Today, Josie Gibson and Craig Doyle took over from Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in covering for the regular show hosts.

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Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield have been taking time off for Christmas, with a presenter shake-up to cover for them.

This week, Josie, 37, and Craig, 52, have taken over – but they have struggled to engage fans from the get go.

Viewers have already hit out about the lack of “atmosphere” in the studio, and slammed the pair as “awkward” during an interview.

The hosts sat down with young guest Tahlia, who had a robotic arm fitted after being born without a right hand.

There were plenty of silences during the interview, as the presenters tried to encourage the youngster to chat about her experience.

But fans at home were unimpressed, with one hitting out on Twitter: “Bad, awkward interview. Uncomfortable to watch this train wreck.”

Another chimed in: “Something about this is very weird, a strange atmosphere, was expecting a nicer interview.”

“These two are struggling,” a third said, while a fourth added: “Atmosphere nowhere near as good with these two, sorry.”

“This entire show is painful to watch. So awkward,” a fifth added, while a sixth said: “This is possibly the most uncomfortable and awkward interview, get these two off.”

It comes after Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield signed off their final live show of the year today.

The presenters don’t usually appear on Fridays, which are fronted by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary, but today was an exception.

On the big day itself, Holly and Phil will appear in a pre-recorded show before returning properly in the New Year.