If you’ve noticed that Craig Revel Horwood has been a lot less cutting on the current series of Strictly Come Dancing, you’re not just imagining things.

Craig told Radio Times that, in fact, he’s deliberately been toning down his putdowns in recent years, after revisiting some of his critiques on earlier seasons.

“I have changed my style of judging,” he explained. “I was really harsh 20 years ago. 

“When I look back, I think, ‘Ooh, that’s cutting’. It would now be classed as bullying, and then I’d be cancelled.”

“It’s not fear of being cancelled,” he then insisted. “It’s just, ‘how can I reach out to them and help them to improve?’, rather than just saying, ‘This is wrong, that’s wrong’. I’m thinking more like a teacher than a judge.”

Craig continued: “I was very direct. I do still say what’s wrong, but you can wrap the truth in a nice way.”

Don’t worry, though, the old Craig is still in there.

“I’m not there for their emotions,” he added. “I don’t care how it affects them in that way, because they need to learn and respect my opinion.”

Strictly celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, with Craig being the only member of the judging panel to have been there since the very first series.

While he may have toned down his criticism, he still courts controversy with his blunt approach from time to time, most notably over his use of the word “ugly” to refer to certain dance techniques.

The current series has also seen him going toe-to-toe with comedian Chris McCausland, with often-hilarious results.

Read Craig Revel-Horwood’s interview in full in the new issue of Radio Times magazine.