Sophie Ellis-Bextor has spoken out following her BBC New Year’s Eve special which saw her welcome in the New Year by performing some of her biggest hits and cover tracks
Sophie Ellis-Bextor has responded after some branded her New Year’s Eve show “cringe.”
The Queen of Disco put on a show-stopping performance on Tuesday night as she helped BBC One viewers ring in the new year. Over the course of the night, the 45-year-old performed some of her biggest hits, as well as covers of iconic tracks by the likes of Madonna. In 2024, Sophie enjoyed a huge resurgence thanks to Barry Keoghan’s completely naked dance scene in the movie Saltburn going global with her iconic song.
But while some have heaped praise on her performances, others had branded it “cringe” and compared her show to a “karaoke night.” However, the trolling comments don’t appear to have phased Sophie who spoke about how fun the pre-recorded show was to film ahead of the New Year celebrations, as she was performing live in New York’s Times Square on the night.
Taking to Instagram, the Murder on The Dancefloor songstress shared a collection of snaps from the night. She captioned her upload: “So so proud and happy that I got to host a NYE disco on @bbc 1. What an absolute privilege – I know New Year’s Eve is a special night.
Sophie duetted with Jessie Ware during her show-stopping performance (
Image:
BBC)
“Huge thank you to my guests @jessieware @jakeshears @emilyrobertsguitarist who really brought the party – what a treat to have them on stage with me! – and I loved my finale with the @mdlsingers.” She added: “Special thanks to @victoriajayneadcock for styling – we had a blast dreaming up the looks and then Victoria went the extra mile to make them come true, and thanks to @lisalaudat1 for my hair and make up.
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“I’ve seen many a new year in with the @bbc on as Big Ben chimes so I really see it as the biggest honour my band and I got to ring in 2025 with whoever was watching. If that was you, thank you. It’s on @bbciplayer now if you fancy it, too. Big thank you to the amazing @bbcstudios team who captured the show and created a world for us to do what we do. I loved the set, the lighting… Director @lizclaretv did such a brilliant job and the whole crew were so supportive and excited which only made us more excited too! The whole thing has been a really special experience.”
The programme received a mixed response from viewers (
Image:
BBC)
The comment section of Sophie’s post was filled with praise, with one follower writing: “Like a Prayer was amazing!” A second penned: “You were AMAZING! Best New Year’s show in years! Icon.” “You brought the party – the tinsel! The high kicks! What a way to being in a (hopefully better) year,” gushed another.
Scissors Sisters icon Jake Shears, who performed two tracks with Sophie commented: “Thanks for having me I had the best time!” But while many were quick to praise Sophie, some trolls took to X, formerly known as Twitter to vent their frustrations. One said: “What on earth is happening with the @BBCOne #NewYear show. Poor Sophie-Ellis Bextor can’t even keep up with her own songs, a breathless mess. Just lip-sync and then you can at least nail the stage presence… this is cringe!”
“This Sophie Ellis-Bextor performance on the BBC wouldn’t be out of place in the local on karaoke Thursdays. Absolute pony,” commented another. “Maybe I’m getting old but I can see why folk who stay in on NYE go to bed if the TV offerings are Sophie Ellis-Bextor or Jools Holland,” typed another.
