And finally we meet our last remaining males - Charlie Stayt, Faizon Love, Tim Wonnacott and Siva Kaneswaran!

Charlie Stayt “Hi I’m Charlie Stayt and I am a newsreader on BBC Breakfast. I’m still unsure as to why I agreed to do Strictly. It’s going to be nerve-wracking and perhaps slightly humiliating, but who cares!”

Faizon Love “Hey, I’m Faizon Love and I’m an American actor and comedian. You might recognise me from the movie Elf where I played the manager of department store Gimbles. Strictly’s going to be a great experience, so I can’t wait for it to all begin!”

Tim Wonnacott “Hello, I’m Tim Wonnacott and I’m an auctioneer and antiques expert. I’ve presented Bargain Hunt since 2003. I know I’m going to be an awful dancer, so I’m just going to get as far as I can and hope I can do as many dances as possible. It’ll be short but sweet!”

Siva Kaneswaran “Hi I’m Siva Kaneswaran and I’m best known as a member of the boyband The Wanted. People expect me to have great musicality because I’m in a boyband, but I really amn’t a good dancer. Perhaps that’s why we always had backing dancers in our performances!"


Now it's time for our four magnificent men to meet their female partners.

Charlie, you'll be delivering a treat with... FLAVIA CACACE!

Faizon, you'll be having a laugh with... KRISTINA RHIANOFF!

Tim, you'll be having a valuable time with... ALIONA VILANI!

So Siva, that means you will be hoping for a hit with... IVETA LUKOSIUTE!

Craig - Launch Show Performances

Hello Craig! Great to have you back! How are you?

I’m great thank you Zoe. How are you?

I’m feeling great! It’s great to be back. So, how was the launch night?

It was fantastic. I have a really good feeling about this series - there’s a lot of potential. It’s going to be hard to call!

It sure is. Obviously, all the couples performed in the group dance on Saturday, which usually gives us an inkling as to who’s going to be good and… not so good. So who impressed you on first view?

Well I think the stand outs were definitely Fearne and Siva. They both looked comfortable, they had the timing and natural flow. Siva’s lifts were also very impressive!

Did anyone else tickle your fancy?

Julie surprised me. I had no idea she’d be as good as she was. She could go very far in this competition.

Who were you expecting a little bit more from?

Amy and Sam. They looked really terrified as soon as the music started, it just really frightened them. I think they’ll improve, but they might not be as good as we all think.

And I guess that brings us on to who you perhaps weren’t too keen on.

Well Tim and Tracey were absolutely dreadful darling. No natural rhythm, no balance and completely out of time. They’ll be first out in my opinion!

Craig! Don’t be so mean! Tim’s lovely, and Tracey is bonkers but I think she’ll do okay.

Hmm… I doubt it.

Craig! Right, well that’s all we’ve got time for, but we’ll see you back next week when you’ll be fully analysing all of this week’s dances.

I can’t wait already.

Now it’s time for a quick catch up with our tennis champion Boris Becker and his partner Katya.

Boris & Katya

A very warm welcome to you, Boris and Katya. How are you both?

Very good thank you! We’re both quite tired after our first day training.

Oh, how did you find it?

It’s a lot more difficult than I thought it’d be! I have a lot of work to do for Saturday to catch up with the other guys!

You seem quite competitive Boris!

I am, that's what tennis does to you! I'm definitely not giving up. I want to get this right and I will make sure I do!

So what are you dancing?

A Cha Cha Cha!

How is training getting on? Have you got your routine sorted out, Katya?

We’ve done the first half of the routine today, and tomorrow we’re going to try the second half. It’s getting there, I think it’ll be a fun routine.

Hmm… a fun routine, I’m looking forward to it! Can you tell us what your music is?

I don’t think we’re allowed to - sorry!

Ugh, I thought I’d try. Oh well, it’s so nice to speak to you. Good luck for Saturday, and hopefully I’ll be seeing you again sometime. Boris and Katya, everybody!

Thank you!

That’s all we’ve got time for today, sadly. Join me on Wednesday when I’ll be joined by Anton Du Beke with all the training gossip and I’ll be having a nice chat with Fearne and Pasha!

Anton - Training

Hello Anton! So lovely to have you back! How are you?

I’m fab, it’s so great to be back for a brand new series! How is my lovely Zoe?

I’m feeling great! Shall we get chatting about some of our couples’ training footage?

Okay then. Who’s first?

