Sophie RobinsonWhen Emma Willis shared a cryptic social media post last month, seemingly hitting back at criticism of her new role presenting Strictly Come Dancing, she was doing what millions of people in the UK do every year: publicly acknowledging targeted online hostility while privately wondering whether anything can be done about it. Under the UK's Online Safety Act 2023, the answer is more than most people realise.
What Is Behind the Strictly Backlash?
Series 24 of Strictly Come Dancing launched on 19 September 2026, with a new presenting trio: Emma Willis, Josh Widdicombe, and Johannes Radebe, replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman, who had co-hosted the BBC programme since 2012. The transition triggered an immediate and intense public reaction.
While Willis received measured praise from critics, Widdicombe and Radebe attracted sharper commentary, and on social media the response escalated from criticism into coordinated campaigns of personal abuse that spread across platforms. By early October 2026, the backlash had grown visible enough to draw media attention, with Willis addressing the hostility directly in a public post described as "cryptic" in coverage at the time.
The Strictly situation is a high-profile instance of something that happens at every scale of public and semi-public life. According to data cited in coverage of the Online Safety Act's implementation, reports of online abuse to police forces in England and Wales have risen by more than 25% over the last five years. The question facing the new hosts — and anyone in a similar position — is not whether the harassment is real, but what the law now allows them to do about it.
The Question Most Readers Are Actually Asking
When someone becomes a sustained target of online hostility, the questions tend to be the same regardless of whether they are a household name or a private individual: Is this actually illegal? What obligations do platforms have? Can I make it stop without going to court? And if I do need a solicitor, when is the right moment to call one?
These are not simple questions, and the legal framework around online conduct in the UK has changed substantially since 2023. Understanding what changed — and what it means in practice — matters both for people in the public eye and for anyone facing targeted abuse from a former colleague, a stranger, or an anonymous account.
What the Online Safety Act 2023 Actually Changed
The foundational principle of the Online Safety Act 2023 is that what is illegal offline is illegal online. But translating that principle into enforceable rights requires knowing which specific legal pathways are now available.
The Act creates new criminal offences for sending communications that are "false and intended to cause non-trivial psychological harm" to a named person, and for sending communications designed to convey threats or to cause fear. A single offensive comment — unpleasant as it may be — rarely crosses that threshold alone. A pattern of targeted behaviour, demonstrably designed to cause distress, can and increasingly does.
For cases involving non-consensual intimate images or deepfakes, the Act strengthened existing law significantly: sharing such images carries up to two years in prison, rising to two years if the intent was to cause distress, alarm, or humiliation. Coverage of similar cases, such as the legal ordeal faced by Bargain Hunt presenter Christina Trevanion following a deepfake campaign, shows how these cases are now being pursued through the courts.
Equally significant is what the Act requires of platforms themselves. Social media companies operating in the UK must now remove clearly illegal content — including targeted harassment — or face fines of up to 10% of their global annual turnover. Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is responsible for enforcement and has the power to pursue criminal liability for senior executives at non-compliant platforms. The major platforms are required to publish transparency reports on how they handle abuse complaints, creating a formal accountability trail that previously did not exist.
Note: This article provides general legal information about the UK Online Safety Act 2023. It is not legal advice. If you are experiencing online harassment, consult a qualified solicitor for guidance specific to your situation.
When Does Online Abuse Become a Legal Matter?
Consider Maya, a freelance TV presenter aged 34, based in Birmingham, who takes on her first regular presenting role on a nationally watched programme. Within weeks of her debut, she notices a pattern of hostile comments that follows her across platforms. The abuse escalates from criticism of her presenting style to personal threats, repeated posting of identifying details about her location, and a coordinated attempt to have her removed from the role.
This is not a hypothetical invented for illustration — it closely mirrors the escalation scenarios that legal professionals describe as typical Online Safety Act referrals. Here is the if/then logic that determines Maya's legal options.
If the abuse consists of a single unpleasant comment, even one directed personally at her — no criminal offence is likely to apply, though the platform's community standards may still require its removal. Maya's best option is a formal platform report, which the Act now requires platforms to process within defined timeframes.
If the abuse consists of a pattern of messages sent with the apparent intent to cause psychological harm — this may constitute a criminal communications offence under the Online Safety Act 2023. The offence carries up to two years in prison. A pattern of three or more targeted communications, demonstrably designed to cause distress, is generally enough for a solicitor to advise pursuing a criminal referral.
If a coordinated group of accounts is targeting Maya with the goal of damaging her livelihood — this may constitute harassment under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, which allows a civil injunction preventing continued contact and a criminal prosecution carrying up to five years in prison for a sustained course of conduct.
If personal information such as her home town, address, or workplace is being published without consent — this triggers both GDPR obligations (reportable to the Information Commissioner's Office, or ICO) and potentially a separate criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 if the information was obtained by unauthorised access.
The cost of acting is far lower than the cost of not acting. A civil harassment injunction can typically be obtained for between £800 and £2,500 in solicitor fees. Research by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust on stalking and harassment patterns found that in 94% of cases where no legal action was taken in the first three months, the behaviour escalated. Twelve months of unresolved harassment routinely costs victims between £5,000 and £15,000 in lost earnings, reputational damage, and private security measures, according to figures cited in civil harassment litigation.
The critical difference between a £1,500 early injunction and a £12,000 multi-year civil case is often simply timing.
What to Do If You Are Being Targeted
The Online Safety Act 2023 gives people in the UK significantly more legal standing than existed three years ago. The practical steps depend on the severity and pattern of the abuse:
Document everything immediately. Screenshot every piece of harassing communication with the date, time, platform, and username visible. Courts require concrete documentary evidence. Vague recollections are not admissible.
Report to the platform with a formal complaint. Platforms are legally required to respond to harassment complaints within a defined timeframe under the Act. Keep a record of every report and every response — this creates an official paper trail that matters if the case escalates.
Contact Action Fraud if threats or coordinated behaviour are involved. Online abuse involving explicit threats or a sustained pattern of conduct should be reported at actionfraud.police.uk, or directly to your local police force. The National Police Chiefs' Council has specialist units for online-enabled stalking and harassment.
Seek legal advice early, before the pattern entrenches. A solicitor specialising in digital rights or media law can assess whether a civil injunction, an Ofcom complaint against the platform, or a criminal referral is the most proportionate response. The sooner professional advice is sought, the lower the likely cost and the wider the range of options available.
The experience of the new Strictly hosts is a reminder that online hostility is not new, but the legal tools available to challenge it are far more developed than most people realise. Knowing those tools, and when to use them, is the starting point.
For personalised legal advice on online harassment under UK law, ExpertZoom connects you with qualified solicitors who specialise in digital rights and media law.
