Strictly Come Dancing appeared to poke fun at the criticism of Josh Widdicombe as host on Saturday evening.
The BBC ballroom show returned for week five of the current series, with all 12 remaining contestants vying for a place in Halloween Week.
Widdicombe welcomed BBC viewers to proceedings alongside his co-hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe, after the trio took over from Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman this autumn.
In the lead-up to dog trainer Graeme Hall’s routine, Willis said the Dogfather was playing an undercover spy with his pro partner Lauren Oakley.
Widdicombe told his co-host next to him: ‘I’ve always had this funny feeling about Graeme. It’s all these different characters every week. It’s suspicious.’
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The Love is Blind host dismissed it as paranoia, but then Widdicombe acted out behind shot in the behind with a red-feathered dart and quickly fell to the floor off screen, prompting laughter from the audience in the room.
That wasn’t the only joke that seemed to address the criticism head-on, as at another point during the show Willis corrected Widdicombe after misreading the autocue – except this time, he did so intentionally.
Ahead of Lacey Turner and Vito Coppola’s tango, Widdicombe read: ‘To make sure they had a moment of calm before tonight’s performance, Lacey suggested they take a bath together.’
But Willis prompted him to read it again, after which Widdicombe apologised and said: ‘A sound bath together.’
The new hosts have been met with a mixed reception since their debut a month ago, with the cheeky comedian facing the brunt of the criticism after fluffing lines early on and talking over Willis at points.
The pair have been tasked with injecting humour into the moments before and after the big dance routines, such as the dart gag during Saturday night’s episode, but the results have been hit-and-miss with viewers and critics alike.
Radebe has taken over from Winkleman in the renamed Clauditorium mezzanine, where he interviews stars post-dance and injects his ballroom expertise into the commentary.
As time has gone on, viewer reaction on social media appears to be warming to the trio, as Widdicombe looks more comfortable in the role, which might explain the willingness to take some jabs at the criticism.
Strictly Come Dancing returns for the results show on Sunday evening at 7.10pm on BBC One and iPlayer.