Strictly’s back: Superfans rejoice!

Strictly super fans — and as you can see I am one* — voting paddles AT THE READY. Seven! Although maybe that will be too high a number. Ahead of tomorrow’s show (6.30pm, BBC1) I am more worried than excited. According to Russell Grant (YES, HE IS MY FRIEND ON FACEBOOK**), this year’s Strictly will be “more technical than showbiz.”

Gah! This feels less like a crowd-pleaser and more like a justification for (a) the inclusion of Denise Van Outen who is a professional dancer who has appeared in Chicago on the West End (I paid to see this *coughs*) and Girls Aloud’s Kimberley Walsh who is a professional dancer who has appeared in Shrek on the West End (I did not pay to see this, I had learnt my lesson) and (b) dumping Alesha Dixon as a judge in favour of uber-ballerina Darcey Bussell who, whilst lovely, seems a strange choice for a BBC 1 prime-time Saturday night show. No matter. VICTORIA PENDLETON TO WIN. Ah-maz-ing.

* This was the dress worn by NATALIE CASSIDY for her waltz with Vincent Simone in Series 7. I had the pick of hundreds of dresses and this was THE ONLY ONE THAT FITTED ME.

**He is not really my Friend on Facebook. I just Liked his page and now I get updates from him 3847 times a day.