The Strictly line-up never really matters. Every year the announcement is overshadowed by a cacophony of “never heard of him” and “who is she?”, not one of us stopping to pause to consider that it’s practically irrelevant whether the celebs donning their dancing shoes are actually famous or not. I’d bet you didn’t know who George Clarke was before his Inbetweeners-themed Charleston – and he made it to last year’s finale.
Even so, this year’s line-up does feel a little… off. Yes, there are a few B-listers (practically royalty when it comes to Strictly‘s fame scale): Gavin and Stacey actor Melanie Walters, who played Stacey’s mum Gwen; EastEnders‘ Lacey Turner AKA Stacey Slater; former England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, and Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey. But there’s also football influencer John Nellis, ex-Love Islander Cach Mercer, dog trainer Graeme Hall, and Kim Kardashian’s hairdresser Chris Appleton (yes, really). The alphabet runs out of letters before you get to whatever list this lot are on.
This is no ordinary year for the BBC’s flagship dance competition. Come September, the show will not only have a fresh look (according to an insider, the studio will have a new “sleek, impressive set”), but three new presenters: Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe, and former pro dancer Johannes Radebe. The Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman era of Strictly is well and truly over, and with a new epoch comes unavoidable uncertainty. The television-loving British public do not like change.
