The stars aim to shine on the Strictly dancefloor
Once upon a time, the Strictly Come Dancing: The Launch Show (BBC1, 7.15pm). gave fans our first glimpse of the stars taking part. More recently though, the powers-that-be have been revealing the line-up in advance, this year, journalist and broadcaster Jeremy Vine was the first to be confirmed, which may have pleased Radio 2 listeners, but apparently wasn't quite such good news for his kids. Vine said: 'I am doing it for my two young daughters who jumped behind the sofa when I told them! It seems Dad on Strictly is more scary than Doctor Who!' Gradually, his name was joined by other celebrities, including chef Ainsley Harriott, Eastenders actress Kellie Bright, former Coronation Street star Georgia May Foote, Radio 3's Katie Derham, weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, pop star Peter Andre, singer Daniel O'Donnell, Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo, former The Wanted member Jay McGuiness, TV presenter Anita Rani, Call the Midwife's Helen George and pop diva-turnedLoose Woman Jamelia. But just because we know whose going to be taking to the floor, it doesn't mean there won't be any surprises. For a start, Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman are revealing which celebs are being paired with which professional dancers, and as anyone who remembers Lulu's reaction back in 2011 when she discovered she'd been allocated Brenda Cole will testify, that can be highly revealing. It's also a chance to assess the form as the stars perform their first group dance. Many people are expecting big things from Peter Andre, including, it seems, the show's bosses, who have tried to sign him up in previous years. He says: 'To be honest I'm flattered to have been asked to take part before, but due to certain work commitments was unable to. I now feel the time is right to give it a go - everything has just clicked into place to do it this year.' Thanks to her music career, Jamelia should also stand out from the crowd, but she's been playing down her chances, saying: 'My girls are huge fans of Strictly, but when I told them I was doing it they laughed as they know that dancing is not my forte! The girls are amazing dancers though so I definitely want to learn a new skill so that I'll be able to give them a run for their money, and end them teasing me once and for all!'.