Holly Willoughby’s new YouTube show brings in 41k views on its first day after it was panned by critics and branded ‘dire’
Holly Willoughby’s new YouTube show racked up 41,000 views on its first day after being slammed by critics and branded “terrible”.
The former This Morning presenter, 45, kicked off the first episode of the show on Tuesday with desperate attempts to connect with her first guest, The Devil Wears Prada star Stanley Tucci, 65, through swearing and subtle insinuations.
Failed to impress critics A one-star review comparing the show Meghan MarkleHe attempted to enter the lifestyle world with his own show last year.
L.In March, Meghan launched her Netflix lifestyle series, which received critical acclaim, with The Guardian branding Holly’s show “the slightly less painful With Love, Meghan” and The Telegraph noting: “[Holly’s] ‘horrible show makes Meghan look good.’
And within 24 hours of being posted on the YouTube channel, it had been viewed 41,000 times.
Currently the channel has 11,000 subscribers.
Holly Willoughby’s new YouTube show racked up 41,000 views on its first day after being slammed by critics and branded “terrible”
The 45-year-old star kicked off the show’s first episode on Tuesday with desperate attempts to connect with first guest Stanley Tucci, 65, through swearing and subtle insinuations.
For context, The Rest Is Entertainment launched in November 2023 and currently has 138k subscribers. It currently ranks as one of the top three entertainment podcasts in the UK.
Their episode aired the same day as Holly’s episode with Stanley Tucci. Their episode garnered 29,000 views.
In the episode, she joins Stanley in making a pasta dish, leading The Telegraph’s Anita Singh to say: ‘They are so engrossed in conversation that they end up reading the ingredients list for the Fray Bentos steak and kidney pie.’
After a beer and wine, Stanley kicked off the cooking session by handing Holly a colorful pumpkin, prompting the star to say: “I’ve never seen one like this before,” in a very slight allusion to his This Morning blunders.
Although fans appeared to enjoy the show, reviews elsewhere were poor, with complaints about shaky camera operation and an overly long running time.
Meghan’s Netflix show With Love received a shocking one-star review from The Telegraph, citing Meghan.
He writes: ‘Holly Willoughby’s terrible YouTube show makes Meghan look good… Not even Stanley Tucci can make up for this 50 minutes of boringly awkward small talk, forced swearing and cake tin trivia…
Even the producers of ‘Meghan’ had the good sense to keep changing things; organizing it went from rainbow fruit plates to arranging flowers to holding guests hostage during potato pressing.’
Alongside the three-star review, The Mirror complains: ‘All in all, a 50 minute show of cooking a simple meal, I think a tighter 30-40 minute episode would have worked better…
‘And a lightly edited version with just one guest returning, or having multiple guests connected in the future, can make the conversation more fun, fast-paced and lively. But this appears to have been a deliberately delayed event.’
Meanwhile, i Paper’s Sarah Carson said: ‘New YouTube series ‘Together’ is a confused attempt to present herself as relatable…
‘The public either wants honest, unfiltered imperfection or something to show off and aspire to. Willoughby still hasn’t decided who he wants to be. Together, they’re proof that his superpower doesn’t come from his personality, but from his ability to always be professional.’
The Times’ Carol Midgley writes: ‘Will it be successful? She looks good, Holly can take her fan base with her and her profile means she could probably attract a quality guest…
And within 24 hours of being posted on the YouTube channel, it had only been viewed 41,000 times. Currently the channel has 11,000 subscribers
Last March, Meghan launched a Netflix lifestyle series that drew widespread criticism, leading The Guardian to brand Holly’s show as “the slightly less painful With Love, Meghan.”
‘Tucci, as always, was effortlessly charismatic and comfortable in front of the camera; The spaghetti con squash alla Nerano recipe looked delicious too.’
There are teasers showing that Holly will be joined by her best friends Nicole Appleton and Emma Bunton, as well as Katherine Ryan and Joanne McNally, in future episodes.
The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage also gave the series three stars and wrote: ‘The former This Morning presenter has done a Meghan, rebranding herself as a cooking guru with a YouTube show that veers from painfully dull zucchini slicing to profane banter.’
Meanwhile, Holly admitted that even her own children are making fun of her new show, saying: Laughing at the efforts of her 15-year-old daughter, Belle, she overstepped her limits when she switched from traditional television to digital.
Speaking on Sara Cox’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show, Holly enthused: ‘Today is launch day, it’s like I’m giving birth today!’ Still, he admitted that he found it ‘strange’ that YouTube was his new home.
When Sara asked if she was ‘mad’ at her children for encroaching on a younger digital platform, Holly admitted: ‘My daughter was laughing at me when I said ‘subscribe and ring the bell and you’ll get notifications’.
‘He said, ‘Mom, you really don’t know what you’re talking about,’ and I said, ‘No, I don’t, but I’m learning!’ I said.
While critics were left in shock, viewers appeared to be amazed by her transition from smiley magazine show co-host to an edgier character, writing: ‘Glad to see beautiful Holly back and having had a great first episode with her own show, Holly can’t wait for the next episode…
‘I really enjoyed you and Stanley together, it’s great to see you hosting Holly again, it really suits you. I have been following you since this morning, you are a great host, maybe you can have a website where you can put the recipes…
‘Love love love!!! I can’t wait any more. I will cook tonight. Great show. I loved it and can’t wait for more… It’s so nice to see you again Holly… Ahhh I’m so excited.’
Speaking to The Daily Mail’s Katie Hind last week, seven months after announcing the project, Holly revealed she wasn’t worried about the reaction to the programme.
He said: ‘I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I know this and that’s okay. ‘I don’t want to try to convince people if they don’t want to watch.’
Referring to the stalking ordeal, he added: ‘I’m not afraid of what people think. I’ve truly experienced fear, I know what it’s like. Your perspective changes after something like that.’
