I had an email this morning about applying for tickets for the Xmas special....it says 'all new celebs' so looks like the same as last year with people who train for just a few weeks before the show.

Awww, I'm slightly disappointed by that. I wasn't hugely invested in last years Xmas special (I didn't even watch it until the next day) and I think the change in format was why. I like seeing the old Strictly faces again, especially since they had a varied range of pairings from over the series.

Oh well. I'll wait and see who's doing it first before I decide whether I'll watch.

Thank you for letting us know!

I wish we could get one true Champion of Champions show with every past winner! Even persuading all the past pros to come back as well

I did enjoy last years, but the thing is some of them hardly trained at all so it wasn't really that good on the 'dancing' side of things.

I wasn't really interested in the Xmas special last year. I can't really get involved with the celebs when we don't see the weekly progression.

I think this is fairer on the celebs and pros than making them do the specials in the middle of the Strictly series (usually filmed around 21 - 22 December).
In the years when they took current Strictly contestants, with all their injuries, bruises and sprains, and pitted them against recently refreshened partnerships of former champions, guess who had the advantage.

I believe the current format is much fairer, and gives some people a bash at Strictly that their careers (or families) would not otherwise permit.

Besides, not everybody spends Christmas Day in front of the TV.

This year's Xmas special will be filmed on the evening of Monday 28th Nov.

Thanks for that info.

So you can see how popular that would be with the current contestants who are all fixated with getting to Wembley, Blackpool, Utopia or wherever, if in addition to the VTs and the photoshoots they also had to waste valuable training hours on Monday 28th November competing against outsiders for a totally unimportant prize?

I agree that each year's current celebs and pros are usually too exhausted to take on the additional work of the Xmas special and are at a definite disadvantage because of that but perhaps the special could be former contestants only? That would satisfy the viewers who want contestants that they're already emotionally invested in.


Also agree with that.

Applied for tickets

That sounds early - isn't it usually filmed the Monday after the semi finals?

I wonder whether they'll use the show as an audition stage for next year; a bit like how they picked Kara and Harry from Sport Relief/Children in Need.

Who would you want to see in the Xmas Special?

Boo!
I prefer the older style where it was filmed in the final week with the top 4 plus other series contestants.

It was obvious Barrowman was going to win last year.

No, last year it was filmed the week before the quarter finals so it's the same time this year (I remember because Matt was interviewed at the Children's BAFTAs and he was rehearsing for the dance last year's celebs did at the hotel after presenting an award).

And in terms of Strictly elsewhere being used as an audition I think the likely contender for next year will come from the batch of female newsreaders who are doing Strictly for Children in Need. Sian Williams anyone? They'll be rummagin around trying to find her work next year as she isn't moving to Salford

Yes, I'm disappointed about this. I liked the Champions of Champions, seeing as I didn't see the first two series'. It was nice for them to come back.

And Vince Cable should have won last year.