Re-emphasizing the fact that we won’t have another free Saturday night until late December, host-team-from-heaven Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced the pairings for this season’s Strictly in tonight’s launch show on BBC One.
So here they are without further ado:
Anita Rani and Gleb Savchenko
Carol Kirkwood and Pasha Kovalev
Georgia May Foote and Giovanni Pernice
Helen George and Aljaž Škorjanec
Jamelia and Tristan MacManus
Katie Derham and Anton Du Beke
Kellie Bright and Kevin Clifton
Kirsty Gallacher and Brendan Cole
Ainsley Harriott and Natalie Lowe
Anthony Ogogo and Oti Mabuse
Daniel O’Donnell and Kristina Rihanoff
Iwan Thomas and Ola Jordan
Jay McGuiness and Aliona Vilani
Jeremy Vine and Karen Clifton
Peter Andre and Janette Manrara
Phew!
The celebrities now have three weeks to train in the ballroom before they perform to the nation at the end of the month.
If you didn’t manage to catch it (we have no idea what else you're doing on a Saturday night, frankly, but fine), the launch show included a special guest appearance from last year’s wonderful winner Caroline Flack, who is currently hosting X Factor, and her dance partner Pasha Kovalev. Jess Glyne also performed her new single “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”.
Strictly returns to BBC One on the 25th and 26th September. Prepare for the familiar faces of judges Len Goodman, Darcey Bussell, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Toniol, along with the requisite tears, tassels and that oh-so-sought-after glitterball trophy.