Strictly Pro Shake-Up?

As many as five professional dancers could be left without a job this autumn, as the show's new producers are looking to make changes.

The Daily Mirror reports that it could be a "bloodbath".

James Jordan has admitted that he and Ola are nervous, telling the paper: “If they want to change it, there is nothing we can do. We survived before Strictly so we just have to keep our fingers crossed. We really want to stay on.”

Kristina Rihanoff would also like to stay: “It is the thing we want to do – but you do get nervous because it is a thing you love and you want to be there.”

Vincent Simone said: “The whole team is going to be changing. They’re running with their own thing before they call us, so it’ll be a while before we know what’s happening.”

A source told the paper: “The new producers will have new ideas and new faces they want to bring in. There have been changes to the professional dancers before and there will be again this year. It is looking like there will be a bloodbath with as many as four or five changes. It’s important the show stays fresh. If you are a dancer and haven’t had a call by the end of May you should start looking for other work.”

These comments will no doubt make fans of the show nervous. While fresh faces can have a great impact - the addition of Kristina and Pasha Kovalev among others have both been hits with the public - they don't always work out. For ever Kristina, there's a Hayley Holt or Jarod Murillo (whose surname I just had to Google!) who fail to find their feet in the Strictly family. At the same time, there are constant calls for Ian Waite to return to the line-up.

There are obvious candidates for the chop. Brendan Cole, Erin Boag and Anton du Beke have been with the show since day one (the latter two never having lifted the glitterball) and are also the oldest, and James & Ola had a public bust-up with Craig Revel Horwood over their exclusion from the tour. Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace have always been popular with the producers, but with new people in the hot seats it could spell the end of the road for them.

Who knows what will happen. Let's just hope that any change will be for the better, rather than for the sake of it.

Nancy For Judge?

The rumours are just getting silly now. Speculation now centres around dance disaster Nancy Dell'Olio.

What's On TV reports that when Nancy was asked if she would be watching the next series of Strictly, she said: "Probably. I might be doing more than watching, who knows. I can't tell you any more."

Nancy must be very proud. This comment has put her name back in the papers in relation to a job I doubt she'd ever be offered in a million years.

Len: BBC "Deserve My Loyalty"

Len Goodman says that the BBC deserve his loyality, after they took a chance on a dance teacher from Dartford. As long as the producers want him, he'll be a part of Strictly.

He told the Daily Mirror: "I'm going to keep pressing on with it until they get fed up with me... The BBC were wonderful - they didn't know who I was really, I'm just a dance teacher. They gave me an opportunity to do Strictly Come Dancing which was a life-changing event really, and I think that they deserve my loyalty, and my loyalty is what they will get. I have no intention of stopping or slowing down. I'm in a position where I could do that, but once I stop I know what would happen, I'd be sitting indoors on a Saturday night watching Strictly Come Dancing and I'd be thinking 'that's a bloody stupid thing to say' and thinking 'I wish I'd kept going'.

Judges Want More Money

The Strictly judges are hoping for more money when they come to negotiate their contracts this year.

The Sun reports that the judges are aware of the money being spent on The Voice, with judges salaries rumoured to be between £100,000 and £500,000, and want to be treated on a similar level.

A BBC source told the paper: "When [the Strictly judges] come to renegotiate their contracts the BBC will bear in mind that last year's series was one of the best ever — and their new deals will reflect that and they will be paid accordingly."

Darcy For Judge's Job?

Darcy Bussell's name is the latest to appear in the media in connection with the vacant Strictly judge job.

The Daily Mirror reports that producers have opened negotiation with Darcy, who was a guest judge in 2009.

When asked about Darcy at the launch of Maestro, Craig Revel Horwood said: “I think Darcy would be a good choice. She is very credible, has done the show before, and I know she would love to do it. I’d really like to see her on the panel, and she’s very well thought of by the Strictly producers. She was fantastic as a guest judge.”

Conductor Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood is to turn his hand to conducting in a new series of Maestro.

Maestro At The Opera will be a three-part series, in which celebrities compete to conduct a whole act of an opera at the Royal Opera House. Participants alongside Craig are comic actress and improv queen Josie Lawrence, Professor Marcus du Sautoy and DJ Trevor Nelson.

