First off - do you think Lesley Joseph was put in there as a joke? Or Carol the newsreader whenever she was in?

Do you agree with jokers being in the show?

I would love to see a comedy dancer win for once. Otherwise why bother?

And who would be a good idea as a joke dancer? Somebody mentioned the old woman from the Chase last week. What about:

Piers Morgan
Madge from Benidorm
Sean Bean
Linda Robson
Tim Healy
Sarah Kennedy
Miranda Hart

"The old woman from The Chase"? You mean the 58-year-old Anne Hegerty?

She looks a hell of a lot older than 58.

Linda says she has been invited and turned them down because she didn't want to be seen as the novelty act.

Jeremy Clarkson

Of course the joke contestants are there to appeal to certain types of audience. Depends and what they do normally is which area they fill.

This years token Eastender was one of the jokers, whereas in the past they have done very well.

Politicians or ex politicians will always be considered a joke, cos that's what the GBP think of ex politicians.

A lot of people are put into Strictly who could be the joke contestant and one of them usually takes off each series, or one is turned into a comedy contestant because they're dull otherwise. The rest go out early and are forgotten.

I'm not being funny here, but I would have put her as early 50s. She doesn't look that old to me at all.

I don't think Tameka was meant to be a joke contestant, nor do I think she was one, but can understand how she could be perceived that way due to her OTT personality.

Alison Hammond - way OTT and I think she was a joke.

What's a joke contestant? Is it someone who isn't young, good looking and fit?

Sadly I think it is to a lot of people.

I don't feel we've had a pure 'joke' act this year - even Ed Balls has done too much proper dance content to be dismissed in that way IMO.

Someone who the producers try to make into one, yes. Usually they fit your description.

Much as I would LOVE to see Sean Bean on Strictly, I don't think he would ever ever ever accept being portrayed as a 'joke contestant'.

I'd like to see if he could make it to the end of a series of Strictly without being killed off too.

I didn't see Lesley Joseph as a "joke contestant" - I thought she did really well, and deserved to be there a couple more weeks at least.

And who is Carol the newsreader - do you mean Carol Kirkwood who presents the weather?

Yes sorry I did mean her.

I think the joke contestant isn't about youth or beauty, it's about scd choosing the bad dancer with possibly acerbic wit or humorous personality that will then get all the duff songs, costumes, props.
I wish they'd stop the joke acts not only is it patronising to me, it's also possibly upsetting for the contestant ( eg Jeremy vine went on to learn to dance and a scd fan)

Miranda Hart would be funny, particularly if her dance partner were much shorter than her.

Liz Jones

I loathe Piers Morgan and I wouldn't regard Sean Bean as a joke. He'd never do it more's the pity - long standing crush on that guy. The others I wouldn't mind although I'd not necessary treat them as a joke I don't know who Madge from Benidorm is.

I agree - I don't like it when the contestant wants to learn to dance and gets turned into a comedy contestant when they don't really want to be - Scott Mills in that crab costume comes to mind. If that is all they want to be, like Ann Widdecombe, then fair enough. It's a strange one, because Jeremy Vine and Ed both seemed to really want to learn to do proper dances, but I don't think either one would have lasted anywhere near as long if they'd just done straight dances with no comedy, so probably wouldn't have got what they wanted out of the show, in that sense, either way.

I'm another one who has no idea why Sean Bean would be a comedy act

It's not just the joke contestants who get hampered by themes though - poor Claudia & AJ are getting killed this year because they can't get anything other than ~young theming & music.

I think a lot comes down to the pros the ~comedy contestants end up with - Karen in particular seems to be able to make it a really enjoyable experience for her celebs even if they do get given terrible theming as the comedy act, and for all his faults, Anton actually does well with that side of it too.

I think the producers had intended/expected Judge Rinder to be a 'joke' contestant but he seems to be doing his best to thwart them. He is having fun and enjoying himself but also taking the competition seriously even when dressed as a moth on Halloween!
I do think the producers have their pigeon holes for the celebrities, I enjoy it when it dosn't work to plan.
I felt sorry for Scott Mills, that crab costume was embarrassing not funny.

Got the impression that both Jeremy and Ed want(ed) to learn to dance but both were up for having fun and not taking themselves too seriously which is why they lasted.

Chris Moyles

Coleen Nolan

Sam Allardyce

Lisa Dingle from Emmerdale