A Fond Farewell To Matthew And Lilia

Matthew Cutler and Lilia Kopylova have both chosen to leave Strictly Come Dancing.

The pair have declined to join the proposed dance group and are hanging up their shoes.

A BBC press release suggested that both may still be a part of the show through choreography and guest appearances.

Matthew stated: "I've absolutely loved my time on Strictly, and now is a good time to focus on developing new areas of my career. I'm excited about having more time to commit to new projects and, of course, still having a hand in Strictly without all the training!"

Lilia said: "I've had six brilliant series on the show, I will miss it, but I am looking forward to new opportunities ahead. Of course I will be there to support Darren and all of my fellow professionals."

It's interetsing that Lilia is leaving but Darren is not. One would have presumed they'd do the same, since they can't work together on other things if one is still committed to the show.

Ian and Darren have comitted to the show once again, despite not being part of the competiton. They will form part of a professional dance group, along with four new dancers who are still yet to be announced.

Winkletoes Fronts Sunday Shows

Claudia Winkleman has landed the job of Sunday show host, as Brucie takes a step back from Strictly.

According to The Sun, the show will be pre-recorded after the main show just as it was before, but Claudia will step in allowing Bruce to head home.

A souce told the paper: "Claudia is the perfect choice as she already has a history with Strictly. It will be all about girl power with Tess at the helm as well."

Claudia did a good job sitting in for Bruce when he was off sick last year, so she's a natual choice.

But I still strongly disagree with the Sunday shows. I agree that having it all in one was too long, but a late Saturday results show was so much more compelling. Still, I talked about my opinions on the Sunday shows a couple of weeks back, so I'm not going to rehash it again.

Argen-Tina-n Tango?

Could Tina O'Brien be heading for Strictly?

According the The Mirror, the former Coronation Street actress has agreed to take part. A source told the paper: "Tina has already had an amazing career but is still very young and will be determined to do well. She also split from her partner Ryan Thomas last year and will have no problems getting up close and personal with her dance partner."

Jennifer Metcalfe For Strictly?

Hollyoaks actress Jennifer Metcalfe has been approached to take part in Strictly Come Dancing.
A source told The Sun: "They really want Jen because she'd look amazing on the dancefloor. She's really keen, the only problem is her Hollyoaks schedule."

Jennifer is not the only Hollyoaks actress linked with the series. Carley Stenson has also been linked with the show.

Bruno To Take On Bruno?

Former heavyweight boxer Frank Bruno could be readying himself to take on judging heavyweight Bruno Tonioli, as he is rumoured to be on the Strictly Come Dancing wish list.

A soure told the Sunday Mirror: "Frank is one of the country's best-loved celebrities. He is still very fit and trains every day so the gruelling schedule of Strictly wouldn't be a problem for him. The producers have made getting Frank onto the show their No 1 priority."

Let's hope Frank has more dancing talent than fellow boxers Joe Calzaghe or Dancing With The Stars' Evander Holyfield.

Strictly World Cup

To relieve the miserable boredom of the World Cup, fellow Strictly blogger Monkseal set up a World Cup of Strictly, to decide the all time best Strictly participant.

It's semi-final time, and Monkseal asked me to write a supporting statement for one of the remaining celebrities. I'm sure you can guess which jiving dynamo I chose.

Pop over to Monkseal's blog to read what I said and cast your vote (for Jill!).

And make sure you follow Monkseal on Twitter. If you watch any of the reality shows, he'll keep you laughing all year through.

Time Running Out For Pros

Time is running out for the pros who were demoted to the proposed demonstration group.

According to the News Of The World, the producers have issued an ultimatium to the four pros - Darren, Lilia, Ian and Matthew - to sign their Strictly contracts this week, or they will no longer be a pert of the show.

To be fair, the four have had pleanty of thinking time now. It will be interesting to see what they all decide.

Gavin And Felicity

More Strictly rumours are starting as we get closer to the announcement (which will probably be next month).

According to The Sun, latest to join the list are Welsh rugby player Gavin Henson and actress Felicity Kendal.

