THERE was a double dose of Sophie Ellis-Bextor on the box last night – but some Brit viewers branded her BBC performance as “awkward and breathless”.
The Murder on the Dancefloor star, 45, had her own New Year’s Eve Disco on the BBC and also featured on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve in the States.
It was certainly a star-studded occasion with guest appearances from the likes of Jessie Ware, Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears, and The Last Dinner Party’s Emily Roberts.
But while glam Sophie certainly looked the belle of the ball, some viewers weren’t taken by her medley of hits.
One wrote on X: “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!”
Another vented: “This Sophie Ellis-Bextor performance on the BBC wouldn’t be out of place in the local on karaoke Thursdays. Absolute pony.”
A third agreed, saying: “Not the best singer but her dancing was woeful. Sorry but there was only one Murder On The Dancefloor tonight and that was on stage.”
However, others had very different opinions and revelled in the disco tunes.
One fan declared: “Ladies and gentlemen. May I present to you Sophie Ellis-Bextor. A literal shimmering goddess.”
Another said: “I’ve never really known much about Sophie Ellis0Bextor’s music, but this NYE concert is epic!”
A third gushed: “Watched Sophie Ellis-Bextor earlier and she was great A good vibe all round.”
Sophie thoroughly enjoyed herself, sharing a thoughtful post-show message with her Instagram followers that included a special mention for her musician husband Richard.
“Wow! What a truly amazing way to see in 2025!” she exclaimed.
“I’ll post more photos tomorrow but for now I want to say a huge thank you to my amazing band and crew who really brought what we needed for a brilliant NYE party.
“So proud special thanks to my husband Richard who is the best musical director and brought so much magic to the music. It was all exactly as I’d dreamed and I hope everyone who watched it at home felt part of it all. Here’s to 2025!”
The singer will have to go some to beat a huge 2024 that saw her surge back into the charts thanks to the hit film Saltburn featuring Murder on the Dancefloor in an iconic scene at the tail end of 2023.
It’s paved the way for more than 100 gigs, which was recently acknowledged by Sophie herself.
She said: “There were some things I knew I was doing this year and there were so many things that I wasn’t expecting. I think there’s a lot to reflect on. I’ve never done so many shows in my life. I’ve done about 110 gigs this year.
“That’s not just me, that’s all my band and crew as well. Amazing. There’s been some real highlights. It’s an extraordinary thing to get to my stage in my career and to still be doing things, new excitement. So I’ve just wanted to really grab hold of that. And this is very much part of that as well.”
