The most obscure Strictly line-up yet

STRICTLY Come Dancing judge judge Craig Revel Horwood has admitted he sometimes has to look up contestants online to discover who they are.

But this year the acerbic Revel Horwood may find that even Google isn’t much help. For many of the 15 competitors are so little-known to all but their most ardent fans that their Wikipedia entries are somewhat brief.

The line-up, completed yesterday with the addition of Casualty actor Charles Venn and fashion guru Susannah Constantine, includes YouTube video blogger Joe Sugg, radio breakfast show presenter Vick Hope and comedian Seann Walsh.

Previous years included personalities such as Jason Donovan, Carol Vorderman, Victoria Pendleton, Ed Balls and Judy Murray, who most of the audience were familiar with.

Only two of this year’s contestants are TV actors – Venn, who has also appeared in EastEnders, and Danny John-Jules, star of Red Dwarf. Lee Ryan has appeared in EastEnders but is more familiar as a member of boy band Blue and is probably the most famous ‘celebrity’ taking part. Yesterday Strictly fans criticised the BBC for a line-up lacking in household names. Entertainment expert David Hahn said he had ‘seen better FBI wanted lists’ and was baffled by most of the choices. ‘Who’s this YouTuber? Strictly’s audience is not made up of YouTube fans.’

There have been claims that some big stars may have been put off taking part by the ‘Strictly curse’, which has seen the relationships of contestants – including Ben Cohen, Louise Redknapp and Rachel Riley – fall apart.

Revel Horwood admitted last year: ‘At the start of each season, we only find out who the celebs are an hour before the information is released to the press, and then I have to Google the names quicksmart because I don’t know who they are.’

‘It’s becoming like a freak show’

KATIE PIPER 34. Ex model scarred when acid was thrown in her face. Now a campaigner

LEE RYAN 35. Best known as a member of boy band Blue. Was also in EastEnders

FAYE TOZER 42. Member of Nineties pop troupe Steps, has recently been performing in their reunion tour JOE SUGG 26. Video blogger who stages pranks on his friends. Has 8.2million subscribers on YouTube SEANN WALSH 32. Comedian. Main claim to fame is being on TV panel shows such as Mock The Week and 8 Out Of 10 Cats

RANJ SINGH 39. TV doctor and paediatrician who appears on ITV’s This Morning STACEY DOOLEY 31. TV presenter and journalist. Documentary maker for BBC3 CHARLES VENN 45. Plays nurse Jacob Masters in Casualty. Was also in EastEnders

LAUREN STEADMAN 25. Paralympic athlete who won silver in Rio 2016. Was born without her lower right arm SUSANNAH CONSTANTINE 56. Fronted What Not To Wear with Trinny Woodall and appeared on I’m A Celebrity.

DANNY JOHN-JULES 57. Best known as The Cat in sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf. Played policeman Dwayne Myers in Death In Paradise

GRAEME SWANN 39. Former England cricketer, now a radio pundit. Retired in 2013

ASHLEY ROBERTS 36. US singer best known for being in The Pussycat Dolls, a song and dance ensemble

VICK HOPE 28. Cambridge degree in languages. Hosts shows on Capital Radio and 4Music. Has also worked for MTV

KATE SILVERTON 48. The BBC newsreader turned down Strictly in 2006 and 2009