Gavin would join a long list of rugby stars to take to the floor - Martin Offiah, Matt Dawson, Kenny Logan, Austin Healey - all of whom have done pretty well on the show.

Felicity Kendal is most famous for her roles in 1970s sitcom The Good Life and gentle detective drama Rosemary & Thyme. She's always been considered a bit of a sex symbol, and could turn out to be a Cherie Lunghi.

Interestingly, The Sun also reports that the salary scale will change this year. Instead of a flat fee for participating, the celebrities will earn more the longer they stay in the show. I think this is a good idea. Those that stay in the longest work the hardest. And it would make someone think long and hard before taking the coward's way out and 'doing a Sergeant'.

Bruce To Reduce Strictly Role, Sundays Return

Bruce is looking to reduce his hours on Strictly Come Dancing and being a smaller part of the show.

The Daily Mail reports that the loathsome Sunday results shows are set to return, and it is likely that presenting duties for these will be handed to someone else, possibly Graham Norton.

A source told the paper: "Bruce has not signed his contract yet, but it all looks very positive. We are still looking at some scheduling issues that would see Bruce take a reduced role on the show. But if this happens, he will still be very much part of the series. He is integral to Strictly."

As I've maintained, I have no issue with Bruce or his involvement in the show.

I do, however, have MAJOR issues with the proposed return of the universally unpopular Sunday results show.

I don't know a single person who enjoyed the results process during the previous period of Sunday shows.

Firstly, it was ridiculous trying to portray the results show as a different day, when it was common knowledge that it was pre-recorded. This also leads to the element of drama being lost - would you want to watch a pre-recorded World Cup match even if you didn't know the result??

Second, the internet was littered with spoilers from those who had been in the audience. I preferred not to know the result and watch it 'as live', which meant Sundays were spent avoiding any site which might possibly give the result away. It was not only forums to avoid - my friends' Facebook status ruined things for me as they voiced their joy or pain at the removal of their favourites on a Sunday morning.

I really cannot understand why they moved away from the original format, with a results show later on Saturday evening. The break between the shows allowed viewers to have a break to vote (meaning they weren't distracted during the show) and come back later for the conclusion. Things were kept live and fresh.

Bruce for main show and someone else for results is fine, but PLEASE don't make us endure pre-recorded Sundays again.

I suppose the tolerable solution would be to make Sundays live...

Derek To Guest On Strictly

Derek Hough will be appearing as a guest on Strictly this year, possibly appearing with his recent Dancing With The Stars partner Nicole Scherzinger if she is available.

A source told The Sun: "He's excited about taking part."

I'm starting to struggle to understand why the press are so fixated with Derek. Yes, he is a great dancer, but does that warrent all the press attention? It can only be because of the Cheryl Cole connection.

Vincent & Flavia Talk About The Upcoming Series

Vincent & Flavia talk to What's On TV about what to expect from the upcoming series of Strictly Come Dancing.

Anton In The Arctic

Answers on a postacard, please...

Random Videos

I love YouTube because it allows you behind (usually) closed doors.

Here is an Argentine Tango performance Vincent & Flavia gave at the Boots Christmas press launch last year.



And here is a Cha Cha that Ian & Camilla performed for Microsoft (needless to say, I was rather gutted when I heard that one of my former employers also hired Ian & Camilla for an event).

Burn The Floor Promo

Whilst I watched this promo a couple of weeks back, I have just realised that I didn't post it here. Epic fail!

So here is a promo for Burn The Floor, featuring Ali & Brian. I have my tickets booked and will see the show in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

Brucie Dotting Is And Crossing Ts

Bruce Forsyth is close to closing his contract for the upcoming series of Strictly.

The Sun quotes an interview Bruce gave to the Radio Times in which he said: "I have a couple more meetings, but it's going well. I'm not doing a Christine Bleakley."

And once again, it's not all about money for Bruce: "I took a cut last year before anyone else. If they want me to this year, I will, but I've never thought about it."