Shall we start with Jane and Ian? This week they’re doing the Cha Cha, and I’ve heard they have fantastic music. How is it looking from this clip?

It looks promising. You know what, I think we might be underestimating Jane. She is an older lady, but boy, she’s still got it. She has the rhythm, she just needs to smoothen over the edges and she’ll be there.

It sounds and looks great! What about Andrew and Natalie’s Waltz?

This is looking like a bit of a slower start. Andrew is a complete novice, so of course it’ll be harder for him to pick up, but he’s getting there.

They look great together. It’s a good partnership, isn’t it?

Yes, I do think Natalie is perfect for Andrew. She always brings out the best in her partners - remember Michael Vaughan? I think Andrew will improve with time.

Let’s hope so. Finally, let’s talk about Kate and James’ Waltz. I’d say this is looking quite good, no?

Maybe not good, but reasonable. To be honest, I did think she’d be better than this, but perhaps it’s just not her dance. Maybe she’s more of a party girl?

Oh yeah, maybe. I can’t wait to see Tracy Barlow’s Salsa, can you?

Totally! I think we’d be in for a treat!

Too right. Thank you Anton for popping in, we’ll see you next week!

Thank you!

Now it’s time to chat to our lovely Fearne Cotton and her partner Pasha Kovalev!

Fearne & Pasha

Nice to see you Fearne and Pasha, how are you both?

We’re great thanks. How are you?

I’m fantastic, thanks for asking. Let’s start with the group dance. Craig noted on Monday that you were one of his favourites. How did you find it?

Aww that’s really nice of him! It was great to finally get out there and dance, and it was so much fun because everyone is involved. But now’s the tricky part…

Too right! What are you dancing this week?

A Cha Cha Cha!

Ooooh! What song?

Crazy Chick by Charlotte Church!

Oh I love that song, great choice for a Cha Cha! How is training treating you?

It’s difficult, but we’re getting there. It’s so much harder than I thought it would be.

I know the feeling! Have you had a peak at your dress yet?

I’ve not seen it, but I know what it looks like. I don’t think I’m allowed to tell you just yet, but I love the concept!

Argh! I want to know! Anyway, thanks for popping in Fearne and Pasha, but that’s all we’ve got time for.

Thanks for having us!

Unfortunately that’s all we have time for today. Join me tomorrow when I’ll be joined by Vicky Gill for a sneak peak at the costumes - maybe we’ll see Fearne’s - and we’ll be talking to Tracey and Brendan about their training!

Tracey & Brendan

Hello Tracey, so lovely to have you on the show! How is your first week of dance treating you?

It’s been mad, but I’m loving it!

How did you find the launch show?

It was so much fun! Seeing everybody all dolled up and coming together for the group dance was fantastic.

It was great to watch! How is your training going this week?

Okay… I’m finding the steps difficult. Brendan says I’m not a natural dancer, but I should pick it up with time.

Are you kidding? This clip looks great! What dance have you got?

The Cha Cha Cha!

Ooo, I’m looking forward to that! What’s your music?

Hard Out Here by Lily Allen!

Oh, my goodness! I hope it’ll be the clean version!

Definitely, I don’t think we’d get away with it otherwise! I know it’s a bit out there, but it’s such a fun song that we thought suited the Cha Cha.

Well we’ll wait and see, shall we? Thanks for popping in, Tracey and Brendan!

Thank you!

Now it’s time to shuffle over to our wardrobe department with the gorgeous Vicky Gill!

Vicky - Costumes

I’m so excited about this! Vicky it’s so lovely to have you back, what wardrobe delights have you got for us this week?

Well first up we have Jane’s Cha Cha dress. We decided to go for a silver colour because we thought it suited the slight robotic, electronic sound of the song she’s dancing to.

It looks fab! And here we have Fearne’s Cha Cha dress. Why did you choose to go with this?

We chose blue because her song is more rocky and edgy. It’s not quite finished yet, but she will, for sure, look amazing in that.

I’m not going to argue with that! And our final peak tonight is at Julie’s Waltz dress. This is stunning!

Actually, I am quite proud of this one. Julie’s quite a small girl, so the short dress looks great on her. I’m really looking forward to seeing her dance in this.

Thanks Vicky, you’re doing a great job! Right, unfortunately that's all we have time for today, but join me next week when I'll be joined by three more couples and Craig, Anton and the gorgeous Vicky will be back joining me!