Happy with all of them (although I'm joining the aged corner-sobbing crowd... I'll bring vodka )

It does feel like we'll be very heavy on Latin specialists this year, though. But I'm going mainly by very brief biographies at the moment so perhaps it's not really an issue.

I hope that AJ and Chloe get celebs. It would show people that they can teach even though they are young. I think that Anton or Brendan will sit out leaving 16 couples so it's equally. I want AJ and Chloe to get celebs. I think they will get some young celebs

Really pleased about Neil he has always stood out in the pro dances hope he get's a decent partner.

If I am doing the maths right then Jared Murillo was only just 22 when he did his sting on Strictly. His introduction probably wasn't the most successful , but it proves that young age is not exactly seen as an obstacle. I would be surprised if the young couple was already earmarked to be troupe-only, I rather think they do not have the line up 100% and want to keep their options open. Also, having more pros than celebs would make the pairing show a bit more interesting...

I don't get this at all... I really hope we don't get 17 couples this year, 15 seemed a bit much in the early weeks and I feel like an even longer series would possibly be milking it a bit too far. But if they are just going to make up the numbers in pro routines, why bother with the big press announcement, as they've had extra dancers before without giving them this level of attention?

On DWTS, in America, Emma Slater was 25 when paired with 77 year old Billy Dee Williams, so it has happened before.

That would be horrible - leaving one pro at the end with no partner like the last kid to get picked for a team in P.E. The launch show is cringeworthy and awkward enough as it is without adding to it.

Double eliminations, or battle rounds like in The Voice?

I wonder if BBC had nothing to put on, on the 10th and 17th of September so maybe they have decided to have just 1 week to prepare for Week 1 rather than the normal 3. I know this has a 5% chance of happening but think about it.

I pray for 17 couples and a 15 week series pleeassse make this happen

Sounds terrible to me! And I find it hard enough to remember everyone at the start with 15, not to mention how long the early shows are.

I think it will be 15 and they will announce the two extras as part of the troupe - Jo was in opening routine etc but not paired up last year

I would have to agree. Also bear in mind the celebs are usually knackered/injured by the time the Final comes, especially if they have a day job.

I think there will be 16 celebs and of the existing pros will sit out e.g. Anton or Brendan. They may do a slot on ITT like Joanne did last year. I hope that AJ and Chloe get celebs. Dancing in a troupe doesn't really show us what they are capable of. I think they will be great dancers and teachers.

Anton/Brendan won't be sitting out, they're probably the two most popular/well known pros on the show.

I'm guessing that there will be 2 reserve pros who will cover for injuries and dance in the troupe. There have been a lot of pro injuries in recent seasons.

You are right, the technical level of a dance in scd is vastly lower than what is required for real competition. Apart from really basic technique, it is practically ignored, but to be fair technique takes a lot longer to learn than steps. A wonderful British ex-World Champion ballroom dancer once said - you can learn a waltz in an hour, but it will take the rest of your life to perfect it!

And yes, AJ and Chloe, as experienced competitors, will have learnt more than enough. However, being able to dance is one thing; being able to teach is another, it takes training and experience. And teaching scd celebs is a world away from teaching a beginner in a studio who is aiming to learn to dance properly.

I am inclined to agree with Bendymixer. I have no doubt about the dancing competence of these new pros. But having great personal technique and championship credentials aren't necessarily relevant to the ability to teach.

Its all very well knowing how to do something beautifully yourself. Its a whole different thing to get someone else doing it, especially someone who has none of the core skills to start with. You have to find a language with which to communicate, look for hooks to lock into to help them understand what you are asking them to do and help them understand what they are asking their body to do and to make it happen.

Often these teaching skills involve the ability to empathise and very often they are skils that develop with experience. Not of dancing necessarily or even teaching, but the experience of human beings, how people learn, how they think, what motivates them, what deflates them and recognising that what works for one person won't work for another.

I have been teaching Argentine Tango for 3 years now. I am not a particularly good dancer myself. I came to dance late in life and wouldn't win any prizes as a competitor or performer. But from my non dancing life I have developed skills that have allowed me to be quite successful as a teacher.

For example I talk to my students to find hooks or transferable skills to help them. Sometimes it helps to build from something they know into the new skill they are learning. So if they have done martial arts they tend to have a sense of their own body in space (not everyone does) and this can be used to help to get their body to move in an Argentine Tango way. If they play a musical instrument they tend to get rythmn and timing so you can build from that. I even use the knowledge some of, especially, my male students have of physics and engineering to help them understand the dance through their own points of reference.

I am not saying someone of 20 can't teach. Some no doubt will be able to. But as they have had less life exprience will, by and large, have fewer tools in their bag to enable them to instal what they know into the mind and body of someone who may be initially ill adapted for the task.

aj does come from a dance background and his family do have a large dance school and he may well have teaching experience - will be interesting to see how it pans out

Yes I know they do teach. There doesn't seem to be too much difference between Amateurs and Pro's these days, by that I mean Amateurs can earn money by teaching and shows, dems etc. They just enter different comps. Standard of top Pro;s is much better of course.

Exciting; highly qualified and wow 2 of them are quite young. I am really excited to see them this new season .

I am already familiar with Neil and he is amazing; I knew he would join sooner or later.

Lol I dont know why this kind of reminded of dancing with the stars with the younger recruits lol.

Wait...wait...wait...I just realised something; so this means that we will have 17 couples this season ; that's a lot

Not confirmed yet. More likely that a few pro's will not be partnered up (like Joanne last year, who was announced in the pro line-up; but confirmed on Twitter that she didn't have a partner).

backstageone said there will be a troupe this year, similar to what they have on DWTS. So I'm assuming that AJ and Chloe will be part of that.