Strictly Dance Troupe Unveiled

The BBC have announced the dancers joining Ian and Darren in Strictly's new professional demonstration dance group.

They are Tanya Perera, who previously appeared in Dirty Dancing in the West End, Shem Jacobs, a commercial dancer who has backed up stars including Alexandra Burke and Pixie Lott, Aneta Piotrowska, a former dance partner of Derek Hough, and Crystal Main, whose dance credts include Anton & Erin's Simply Ballroom and Darren & Lilia's Latin Fever.

The pairings are Darren & Crystal, Ian & Aneta and Shem & Tanya.

I am really excited that Crystal has been picked for the show. She's a fantastic dancer who has lots of personality on the floor. And she is a proper latin & ballroom dancer.

Brian Burgled

Brian Fortuna's west London has been burgled, and among the items taken were his Strictly costumes.

A friend told The Sun: "Brian is livid. He can't believe someone would steal his beloved dancing gear. A lot has huge sentimental value, which no insurance claim will bring back. The thieves must have known whose home it was - they probably took the clobber to sell as souvenirs. Brian is keeping an eye on things like eBay to see if any of his stuff appears, but he's not holding out much hope."

Poor Brian. Sadly, most burglaries remain unsolved...

Matthew Wright: "It Would Make My Mum Happy"

Matthew Wright has said he'd like to do Strictly, because it would make his mum happy.

When asked if he was doing Strictly, he told the Metro: "Not as far as I know. I don’t know where that story came from. I’d love to do it because it would make my mum happy and I need to do something to cheer her up."

He regularly has Strictly personalities on The Wright Stuff panel, so it's not a big leap to see him as a potential participant. I think Matthew would be a great choice.

Latest Rumours: Goldie & Michelle Williams

Two new Strictly rumours surfaced over the weekend.

The Mirror reports that drum 'n' bass star Goldie has signed on the dotted line. Goldie has already proved his rhythmic abilities by conducting orchestras on reality show Maestro, on which he placed second.

The Sun reports that former Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams has also joined the lineup. A source told the paper: "Michelle is a great booking for us - as she's an amazing dancer and extremely glamorous. We said that we were aiming big this year - and we hope fans of the show will realise that with a booking like her." Michelle was part of the biggest girl bands in history, so she should have no trouble picking up the routines.

It's not looking good for Ann Widdecombe...

New Strictly Launch Show

This year there will be a special Strictly show in which the couples are revealed.

According to BBC News, the show will be an hour-long and will be broadcast on 11th September. It will feature red carpet style arrivals and a group number.

This is a good idea in principle save for one flaw - the show is actually being recorded on 8th September, so we'll already know who is in it before it is shown on TV (that's if it hasn't already been leaked to The Sun before that).

The press launch has always been a closed affair, so the idea of having a TV launch is great. But it's a total buzz kill to have the show pre-recorded. You want proper buzz? Do it live!

Apologies

Just a quick apology for the lack of updates in the past couple of weeks. I've been on holiday.

The good thing about taking a holiday in August is that I won't miss any of Strictly this year. I usually holiday sometime during the series.

From Cold Shoulder To Ice

The Sun reports that Matthew Cutler is set to be signed as a celebrity on Dancing On Ice, following the cold shoulder from Strictly Come Dancing.

An insider told the paper: "It shows the power of Strictly that you can join as an unknown dancer and by the time you leave you can go on to another show as a celebrity. Producers are really keen on Matthew, as signing him up would be two fingers to the BBC after they dropped him."

Matthew's participation might actually be enough to get me off my high horse and watch the dratted programme. I for one would be facinated to see how he would manage. Being a dancer might not be enough to be a good ice dancer. It would be a brilliant experiment.