Im very impressed so far

I agree, I don't really see how anyone can say it's good so far either - yes some people may recognise lots of the names, but objectively there's really no big names on the line up, it's saying something when probably the most famous person on the line up so far is Peter Andre! The rumoured names for the rest of the line up don't exactly fill me with hope either, apart from Sharon Osbourne who I highly doubt will actually be on it.

On the basis of the names we have so far, and if the names being reported are correct, it is a stronger line-up than the previous two series and about as good as you're going to get for a celebrity reality show these days (the 2010 or 2012 series of Strictly were probably the strongest ever). Provided some of them can dance a bit (and some of them can't dance but are entertaining) the show will do just fine.

It's got to be personal preference though. There's past series' where the line ups been so good from my point of view and they've really shocked me, but then others have come on and said the same year was terrible.

Equally the only one I really am excited by so far this year is Kellie and lots of people don't even know her (and I know her for other things despite Eastenders). And at the same time, there are some announced this year who I think "really???" or "who???", yet loads of people on twitter etc are going nuts for them

Good for you Lewis


We should really hear all of the names before we start moaning, we've still got another six to come!!

I know all the celebs. Ok I may not have seen Anthony box or watch the weather on BBC breakfast or be a fan of Peter Andre but I know them.

I'm not sure what people want? Hillary Clinton? Angelina Jolie? Channing Tatum? It's not gonna happen.

The beauty of Strictly is that the celebs have a skill to learn, it isn't just them sitting in a house chatting. So they may not be A-list but if they all give it a good go and there's some talent then cool.

Didn't we have an identical thread last year?

This ^ .

I'm reasonably happy with the line up so far .
One man's beige is another man's 'must-have' colour .

I must say some of the nastier comments (not on this thread thankfully) have shocked me . I'd rather the negative comments on people who've not even put on their dance shoes yet were kept to the 'non-appreciation' thread, but that's just my opinion . It's a dance show with a small serving of personality, not a personality show where dancing is a minor by product , so preconceptions should be set aside . The reality is that none of us know the people personally so intense negativity is a bit previous .

There is one every year

The line up so far is fine if a bit seemingly safe .
What it seems to lack is an eccentric, someone who is only famous for being married to someone else a comedian or someone I admire.
Onto the last announcements then.

It's a great line up so far...

There are no Apprentice contestants?, there are no X factor contestants?? and there are no BB contestants???

On the other hand CBB has an ex Apprentice contestant they also have ex X factor contestants. So I'm failing to see a good point.

Also, if you know all the CBB h/m including the 3 yes 3 porn stars perhaps you are spending too much time watching things other than TV.

I fear for SCD, I really do.
The potential for it to get some higher profile celebs seems to have fallen by the wayside.
I suspect that money and cutbacks within the BBC has a lot to do with it. They simply can't afford the bigger names even for their flagship show.
Governments of any persuasion seem intent on making the life of the BBC a misery.
My feeling is the Tories are convinced the BBC are pro Labour while Labour are convinced it is pro Tory and the rest thinking it is pro both while paying lip service to the other parties. Governments of different persuasions have imo consistently tried to belittle the BBC and reduce its influence and credibility. Talk of changing the way the BBC is funded to me is code for reducing its financial muscle.
This is already being felt with the BBC having lost the rights to various sporting events and it having them further curtailed from 2016. The BBC is I believe operating to constraints like never before and politicians are largely to blame.
I hate to bring up the dreaded words 'The X Factor' but I feel I must. Cheryl Fernandez Versini, Rita Ora, Simon Cowell.
Like them or loathe them I would suggest they are all bigger names than anyone recruited for SCD in 2016 even as judges rather than contestants.
I am left to conclude that on the basis that I feel image often triumphs over substance that the ratings battle will be comprehensively won by ITV this year.
A sad state of affairs indeed.

I'm much more impressed with this year's line up than last year's. That's not saying much though. With a few more spaces to go I'm quite excited to see who they will be. Ainsley Harriott will annoy me to death I'm sure but he's a big name and could be a good dancer.

Who do you want on Strictly? What A-List stars has Strictly ever had? Do you consider Rita Ora an A-List star?

