YouTube star Joe Sugg divides young and old Strictly fans

Former Strictly Come Dancing professional Robin Windsor has joked about his age after confessing he did not know who the programme’s latest contestant is.

YouTube personality Joe Sugg was confirmed as the fourth star to be taking part in the BBC One series this year after presenter Katie Piper, Steps singer Faye Tozer and Red Dwarf actor Danny John-Jules.

Joe – the younger brother of beauty blogger Zoe Sugg, known as Zoella – is a British YouTuber, filmmaker, author and vlogger and has over 25 million followers across social media.

The 26-year-old is known for his challenges and pranks across his three YouTube channels, and is the first ever vlogger to appear on a Strictly line-up.

However, Robin, along with a number of other Strictly fans, have been left scratching their heads over who he is, while Joe’s younger fans have defended his right to be on the prime time show.

Robin tweeted: “I know I’m getting on a bit when I have to google the young contestants on @bbcstrictly.”

The dancer, who appeared in Strictly from 2010 until 2013, later said that Joe was a “perfect booking to appeal to a younger audience though – look forward to see what he does on the floor”.

He added: “Unless we watched every TV show possible the last 20 years and read every mag etc there’s always gonna be @bbcstrictly we personally don’t know of. The spectrum of contestants is to appeal to all generations and demographics and this year so far so good.”

The sentiment was seen widely across Twitter, with many saying they had never heard of Joe, while others advised people to just search for him online.

One fan tweeted: “I’m sorry. I ruined #Strictly by saying I hadn’t had to Google anyone yet. Joe who?”

Another wrote: “Majority of the audience watching this won’t know who he is, I certainly don’t! Next!”

One fan warned that Strictly might be “sidelining its loyal older audience” by signing people like Joe, and that the term celebrity is being “stretched to the hilt”.

However, novelist Jill Mansell tweeted: “People whining that they’ve never heard of the @bbcstrictly contestants – it’s quicker and easier to google them than to whine about never having heard of them. Also makes you look less whiny. #scd #strictly.”

One younger fan wrote: “People tweeting ‘who?’ & ‘…but he’s not a celebrity!’ to the Joe Sugg doing #Strictly news, he has over 8 million subscribers on YouTube & over 5 and a half million followers on Twitter… just because YOU don’t know him, doesn’t make him a non-celeb!”

“All of the older generation need to stop complaining that they don’t know who Joe Sugg is when none of us lot know who any of the other people on Strictly are,” another said.

One viewer praised the show for including someone who appeals to their children.

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“I’m in my 40’s and have heard of all the contestants… so far… but every year there is somebody I haven’t heard of but isn’t that what makes Strictly brilliant, that there is somebody for all the viewers to get to know?” they wrote.

“Now my teenagers are equally excited because of @Joe_Sugg.”

The remaining Strictly contestants will be announced over the coming days.

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