Strictly Come Dancing veteran Craig Revel Horwood has stepped into the debate over Alesha Dixon’s judging debut on the show, defending the pop star against what he described as a "horrendous" backlash.

As the BBC programme’s website was flooded with complaints over the onetime Strictly contestant’s lack of expertise, the judge, an experienced choreographer, said Arlene Phillip’s replacement should be given time to settle into the role.

"This backlash is horrendous and I don't think she deserves it. She deserves to be given a chance and it makes me very angry that she's not," he said in an interview with BBC Breakfast.

"If you go back and look at the first weeks of any of us, Arlene, Len, Bruno and I, on any of our early recordings none of us were perfect right away.

Dixon, who joined the judging panel for Friday's series seven launch, also found support from an unlikely ally – Phillips. The 66-year-old choreographer was dropped from the show after six seasons to make way for Dixon, 30, sparking an ageism row.

Today, Phillips defended her replacement’s performance, dismissing arguments that Dixon’s lack of dance expertise made a mockery of the show.

"They hired Alesha because they wanted a different opinion - a voice of the viewer - and that's what she does. She was never hired to give a technical viewpoint,” she told The Sun.

"It is very hard for her - she must be incredibly nervous. The judges had all worked together for six series and she is new and on her own."

As the Strictly website racked up more than 5000 comments about the panel change, many calling for the reinstatement of Phillips, the former judge ruled out a return to the show.

“The BBC wouldn't ask me to come back, so I don't even give it any thought whether I would. It is pointless to think about it,” she said.

The BBC appeared to have confirm the former judge's position, releasing a statement in support of Dixon.

"We are delighted with Alesha's debut performance as part of the judging panel," it read.

Meanwhile, Dixon said that she would weather the criticism and insisted she could offer the show something her predecessor couldn’t.

“Obviously Arlene was a big part of the show for a long time. But my job is not to replace Arlene. My job is to provide a perspective that was maybe missing before and that is the understanding of the performance aspects and of just how tough it is to perform to the standards the viewers expect,” she told The Mirror.

“Having been through the Strictly experience I can relate to what they are going through."

Predictions that Dixon would help the show attract a younger audience failed to come to fruition on the weekend. The programme's second installment on Saturday night faced a scheduling clash with ITV hit The X Factor and lost the ratings battle.

The X Factor attracted 53 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds while Strictly managed 24 per cent of the same age group.

The ITV show also counted itself the overall ratings winner, boasting a peak audience of 10.7 million, while Strictly lagged behind with 8.7 million.

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