The X factor has been failing for years now, Simon and Cheryl were on the panel last year so why will ratings improve this year with Simon and Cheryl still on the panel. The X Factor forgot that it was an entertainment show something Strictly has not done (yet) which is why more people watch Strictly.

I wouldn't mind but you have people with massive followings and fans on social media like the famous youtuber Louise Pentland (sprinkleofglitter) who campaigned for a place on the show and would have brought a whole new audience to Strictly but the BBC are too snobby and instead choose their own employees who most people don't know of..

See, I completely disagree which shows how subjective it is! I thought last years line up was really strong with some genuinely famous names. This years line up reads like scraping the bottom of the z list barrel - I can honestly say there is not one contestant I find interesting or want to see dance. I'm just hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised once it starts.

Too many BBC employees for me

When you can look at the line up and think Peter Andre is the biggest star out of the lot so far you know you've got issues...

Last year had Pixie Lott? Caroline Flack? Mark Wright? Simon Webbe?

None of these celebs to me are really appealing to a younger audience (i.e. mid 20's) like they did

I totally agree with you.

Did I use the term A-List in relation to the series or indeed Rita Ora?
I don't recall using those words and that was done deliberately. The phrase I used was 'higher profile celebs'.
This is to say higher in profile relative to what has been brought in this year which even by your own admission is 'Z list'. Rita Ora IMO is of higher profile than anyone on SCD.
The general point I was making was what I perceive to be a growing inability for the BBC to fund its own programming from which even its flagship show suffers.
As for the X Factor v Strictly ratings battle we will see who wins once both series are completed.
My hunch is The X Factor will win but that of course is just my opinion and I could end up being wrong.

Yes, he's a "singer"

The show shouldn't be chasing 20somethings. They're a very small proportion of the Saturday Night audience, and well catered for by what's on the other side at the same time if they're looking for reality tv to watch. Fair enough have a few people in the line up for young people (the "fit" boxer, the soap stars and the Wanted has-been I guess?) but the sort of ITV2 backwash line-up they had last year really hurt the ratings. Bake Off's now the biggest show on tv anyway, and they've not got there by chasing trendies.

The criteria and standards of the CBB line ups are completely different to those of SCD though, you can't compare the two. CBB is mostly based around drama so naturally other reality TV stars cause the most drama, hence why so many are cast on CBB, Also, it's much trashier and would be considered much more low brow than SCD so there's not going to be a queue of A List celebrities wanting to sign up. It's also edited and set up in a way to bring out the worst in people, and very often the celebrities are not depicted in the way they'd want to be, so the only real reason for people doing it is money or to become more famous.

Strictly, on the other hand is completely different, it actually involves learning a skill and is all round a much more positive show than CBB, the majority of people who go on it see it as a positive experience. Furthermore, it has a much better reputation as a show than CBB and is one of the highest rated shows on British TV right now. This explains why generally they get bigger names, people don't see it as selling out if you go on Strictly as it has such a good reputation and there are so many other reasons to do it other than money or increasing fame. That is why we really should be getting a better line up for this Strictly series than what we've got so far, I'm really surprised that this is the best they could do and that's why I'm finding it so disappointing so far.

The calibre of celebs they get for SCD and CBB are world's apart so to use the fact that the current Strictly line up is better than the rumoured CBB line up is a moot point. They day that the CBB line up is better than the Strictly lineup will be a VERY low point for Strictly, and would mean that the show would be in need of an imminent axing.

There's the same number of BBC people as normal - take series 2 ... a BBC gardener, a BBC motoring correspondent, a recently retired athlete being groomed for BBC sports commentary, a radio/Songs of Praise presenter, the doyenne of BBC, a Casualty actress, an ex Eastenders actress ... I think the only one without any form of BBC connection was Carol.

Fast forward to series 8 ... 3 people with ties to Eastenders, a BBC presenter, 2 older ladies with ties to BBC classic shows, a radio DJ, a magician with a long history of BBC Saturday night shows ... It really is situation normal.

I'm A Celebrity and BGT shouldn't be disregarded. They accommodate childern, 20 something's as well as older viewers and contain "ITV2 backwash" and still are equaling/beating BBC ratings wise.