Strictly 2015 line-up to be more “heartland” BBC
The celebrity contestants are likely to be more instantly recognisable to Strictly viewers this year
Strictly Come Dancing’s celebrity line-up will be filled with more familiar names this year, RadioTimes.com understands.
We’re still weeks away from finding out exactly which famous faces will be lacing up their dancing shoes but it seems there won’t be quite so many who'll have you explaining what shows like TOWIE are to your nan.
“It’s more heartland BBC1,” a source told RadioTimes.com, speaking about how this year’s line-up compares to the last series.
It was a notably youthful cast by Strictly standards last year, with pop star Frankie Bridge, former Blue member Simon Webbe and TV presenter – and eventual winner – Caroline Flack all on the bill. But the source suggests we’ll get fewer Mark Wright-esque surprises – “no one expected Mark Wright last year” – and more names that Strictly viewers will instantly recognise.
Of course, stars like Mark, who cut their teeth on reality shows, aren’t being ruled out. And with weeks to go, nothing’s set in stone. But it feels as if we can expect a set of celeb dancers more akin to that of 2013. This was the year that newsreader Susanna Reid lined up alongside radio presenter Vanessa Feltz, TV chef Dave Myers and Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden – names that won't necessarily have had most people instantly heading for Google.
While there’s no formula as such, we’ve come to expect that among those learning the Cha Cha will be a sports star, a soap actor and a pop princess. Indications are that the sports slot will be taken up by a footballer this year after the spate of rugby players on recent series.
Meanwhile, singer Peter Andre has thrown his hat into the ring, as has TV presenter Alan Titchmarsh, and rumours continue to swirl around BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood and EastEnders star Shane Ritchie.
The BBC themselves are staying tight-lipped about the line-up, although we are expecting daily announcements to reveal each contestant come August, as was the case last year.
