The new Strictly Come Dancing contestants for 2018 might take to the ballroom for the very first time this Saturday night – but it looks like some will need a little more work before the competition begins in earnest.

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In a video released by the BBC, the celebrities are tasked with trying out their moves on a range of dances.

Let's just say that some are better than others...

The celebs try to put their best foot forward with three dances – a salsa, a rumba, and the cha-cha-cha.

Documentary maker Stacey Dooley is in her element with the first dance, saying she learned how to salsa while making a programme in Brazil.

Lee Ryan, meanwhile, is confused about whether he needs 'caracas' – the capital city of Venezuela – or maracas.

The rumba appears to be the most taxing dance, with most of the contestants having no idea how to do it. Cricketer Graeme Swann says that it sounds like an 80s TV detective who "doesn't do things by the law", while Jo Suggs – being the social media-savvy guy he is – looks up a tutorial online.

And as for the cha-cha-cha? There's lot of fun poked at judge Craig Revel Horwood who pronounces the dance as, 'chaaa-chaaa-chaaaaa', and there's even a nice little treat for Red Dwarf fans from Danny John-Jules.

Here's hoping that their professional partners whip them into shape.

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Strictly Come Dancing 2018 launches on 15th September 2018 on BBC1 at 7.35pm

Authors

Stephen Kelly is a freelance culture and science journalist. He oversees BBC Science Focus's Popcorn Science feature, where every month we get an expert to weigh in on the plausibility of a newly released TV show or film. Beyond BBC Science Focus, he has written for such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The I, BBC Culture, Wired, Total Film, Radio Times and Entertainment Weekly. He is a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, the apparent football team Tottenham Hotspur and writing short biographies in the third person.

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