😱“SNUBBED FOR HIM?!” THE REAL REASON STRICTLY BOSSES PASSED ON RYLAN FOR JOSH WIDDICOMBE — AND THE POWERFUL WIFE WHO ‘SEALED THE DEAL’ 👀K1

He’s the unlikely name set to join Emma Willis on Strictly Come Dancing, now TV Editor Rod McPhee reveals exactly how comedian Josh landed the biggest show on television.

THE news that Josh Widdicombe has bagged the other main Strictly role opposite Emma Willis is likely to bewilder millions of fans of the BBC One dance show.

After all, the geeky, bespectacled comedian seems a million miles from some of the more obvious, glamorous, or camp names that have been bandied around since Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman announced last year they were quitting.

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Since they dropped the bombshell, eyes have naturally turned to the likes of Alan Carr, Rylan Clark and Bradley Walsh, but none of them is now in the frame.

So the question on many people’s lips will be: how did Josh bag the top job? The answer makes the signing less of a surprise.

I’m told that Strictly bosses decided months ago they probably needed a comedian to fill the role vacated by Claudia in her Clauditorium.

Which is why the likes of Miranda Hart and Mel Giedroyc were said to be favourites for the role.

A show insider said: “They demanded someone who could match her quick wit, which often defused any tension felt by contestants after their dances, and right at the moment where they got their scores.

“So getting a stand-up star who could think on their feet – who are used to responding to hecklers off the cuff – was an obvious choice.

“But they had to be someone very different to the central host, which, in this case, turned out to be Emma Willis.

“While she is glamorous, smooth, straight-laced, Josh is slightly kooky, awkward and funny.

“It’s a similar dynamic to that of Claudia and Tess – and execs on the show didn’t care if they had to ditch the same sex presenting format to achieve that.”

Other insiders tell me that Josh, 43, is viewed by those at the top as being as “posh but relatable”, which makes him an interesting prospect.

It’s also not unlike Claudia herself, who is clearly smart and sophisticated but, with a degree of self-deprecation, never comes across as grand when she’s presenting.

Like Emma, he also made his debut DJing on BBC Radio 2 earlier this year, introducing him to a more of the middle class, middle England market who are obsessed with Strictly.

Plus, it was perhaps no coincidence that he also made an appearance on The Claudia Winkleman Show last month, albeit under the guise of promoting his current comedy tour.

No doubt helping Josh smooth the path to Strictly is his wife, Rose Hanson.

The power couple, who divide their time between East London and their second home in Cornwall, married in 2019 and have two children – a nine-year-old daughter called Pearl and a five-year-old son called Cassius.

Rose, 43, is a top producer who tends to work in the field of TV comedy, often making programmes with the BBC.

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In the past, she’s been among the top team delivering shows for the Beeb, including Would I Lie to You? and Live at The Apollo.

But other programmes have also brought her into the orbit of big figures in the TV world, particularly in comedy.

They include Alan Carr, with whom she worked on his Chatty Man chat show for Channel 4, as well as producing the live tour recording of the stand-up tour of Adam Hills, who stars with Josh on the C4 show, The Last Leg.

It’s on the weekly satire programme, which has a distinctly left-wing brand of comedy, that Josh has helped boost his status among BBC producers.

Alongside Adam and co-host Alex Brooker, he has had to be quick on his feet to make a programme which responds at lightning speed to the events that have taken place that week.

Crucially, it’s also broadcast live every Friday – and experience of live TV is one of the most important attributes a Strictly presenter needs, because the dance show also goes out live every weekend.

He’s not new to the experience either. After all, he’s been doing The Last Leg since it launched in 2012.

Josh is viewed as being at a sweet spot in his career. His age means he has a substantial amount of TV experience under his belt through appearing on various shows.

But he’s also young enough to enjoy a long career on Strictly. As Tess and Claudia have proved, it’s a job that you can bag for decades…..if they get the perfect presenting partnership.