Strictly Come Dancing 2017 line-up rumours: who will be the celebrity contestants this year?

There is usually an EastEnders star in the Strictly Come Dancing line-up, and Danny-Boy Hatchard would fit the bill.

The actor first attracted Strictly buzz when he appeared in Children In Need, dancing with co-star Shona McGarty to Dirty Dancing's (I've Had) The Time Of My Life. He also popped up in Let's Sing and Dance for Comic Relief as Elton John.

Having left his role as Lee Carter in the BBC soap earlier this year, his other commitments are to two stage shows. Hatchard will be in Oliver Twist (July-August) and Eyes Closed Ears Covered, which begins the day after the Strictly launch show is filmed and runs for the whole of September. Sure, he'd have to juggle the two in those initial weeks of dance training – but after that his schedule would presumably be wide open.

Sheila Hancock

Strictly Come Dancing bosses sometimes use previous Christmas specials as hunting ground for future contestants. Veteran actress Sheila Hancock won the festive version of the show in 2012 and she's still going strong, so could she be the perfect candidate to follow on from Lesley Joseph?

At 84, Hancock would be the oldest contestant Strictly has ever had – by a whole ten years.