has made him and other viewers struggle with this series'There's no investment, you've got all the new pros. The viewers don't know them so it's going to take some time. You've also got the new hosts. Now, there has been a massive backlash on the hosts on the show because it's not what people are used to and the signs are interesting. I'm not enjoying it so far.' Brendan also gave his opinion on Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe and Johannes Radebe, who have taken over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman. He said: 'I think Emma is great. I think Josh is trying to be great, I don't think he's a bad host but does he fit Strictly? I'm not sure. 'Johannes obviously fits Strictly but I don't want to hear "my darling, my darling, my darling" every time somebody comes up the stairs. I think the BBC are probably looking now and thinking "Eek, have we made the right decision?"'People will call me a bitter old pro, I probably am. I just have an opinion on the show and am heavily invested in it'Brendan also commented on the Strictly professional dancer bloodbath which saw Nadiya Bychkova, Karen Hauer, Michelle Tsiakkas, Luba Mushtuk and Gorka Marquez, all given the boot. They were replaced by five new professional dancers; Aleksandra Isaeva, Cristian Priori, Lethabo Monametsi, Maddie Ingoldsby and Mark Karmalita. He said: 'I don't disagree with them moving on, you've got to change the show, make it better to move it on. Brendan also commented on the Strictly professional dancer bloodbath which saw old pros replaced by five new professional dancers Elsewhere, Brendan said Amy Dowden 'hasn't been doing a very good job' as a dancer. She and hairdresser Chris Appleton ended up in the dance-off during Sunday's show'I think Karen probably had enough herself, she didn't look particularly motivated in the last few years and maybe they made a decision to "right, we've got to change it up". 'But I think making those changes and the contestant changes, host changes, it's a massive change and I don't think people are loving it. People are watching TV differently these days, I struggled to get through the main show. It's a big watch.'Elsewhere, Brendan said Amy Dowden 'hasn't been doing a very good job' as a dancer on the show, after her battle with breast cancer.Amy was the first pro to be eliminated from the BBC show for the second year in a row, after she and hairdresser Chris Appleton ended up in the dance-off during Sunday's show.Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2023, and was forced to miss the show later that year, before returning in 2024.He said: 'To be a pro on Strictly is a big job and one has to be up to the challenge.'Amy has not been up to the challenge, in my opinion.'I don't think Amy's been doing a very good job for the last few years and she's been out first for the last few years. One can do the maths on that.'Brendan told Sky Vegas: 'She's standing out there counting him in. She's counting every step for him. It's very obvious that the job has not been done, and I don't think people are enjoying it.'Amy revealed in February 2024 that she was officially cancer-free as doctors told her that tests showed 'no evidence of disease'.Despite this, the dancer still has to go to the hospital for regular check-ups, monthly injections, scans and follow-up treatments as part of her five-year recovery plan. Amy was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancer in May 2023, and underwent an initial mastectomy.Just months later, Amy learned she had another type of cancer, which was found elsewhere in the body.Amy was paired with JB Gill when she returned to Strictly in 2024, but she was forced to withdraw from the series halfway through after collapsing backstage.Last year, Amy danced with The Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, but they were the first pairing to get the boot.The Jeremy Vine Show airs weekdays from 9.15am on 5.