With Craig's dance background, he must fancy his chances. I would imagine that Josie, who is very musical, will be his stiffest competition.

Find out more on the BBC website.

Charlie To Do Full Series?

Charlie Brooks could be taking a six-month sabbatical from EastEnders in order to participate in the full Strictly series, after her win on the Christmas special.

Charlie's character Janine will leave the Square for a while to have a baby.

A source told The Sun: "It's more or less a done deal. Charlie would be a dream signing for Strictly. She's high-profile and popular and judging by the Christmas special, she has natural ability."

Pasha's Tour Talk

Pasha has been talking to the Welwyn Hatfield Times about his and Katya's upcoming tour.

He said: “We’re trying to create a show for people who love Strictly and who just love dancing. We’ll have audience participation for the brave who want to experience what Strictly is really like. It’s like our own child in a way and it’s always exciting to produce your own show. It’s the audience who keep you going. You see their reaction to what you’re trying to tell them through the story of the dance and you’re rewarded with applause. It’s the best feeling – it’s like a drug.”

Click here for a full list of tour dates.

Karen Bruce In Running For Strictly Job

Karen Bruce could be in the running to replace Alesha on the Strictly judging panel.

The choreographer has worked extensively on Strictly Come Dancing's group numbers, and is a director of Vincent & Flavia's Midnight Tango show.

A source told The Sun: "Karen has really impressed bosses. She is gutsy and ballsy and not afraid to give her opinion or say what she thinks — which is just what Strictly needs. She also comes with an expert knowledge of dance. Alesha had a high profile but she never had that detailed knowledge. But the major concern is that Bruce is far from a household name — and this could still get in the way of her getting the job."

Fans of the show should be familiar with Karen's name. The producers shouldn't worry too much, as no-one outside of the dance world knew who Len, Bruno, Craig and Arlene were before Strictly, and they've all become household names.

Ola Would Like Judging Job

Ola Jordan would like to replace Alesha on the Strictly judging panel.

She told The Sun: "I would like to see me replacing Alesha. I would be a good judge. It has to be someone interesting and I think they are looking for a girl, so here I am! I've done six series, I'm a dancer and I've won it. I hope they choose someone to do with dancing because much as I liked Alesha, she didn't say anything interesting to me as a professional dancer."

Goughie's Back On The Floor!

Series 3. Happy memories of 'snake-hips' Colin Jackson, the gorgeous Zoe Ball and 'bowler hands' Darren Gough. Do you miss those days as much as me??

Well, fear not! The BBC have announced that former Strictly champ Goughie is putting his dancing shoes back on for Let's Dance For Sport Relief.

The competition will run for 5 weeks starting this Saturday, with a grand final on 17th March. Strictly participant Alex Jones returns to host alongside Steve Jones.

Elen Rivas Wants To Swap Skates For Sandals

Elen Rivas, ex-fiancée of Frank Lampard and former Dancing On Ice participant, would like to swap her ice skates for latin sandals.

She told the Daily Express: “I’d love to do Strictly. That really is my thing. To dance in those beautiful dresses would be amazing and I do like dancing. If I go with my friends to a bar then I do like to have a dance. Of course I do, I’m Spanish.”

I think it would be a dark day if Strictly started scraping the bottom of the barrel as hard as Dancing On Ice...

Would Flanagan Follow Her Character Onto Reality TV?

Coronation Street actress Helen Flanagan is leaving the soap, which frees her up to do something new after many years.

Helen's character Rosie Webster is off to London to join a reality TV show. According to The List, there's only one type of reality show she would consider herself: "I couldn't do a programme where you're being watched 24/7, like Big Brother or I'm A Celebrity.... I would like to learn a new skill, so Strictly Come Dancing would be good - but I can't dance at all. Oh, and there's no way I could be in Dancing On Ice. It would be far too terrifying."

Ola: "My Best Friend Is James"

Ola Jordan has answered some questions posed by the Daily Express.

She reveals that her best friend is James, she has a weakness for crisps, she wishes she could cook like her mother and she's a bit of an OCD neat freak.

Worth a read...

Tour Reviews

The reviews of the Strictly Come Dancing Live tour have started to appear online.

Here are a selection:

Bromsgrove Standard

Daily Telegraph

The Stage

Sunday Mercury

Birmingham Mail

The Guardian