Strictly 2012: The Rest Of The Lineup

In addition to Dani Harmer, Richard Arnold, Kimberley Walsh and Nicky Byrne, the rest of the Strictly 2012 line-up has finally, officially, been revealed by the BBC.

Colin Salmon is probably the one I know least about. I've never seen a Bond film, or any of the other things he's been in.

Here is his intro video:



Denise Van Outen has a long history of performing, starting in her teens. She's been on the west end stage in Chicago, Tell Me On A Sunday and Legally Blonde. She should be a bit good.

Here is her video:



Fern Britton has already appeared on the 2010 Strictly Christmas special, dancing a jive with Matthew Culter. So she'll have had a little taste of what to expect.

She's danced a fair bit over the years, although she wasn't as good on the Christmas special as I expected. I think she'll be a ballroom babe.

Here is her intro:

Jerry Hall is an unknown quantity. She's only really known as a model, so her performance skills are a mystery. I would guess that she won't be that strong, but I'm happy to be proved wrong.

Here is her intro:

Sid Owen has been in show business for a long time, but he not known as a dancer. He's tried his hand at singing, and is best known as Ricky Butcher in EastEnders. He'll probably be wanting to do better than his screen wife Patsy Palmer, who came 5th (of 12) in 2005.

Here is his intro:

The pressure is really on cricketer Michael Vaughan. Both Darren Gough and Mark Ramprakash won the series, and Phil Tuffnell came 8th (of 14). With the right partner, Michael could easily go as far as them.

Here is his intro:

Lisa Riley's weight (and the loss thereof) is likely to be one of Strictly's big stories this year. If she does well and goes far, she could end up being half the woman she us now. Personally, I don't think she'll do that well. But that might just be because I've never really liked him all that much.

Here is her intro:

All the signs would point to Louis Smith being a contender. He's competitive. He's used to training. He's a gymnast. He's young. He can get votes for abs, no doubt. Expect him to be around in the closing stages.

Meet Louis:

I would also expect Victoria Pendleton to do well. She's also no stranger to training, and will have the competitive to succeed. She made no secret of the fact that she'd love to do Strictly, so no-one will want to raise the glitterball more than her.

Here is her vid:

Finally, there is Strictly's oldest ever participant, Johnny Ball. I grew up watching Johnny Ball as a kid, and then watched Zoe Ball as a teenager. I spoke to Johnny on the night Zoe did her first dance on Strictly - the waltz - an he was so proud of her. I know that he will do his daughter proud. And he'll make for some brilliant interviews on It Takes Two. I think the public will just adore him. I already wish he was my dad.

Meet Johnny:

So there you have it. One of the best line-ups we've had, in my opinion. Olympic medallists, west end stars, pop stars, actors, presenters. There's something for everyone. And no Madeley.