The Strictly Class of 2019

It's that time of year once again when the TV suddenly becomes interesting in my house.  As a rule, I don't watch any 'live' TV, I prefer to watch my rather large collection of DVDs, there isn't much that peaks my interest these days television wise.  There are, however, three shows guaranteed to make me switch on or pay attention.  They are Mastermind (although this is only ever watched with my dad to see just how much we don't know about certain subjects), The Great British Bake-Off (it's on its way folks) and finally, the Creme de la Creme, Strictly Come Dancing.



Yes, the sparkles and sequins are being shined once more as fifteen more celebrities line up to take on the challenge for the Glitterball.  And to be honest, this year, it's anyone's to win.

More on the celebs in a moment. First up there are a couple of changes to the professional line-up.  The first announcement was that Pasha Kovalev was not going to return this year.  He did win the show a few years back with Caroline Flack as his partner and last year he partnered Ashley Roberts.  He probably felt if he couldn't win with Ashley then he'd never win it again (my opinion only guys).  So he has been replaced by a female dancer Nancy Xu, who is a former Latin champion and been a finalist in 'So You Think You Can Dance?' in China, as well as appearing in the West End and Broadway show Burn The Floor.

The next big shock came as it was revealed that beloved judge, Miss Nicey-Nice Dame Darcey Bussell would also not be returning to Strictly this year.  As always there was much speculation about who would replace her until it was finally announced that the new judge would be Motsi Mabuse.  If the name sounds familiar then it's likely to be because her sister is one of the pro dancers, Oti Mabuse.  But if you are expecting favouritism then think again. Motsi was the judge on the German version of Strictly when her sister was a pro and was responsible for her being voted out by scoring her a measly 3 points.  So no nepotism here, thank you very much.

So with the rest of the judges and pro dancers the same as last year, it's time to move onto the celebs themselves.   This year, there are no obvious stand out dancers, no pop stars or stars with an obvious dance background. So as I say, it's anyone's guess who will lift the Glitterball, and we will have to wait and see in the first couple of weeks, who the ones to watch will be.  Also unlike the last couple of years, I have no obvious favourite.  Last year Danny John-Jules was my pick, obvious really given he's one of the stars of one of my all-time favourite shows Red Dwarf but this yeat?  Nothing.  Yes, I know some of the stars, by name really rather than by being a fan so again, I will wait and see how the first couple of dances go before I nominate my champion.


So here is the line up for 2019

Alex Scott -  Ex England footballer, she represented Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics.  She is now a well-known football commentator, recently appearing as a pundit for the 2019 World Cup.

 Anneka Rice - Now a BBC radio presenter, Anneka is probably most well-known for the two tv shows she appeared on in the 80's, namely Treasure Hunt, where two members of the public in the studio had to solve clues which sent Anneka to various locations in the UK via helicopter to locate the prize, and Challenge Anneka where members of the public would challenge her to complete a charitable project of some kind within a specific deadline, by gathering volunteers and various organisations to help her for free, both of which I remember watching.

Catherine Tyldsley - Actress, most notable roles are Iris Moss in 'Lillies' and Eva Price in 'Coronation Street'

Chris Ramsey - South Shields born comedian, Chris is a regular panellist on various comedy quiz shows and well known on the comedy circuit.

James Cracknell - Now a sports presenter, James represented Great Britain in rowing events in Junior World Championships, World Championships and the Olympic in both 2 men and 4 men teams, winning 2 Olympic gold medals along the way.

Emma Barton - Eastenders actress playing the role of Honey Mitchell, she also has theatre credits to her name so probably a bit of dance experience here.

Dev Griffin - Actor and DJ, is probably more well known for presenting the weekend afternoon show on BBC Radio 1

David James - Ex England footballer and goalkeeper, David achieving 572 appearances in Englands premier league (only 3 players appeared more) and was capped 53 times for England, being their number 1 goalkeeping choice in both Euro 2004 and World Cup 2010 campaigns.  He is now a regular pundit for BT Sport.

Jamie Laing - A few minor TV roles, Jamie is most well-known for appearing in reality TV show 'Made in Chelsea'.

Karim Zeroual - Currently a presenter on CBBC (Children's BBC)

Michelle Visage - American singer, TV host and radio DJ, Michelle is most well known these days for her role as a judge on Ru Paul's Drag Race

Mike Bushell - Sports presenter on BBC, he currently holds the world record for trying the most sports in a bid to encourage more people to get active and find a sport for them. His record is over 350 different sports.

Saffron Barker - Hoping to emulate Joe Sugg's popularity, Saffron is another social media star

Viscountess Emma Weymouth - a Viscountess through marriage, she has had various jobs including modelling, brand ambassador, owns a lifestyle website and is a Huffington Post contributing editor

Will Bayley - British Paralympic table-tennis champion, ranked World number 1, Will was born with Arthrogryposis, which affects both his arms and legs.  He won silver in London 2012 and gold in Rio 2016 Paralympics.







So there they are, the full line-up.  Only Emma Barton really has any noticeable dance in her CV. The rest appear to be total novices.  So now we await the launch show where each celeb will meet their partner and teacher in their bid to be Strictly champion 2019.

Until then, Keep Dancing

All images except my name tag courtesy of BBC