Ahead of the first live show, airing on Saturday, 25th September, our RadioTimes.com<\/a> columnist and professional dancer, Ian Waite, gives us his initial thoughts on the launch show \u2013 including which couples he thinks could make it all the way to the 2021 final, and which contestants in the Strictly Come Dancing 2021 line-up<\/a> might need to brush up a little before their first dance.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything you need to know.<\/p>\n \u201cI watched the launch show on Saturday! I have friend, Pauline, who is a massive Strictly fan. We actually bought our house off of her, but we\u2019ve remained friends and her husband died a couple of years ago, so she was on her own and we said, \u2018Come round to ours and we\u2019ll have a Strictly night in.\u2019 So we had spaghetti Bolognese, and we watched the launch show. It was lovely!<\/p>\n \u201cI think what the BBC does so well is they get such a great variety of different celebrities from all different walks life, backgrounds and all different fan bases. So, they cover kind of all areas, which is brilliant because they get everybody involved and somebody will always have an interest. No matter what they\u2019re interested in, there\u2019s always somebody who they\u2019ll go, \u2018I\u2019m really interested in seeing them dance on Strictly.\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThey just seem to get it really right. They always pick really lovely celebrities that people can relate to or fall in love with. And I think that\u2019s really important for the show to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I watched the group dance, Rose stood out the most for me! I just think that she is going to be a really good dancer and we\u2019re going to be shocked at what she can do. Obviously she can\u2019t hear certain things, and I think we\u2019re going to be amazed at how good she is even with that impediment. In terms of my four standout celebs for the finals so far, it would be Rose, Rhys Stephenson, Tom Fletcher, and AJ Odudu.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think Dan is going to have to work really hard to control those limbs! I think he might have a challenge in the Latin dances. In ballroom dances, you\u2019ve got be able to hold that pose and look elegant and look beautiful and in the Latin dances, you\u2019ve got to coordinate the arms and the legs, and the hip action \u2013 that\u2019s when he\u2019s going to struggle!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt can be harder for new professional dancers as they have to build up a fan base, but they\u2019re all experienced \u2013 \u00a0Kai was on the Irish Dancing with The Stars, I think Nikita was on the German DWTS, I think Cameron was on the South African version, so they have experience of being on a show like Strictly, and I think it\u2019s just about making a good impression, working hard, showing your talent off and creativity in your choreography, and that will shine through.\u201d<\/p> Q: Does having a big fan base matter when it comes to winning Strictly?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI think it helps. But, we\u2019ve seen in the past, like let\u2019s say Abby Clancy, she wouldn\u2019t have had a fan base and she went on to win Strictly so, it can help, but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s necessarily something you need to win. I think people invest in your journey and they grow to love you and I think most Strictly fans that I speak to, they are open to just embracing whoever is going to be good, and they\u2019re always pretty fair. They won\u2019t be sidetracked \u2013 apart from these women that love Greg Wise and obviously want to see him do well! I think you can grow to love a couple, especially some of the celebrities who start off and they\u2019re not very good, and then they start to get better and better and better. I think we all love to see that journey as well. It makes you want to vote for the underdog.\u201d<\/p>\n Q: What do you think of Anton becoming a judge on Strictly 2021?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m absolutely delighted for him, and I think it\u2019s about time a former professional got the job as a judge. He\u2019s been in it since the beginning and he knows exactly what those pros and those celebs are going through from all the experience he\u2019s had. I think he\u2019ll be a really positive voice on the judging panel. He\u2019s got so much knowledge and he\u2019s funny. He\u2019s a massive character on the show and I\u2019d rather him be a judge than us not see him again, because you know maybe he\u2019s stopped dancing or something like that. I\u2019m really excited to see what he brings to the judging panel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not off, but I\u2019m at home, because I\u2019ve got a show in Hayes, which isn\u2019t too far from my house. We had a show in Aldershot last night, which is also close to my house, so I\u2019m able to work from home for the next few days. That\u2019s always really nice, rather than being away while I\u2019m on tour. We normally have to be there about four in the afternoon for the soundcheck, and then we do a meet and greet at six so it\u2019s pretty full on once we get there! It\u2019s nice to be at home because I have a couple of dogs \u2013 a Labradoodle and a cockapoo, so they\u2019re quite demanding.\u201d<\/p>\nIan on the launch show<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Strictly Come Dancing 2021 pairs: \u201cI think this could be Giovanni\u2019s year!\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/div>Strictly high of The Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/div>Strictly low of The Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/div>Ian\u2019s Top Tip<\/h2>\n
Ian Answers\u2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Waite\u2019s Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n