But show bosses are hoping to bowl the viewers over by cramming it into the opening week.
I can reveal the former England spinner, famous for his Sprinkler dance, will perform a routine with a cricket bat on Saturday night’s first show.
BBC newsreader Kate Silverton, paired with Aljaz Skorjanec, will start her number behind a desk. And in a cheeky nod to their already cosy relationship, Blue singer Lee Ryan and Nadiya Bychova’s waltz will revolve around a dinner date, just a week after they were snapped holding hands.
A telly source said: “There’s uncertainty as to how long Graeme and Kate will last, so bosses were keen to get their themed routines out of the way.
“There’s been lots of whispers about Lee and Nadiya’s working relationship, but they took the staging for their routine in good humour.”
Graeme became famous for his Sprinkler dance during England’s 2010-11 Ashes tour to Australia.
The move went viral when the team performed it in front of fans after winning the series.
It became so popular that teammate Stuart Broad was forced to deny his stomach injury in 2010 was the result of an over-enthusiastic version of the dance.
I hope Strictly has factored that into Graeme’s training.
READ ON FOR MORE OF ANDY HALLS' BIZARRE TV COLUMN
Josh Kaz it good
STORM Ali might have been closing in – but Love Island’s Kaz Crossley still didn’t bring her coat.
And it’s no wonder her boyfriend Josh Denzel looked like the cat who had got the cream.
The couple are still loved up two months after leaving the ITV2 reality show. They enjoyed a date night in central London at the premiere of The Intent 2: The Come Up on Wednesday.
It comes after Josh and fellow former islander Wes Nelson launched their own clothing line with BoohooMan, which is imaginatively called Team Josh vs Team Wes.
It’s good to see you are making the most of your five minutes lads.
bizbit
ITV’S WOS Wrestling is introducing a BGT-style buzzer tomorrow. Every time commentator Stu Bennett – ex-WWE star Wade Barrett – hits the button, two new wrestlers will be added into the battle in a bid to raise the tension.
Why it's Bonnie voyage to soap
GRUELLING filming schedules forced Bonnie Langford to quit her role in EastEnders because she found it hard to plan her life around them.
The actress, who plays Carmel Kazemi, also struggled with the emotional side of her controversial knife-crime storyline.
Bonnie said: “In EastEnders, you don’t know when you’re going to be needed.
“You are on call all the time and don’t know your avail-ability until the Friday before.
“Silly things like booking a dentist appointment become impossible.
“That sounds like a stupid thing to have as an issue, but after a while you don’t know where you are.
“I started to think I needed to come up for air a little bit. I needed to do other stuff, to get out there and feed that other part of my soul.
“You have to nurture the whole lot, otherwise you can’t do your job properly.”
When asked by theatre mag The Stage if she had support from the soap’s team during the knife-crime story, she replied: “No, but I had support at home.”
It sounds like she needs to put her feet up for a while.
Panda's got eyes on Simon
FIRST Louis Tomlinson got a blast from the past on this year’s X Factor when old pal Tom Richards auditioned.
Now boss Simon Cowell has been given a touch of deja vu by contestant Panda Ross, who previously appeared on the American version, where Simon is also a judge.
She makes her UK debut on this weekend’s show, but Simon does not recognise her and asks: “Who are you?”
Panda hits back: “Your ex baby mama, but I still love you. I have come all the way from across the Pond to give you some more.”
Simon told her she sounded “like a legend” in 2012 before she advanced to Boot Camp on the US show.
But she was not seen again, with fans fearing for her health. Now she is back, with the same big personality – and love for Simon.
Panda said of him: “He is still sexy.”
I bet Lauren Silverman is quaking in her boots.
must watch
WHAT? The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, Channel 4, 8pm.
WHY? Jo Brand is joined by Bake Off host Sandi Toksvig and actor Stephen Mangan to chew over unseen moments from the tent.
soapbox
IN EMMERDALE, Matty decides he is going to interrogate Cain, while Charity receives some home truths and Bernice is urged to take action.
Over in CORONATION STREET, a desperate Sally phones Sophie and asks her to reinstate Paula, and Tracy’s fairytale wedding plans seem to have gone belly up.
Meanwhile, Claudia comes to the rescue when Audrey gives Ken a bad haircut, and Hannah pretends to collapse after hearing that Liz still has money from the Rovers sale.
In EASTENDERS, Mick calls Linda from prison and urges her to get him legal help ahead of his bail hearing.
Hayley worries there might be something wrong with the baby after arguing with her mother.
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