Oh I don't mind that, possibly a bit bright

Maybe it is designed to distract from his hips., if so it is not working

I wish ITT started this week ... or at least we could get a Waite's Warm Up or 2 before the first actual show.

3G (Gregg). We need to free The Custard One from his yucky clutches!

He had two living nans? Jesus, don't the older generation care about their families any more? No wonder the country's going to pot!

Late tomorrow some time probably. So many ridiculously OTT reaction shots to capture.

Easy start a campaign to vote him out, oh damn that's BB, there are times when I feel we really need negative voting.

The NAT thread and lurkers could rustle a few campaign specialists.

To be honest the custard one has a fine line in lip curling and ignoring what others what, we could arrange to send her first aid emergancy custard packs at the first sign of an eye twitch

Is impossible to choreograph every dance with a 3 foot gap between them.? The mind that conjured up NEWWW YOOORK can do it I am sure.

Is it true that the first dance for Gregg will involve props?

The dance will be a kind of sword fight with Salami.

Sounds a bit daft to me but that's what I heard.

You know I don't think you can believe everything you hear. However the sad thing is that I am not sure anyone cares enough to find out the truth

So, no Salami sword dance then?


I don't watch Masterchef because I haven't warmed to this Gregg fella and I don't like that Torode chap either. [I used to watch when It was Lloyd Grossman presenting. ]

And obviously I have no idea whether Gregg is going to endear himself to me during Strictly, but I know that Aliona didn't look very excited to be paired with him, and I did notice that Claudia seemed to overlook them both when she was talking to everyone in that group.

So, summat's up.

I'm wondering whether she's begging wardrobe to make all of her costumes out of that really cheap nylon so that he'll get a static shock every time he tries to touch her.

Or a full suit of armour.

I can see a bit of a theme starting up here.

Week 1

Why are you dressed as a hedgehog Aliona? It's really difficult to get close with all those prickles.

Erm... well Gregg, you see we're doing a waltz to "Norwegian Wood" so our costumes are woodland creatures. I'm a cute little hedgehog and you're a woodlouse.

Oh. Okay.

Week 2

Why are you wearing the hedgehog costume again?

This isn't the hedgehog costume, silly. We're dancing to "Needles and Pins". I'm a pin cushion.

Oh fine. I get you.

Week 3

So what's the story this week Aliona?

Well, as our song is "Strawberry Fields Forever", wardrobe thought it'd be hilarious if we dressed up as fruit. So you're a lemon and I'm a... wait for it... prickly pear!
Erm... yes it does look a bit like the hedgehog costume Gregg. How observant of you...

Off topic but I want to unappreciate celebs (and any ordinary people that do it) giving their children ridiculous names. I wish that they could get past their own ego that drives them to choose a 'unique' name that will get people talking/give them column inches, and instead, consider that the poor child will have to live with this name and the potential bullying/ridicule that comes with it

Although if it's any consolation, I can't see the hedgehog costume making it to week 3

I'm spelling his name Greggg in future, especially as he takes the hump if you spell his name Greg

Best response to KP naming her daughter Bunny

"Bet she pulled that name out of a hat"

Watching the launch show, I found myself particularly despising that Pixie girl. I thought Hollywood had the market cornered in self-absorbed inexplicably-arrogant bimbos but my god, was I wrong. She made my skin crawl. Is she in some wannabe Spice Girl group or something? It does seem appropriate she's with the Ken-doll waif Trent, who looks like a Children of the Corn actor or maybe a blond Damian the Demon Seed.

I would like to thank you for getting rid of Artem who I've managed to hate without really even knowing him. Just that he married some American woman to get residency, then dumped her and dated one of the DWTS-US judges, I imagine to get noticed, then dumped her and had a showmance with Kara Whatsername and probably dumped her like the other two to get back to his dream of taking over America...uh I mean, straightening out his extraordinarily complicated visa issues - at least they've given him a 50-plusser on DWTS ha ha but I have a feeling as a Machiavellian he might be in the Derek Hough/Maks Chmerkovskiy league and I look forward to back-biting sparks flying though I sure as hell won't watch - unless I hear of some disaster (fingers crossed)

Anyway, so Gregg is the evil one? These shows aren't worth much without one, so yay for that. I guess I'm sorry for Aliona but I think her bitchface during the launch makes her as good a victim as any. I'm so excited about the show - I've been away a while watching DWTS (while puking) as Derek won his 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th rigged trophies, with a slight pause to give Maks one -- so I'm ready for some wholesome English sabotage for a change. And I can't wait to see Ian again, not that I'm sure I can take perky Zoe in the place of that delicious quirk Claude, but for Ian, I'll make an effort. I'm glad Claude's on SCD but she seems a bit constrained - I like her in full flake mode best but I'll take what I get.

It's a shame that you haven't taken time to get to know Artem. While his looks do absolutely nothing for me & I found his choreography a bit hit and miss at times, he did come across as a really nice guy. Worth pointing out that Carrie-Ann has said several times in the past that she was the one to end the relationship with Artem but that they remained friends & she's had nothing but good to say about him. Also he was with Kara for 3 years (living together for 2) so it seems a bit unfair to call it a showmance. If they have indeed split then it also appears to be amicable as she often tweets support for him.

I will join you in loathing Derek though. I'm not sure that i'll bother with DWTS this year either. I'm just delighted that my years of sticking pins into a voodoo doll of Evil Moira Ross for not snapping up Tristan when she had the chance has finally paid off

I certainly agree with his looks - how did that smush-face get to be a sex idol and I get powerful narcissistic vibes off him, but then again, I haven't seen much of him and hopefully he's not as personality-disordered as I fear... But then, he'll be in good company in La La Land where the narcissist-to-normal ratio is 10 to 1.

And thanks for the voodoo doll effort - it paid off!! I was just congratulating myself on not mentioning Tristan in a post ahemmm... And I hope this isn't a racist term: but it feels like Chinese water torture being a Tristan fan. Death by millimetres. One way or another, he always gets screwed. And alas, never by me

Anyhow, I love so many on SCD, besides the unlucky Irish charmer, which is a good thing because I doubt he'll have many weeks with his wan who won't practice - which is something of a trend with his partners, so I guess he's used to it. His last partner was 74 with recurrent brain cancer (and she was one of his best draws!)... well, I've blown my resolution to stop rambling about him....

I can't figure out if I'll miss James Jordan or not... so I guess the answer is 'not.' He sure has been fun to read about lately though - please rave on, sweetie, it's music to my ears!

Was Erin's contract not renewed or did she leave because she's recently had a baby and wants time at home?

Just curious.
And why isn't Robin doing this series?
Again, just curious.

Erin quit to get up the duff - Robin's got a hurty back.

Thank you.

Elsa I agree with you re Zoe. I miss Claude on ITT; she really was at her best on that show. Zoe has grown into it, but is still trying waaaay too hard to be 'up' and at 6.30 in the evening, who needs shouty ?

Goodness that's a whole load of un appreciation all at once, anyone you do appreciate ?

In fact anything about the show?

To be honest, I was getting a bit fed up with Claude on ITT - but for the last series and a half she presented, I think Claude was getting more than a bit fed up with ITT and had mentally checked out. I guess having to fiegn excitement for the 6th year running at a throwaway oversway and pretend she was hearing it for the first time got a bit much.

Thing is, Zoe has exactly the same script as Claude had - it's just she has to pretend that her actualy Sctrictly dancing is so long ago that every bit of it has fled from her brain.