You have got to hand it to the BBC.
They have turned Strictly Come Dancing into a phenomenon considering it was based on a little-watched niche show from more than 50 years ago which had died on its feet before it was scrapped in 1998.
A simple dash of celebrity, a huge chunk of publicity and the popularity of the late Sir Bruce Forsyth turned the dancing show into flagship Saturday night entertainment. It continues to hold other talent shows at bay, with an all-female presenting team, and has spawned several off-shoots which fill in the gaps between weekend programmes.
There is a tried and trusted formula nowadays which requires producers to tick all the boxes regarding who they invite on the show. The 2019 edition is most definitely in line with predecessors, though that talent pool must be getting small by now and there are more than a few faces that will be unknown to fans unless they have a wide diversity of interests across all forms of the media.
Sport is well represented again
Sport is represented by former England goalkeeper David James, Olympic rower James Cracknell and England Women international footballer Alex Scott. Will Bayley is a Paralympic champion at table tennis but would not want to be described at the token disabled contestant. However, he admits he has never danced before.
Comedian Chris Ramsey admits he’s not previously been one for the dance floor so he will probably be expected to provide most of the laughs.
Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing gets the reality star spot this year but has hardly been exuding confidence in his dancing abilities while Michelle Visage is best known for her role as a judge on the US reality TV show RuPaul’s Drag race.
No series of Strictly would be complete without a sprinkling of soap stars and former Coronation Street actress Catherine Tyldesley is prominent in the early betting at a general 8/1 having revealed that she is no novice on the dance floor. There is more uncertainty over EastEnder Emma Barton, however.
Teenage Youtuber Emma Barker will be seeking the vote of the under-25s but Karim Zeroual’s target audience is even younger as his normal modus operandi is children’s network CBBC.
Unless you get up and watch BBC Breakfast in a morning, you won’t know that Mike Bushell is a sports reporter who throws himself into all assignments, no matter how bizarre, with relish. But, at 53, what can he offer a programme like Strictly apart from embarrassing himself? The new Anne Widdicombe or Russell Grant, perhaps?
DJ Dev no stranger to celebrity competition
Dev Griffin helps present the afternoon show on Radio 1 and is trying to carve a niche for himself on the celebrity circuit as he’s already appeared on Celebrity Masterchef and Celebrity Mastermind. He may be able to handle himself on the dance floor and there may be a bit of value in the early 16/1 with Betway.
Emma Thynn, otherwise known as the Viscountess Weymouth, will look to add some decorum to proceedings and TV and radio presenter Anneka Rice will be hoping to strike a blow for the more mature woman but both are a general 20/1 to win series 17 of Strictly Come Dancing.
This year’s series will see the return of judges Shirley Ballas, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli, but Dame Darcey Bussell has been replaced by Motsi Mabuse. The dancers will get to know their professional dance partners in the coming weeks and the competition itself gets underway in September. No contestants are eliminated in the first two weeks.
Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Current Best Odds
Alex Scott 11/2
Catherine Tyldesley and Saffron Barker 8/1
Emma Barton and Karim Zeroual 10/1
Jamie Laing 12/1
Chris Ramsey, James Cracknell and Dev Griffin 16/1
Emma Thynn, Michelle Visage and Anneka Rice 20/1
David James 22/1
Will Bayley 33/1
Mike Bushell 50/1
(Odds correct at 2.45pm August 7)
ALEX SCOTT is the early favourite but with good reason. She won the Comic Relief version of Strictly Come Dancing only last year so probably has a significant head start on her contemporaries . She’ll have an idea of the dedication required and an athlete’s approach to training. While similar prospects have breezed through the early rounds previously only to come up short in the final stages, there’s a feeling that the former Lioness is made of sterner stuff.
