Book Review: Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2014

When you have to produce a book every year, it must be hard to decide what to focus on above and beyond the profiles of the current participants.

This year, the book focuses on last year's final. There is a minute-by-minute behind the scenes look at final day. There are also interesting articles about the unsung heroes of Strictly Come Dancing - costume, hair, make-up, set design and lighting. Costume we know quite a lot about already through Vicky Gill's appearances on It Takes Two, but the other areas were really interesting to learn about. The judges were also able to give their perspectives on last year's participants and the eventual winner, Louis Smith.

There are the usual profiles of this year's celebrities and pros. As a Strictly fan, I actually found the pro profiles the most interesting. You get the different perspectives of veterans like Brendan and Anton, and newbies like Kevin and Janette.

There are also a few games such as trivia, and a Which Judge Are You game (I'm Darcey!). In the middle, there is a pull-out card game. The game is very much like Top Trumps, featuring past celebrities.

The book, as always, has gorgeous pictures and is very well put together. A great read, and a good Christmas present for any Strictly fan.

The Strictly Come Dancing Annual 2014 is available now in all good bookshops and online retailers (big thanks to the nice folks at Ebury Publishing).