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 demolishing BBC shows ratings wise.

I guess comments like this are a perfect example of how we can all see things differently. For me, Peter Andre is probably the worst/least exciting signing so far; a faded popstar turned reality TV veteran.

What's been great about the signings so far is that they all feel fresh - we don't know what we're going to get from them. They could be good, bad, hilarious, the thing is that we don't know. This attitude of, "Who? They're dull" is really closed-minded. Give them a chance, you may end up loving them.

I was really impressed when Frankie, Pixie and Caroline were all signed up last year, after Jeremy and Kellie this year I haven't been excited for anyone else yet, hoping for a stellar finale of reveals now (really not impressed with Jay and Anita btw)

Lol in the real world all 4 are Itv2 nobodies'. Towie has 700k viewers, Jeremy Vine has 7m listeners

Yeah, I'm kinda confused by the number of people seemingly upset at BBC employees being on one of the BBC's flagship shows. It's pretty much the norm.

I think it's a good lineup so far - I think there is someone to appeal to most people, we're maybe missing another sportsperson and an obvious week 1 exit, but I think it's a decent calibre of celeb.

That's a bit dramatic, don't you think ?

I'm waiting till the launch show before I start to make any judgements about this cast.

I don't think the 'recognisability' of the 'celebs' matters in the slightest. My two all time favourite contestants thus far were a rugby player and a female soap star neither of whom I had ever heard of nor watched before they did SCD. I was hooked because of their (very different) personalities and the great relationships they developed with their pros. It helped that both had innate dancing ability but neither were trained dancers. On the other hand previous 'big' signings have left me cold - Emma Bunton, anyone?

I'm not sure that their inability to get celebs is down to money - the pay on Strictly has never been great compared to other reality shows but it used to be the show where you weren't humiliated and could tell everyone you were 'learning a skill'. I think the show has made itself less appealing by making celebs dress up in ridiculous costumes (crabs, spacemen etc.) to dance to inappropriate music while not actually learning proper ballroom dancing most of the time. They then have to dress up in more daft costumes to film the 'comedy' VTs with everyone taking part looking like they want the ground to open up and swallow them. They've encouraged the 'curse of Strictly' publicity so much that there's probably now a few happily married celebs who would rather not deal with all the stories in the press hinting they might be getting too close to their partner. The show has always been quite a commitment to take on at around 4 month's hard work, but celebs have probably seen that you now have to do over 30 hours training a week just to be competitive, plus ITT, filming VTs, making appearances at events with your partner etc. - its probably just not that attractive compared to sitting in a jungle for a week, followed by a week in a 5 star hotel.

Didn't Emma take part when the phone votes went to Children in Need - and she was the artist performing the CiN single for that year with the Strictly cast appearing in the official video? I seem to remember there being mutterings that she was protected with high marks for as long as it took the single to be released.

I would say that one of the biggest signings was Martina Hingis - and she was knocked out in week one. By Rav Wilding.

First one I've not heard of - Jay from The Wanted (although I have heard of them, just don't know the names of them all).

Anita Rani should be ok - seems very enthusiastic already!

Mock all you want, he is an award winning singer, selling millions of albums and dvds. May not be to your or my taste either but the facts are he is a very successful and wealthy singer.

Great post Ellie

For me the introduction of those risable vts and hideous daft costumes has been a real low for the show. Scott Mills dressed as a crab... who thought that was a good idea.

The point is the variety. There was very little variety in last year's Final 6 - it was 3 popstars (all appealing to more or less the same generation), a host of a reality tv programme about popstars appealing to that same generation, one of the bigger names of reality tv pioneered by that generation, and Jake Wood. Compare this to the final 6 of I'm A Celebrity which ran from a popular mainstream rapper to a motorsport champion to Edwina Currie and it's obvious which has broader appeal. Likewise, and not to harp on about it, but Series 8 of Strictly had a similarly diverse final 6 (a young and sweet female soap star, a mature "bad boy" hunk soap star, a hunk sports star/reality tv star, a comedy Tory politician, a Nice Young Man hunk(ish) host of nice middle-class BBC 1 programmes, and an older comedienne) and had the best ratings they've ever had by miles.

I agree with Ellie's post entirely

I just had a thought - Tom Jones has some time on his hands perhaps he would be this years 'oldie'. I'm not serious obviously but it would certainly be a headline grabber!

When people are talking about big names who did Strictly in its halcyon days when it was all ballroom dancing and serious training who are they talking about? From a quick squizz through the first 7 series it's basically just Emma Bunton and the odd sports star. (I will concede that I do think their casting of sports celebrities has got awful. For the last three series it appears to have just been done by flicking through Attitude magazine and seeing whose got their arse out this week).

Brilliant analysis

Since Jade Johnson (I think was her name) did her knee in a few series back I wouldn't be surprised if they struggle to get 'current' sports stars because of the risk - and maybe even the insurance (you never know) - nobody would want to risk their careers learning to dance.

No worries, the line up will shine brightly once the magnificant Goldie Hawn is revealed as our final addition to the line-up.

And yet Anthony with his crocked shoulder is doing just that - which is a bit baffling! This year was never going to be a vintage one for sports people - next year post Olympics will be the big one. The last pre Olympic series gave us Dan Lobb, Audley Harrison and Robbie Savage. I think quota-wise we are due another sports person, but can't see it being anyone super current.

Don't mean it's a bad way of doing it
Probably the biggest actual name in the first half of the series numbers was Martina Hingis - and however long it took the powers that be to lure her to the dance floor, the voters thanked them by dumping her in the first bottom two and the judges thanked them by keeping Rav Wilding instead. They probably just gave up after that.

Each year someone posts a thread like this then each year the show gets stronger and better. We haven't had all the celebrities confirmed as yet, and there is already far far well known people that shows like I am a celebrity which with bigger money only attracts former celebrity's who are trying to get their stardom back.

Looked at in ratings terms, the BIB isn't actually true - the highest viewing figures were for the 2010 final and last year's final had the lowest viewing figures since 2009.

Also, several people who have done Strictly had already done I'm a Celebrity first, so some might say Strictly was getting I'm a Celeb's sloppy seconds

Gotta say the line-up announcement started off quite promising and rather exciting but as they go along announcing more it's now a case of "who"???.

latest zelebs announced were just a case of scraping bottom of the barrel now.