Strictly Aimee: 'I've already changed my prediction' says our celeb reporter in entry 2 of her Strictly diary

The launch show for BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing was on last Saturday so it would be rude not to start this week’s diary without a mention of that.

This year’s launch show was a lot more fun and lighthearted than series 22- we’re talking the Venga Boy’s and neon clothing - as if producers want to remind audiences that Strictly is at its heart a fun party in light of the dark cloud over it this summer.

If you allow me to go all metaphorical, I found the whole entry scene to be a nod to the troubles the show has faced over the last few months: the party is disrupted when their bus breaks down [cough cough, Strictly faces misconduct claims], but the whole gang then work together to fix the problems whilst dancing throughout [BBC apologises, puts extra procedures in place] and finally the bus is fixed, the show continues [series 23 is back better than ever]!

And indeed the show was the same as always, we got a nice introduction of all of this year's stars - each one was very homely and family-orientated -we saw them meet their professional partners- everyone seemed genuinely delighted - and we were treated to some fabulous dance routines.

One dance in particular worked as a welcome back to Amy Dowden, who couldn’t feature in the last series as she was battlingbreast cancer, and I thought the special nod given to Amy’s return was a nice touch.

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I must say Chris McCausland was a real stand out during the show as he was very funny throughout, but then again comedy was present throughout the entire episode: Strictly still has the ability to laugh itself, take Wynne Evans being asked to compare Elstree to the world's best opera houses as an example.

There were still some sickly sweet moments that made me cringe on my sofa, for instance Lulu saying the atmosphere at Strictly is better than Glastonbury whilst Paul Merson was revealed to be dancing to Fat Les’ Vindaloo - not that I’m not excited to see how it goes this weekend!

Last week I predicted that Jamie Borthwick would win the show and whilst bookies are now ranking him as the favourite, I am already backtracking. That’s because lots of people during the launch episode repeated the fact Jamie had been on it before - a “cough cheat” from Chris was just one example - and I think that idea will stick in the audience’s mind.

This week was then the first rehearsal week and looking at the Instagram stories, it seems they are all having fun so far, for instance Chris and Diane Buswell have launched a comical video series called ‘CHRIS’S DIAnneRIES ’ where the pair discuss a range of topics between them whilst a whole host of partners have taken part in some weird chair challenge.

Elsewhere Tasha Ghouri shared a clip of herself jumping out and scaring her partner Aljaž Škorjanec and Shayne Ward shared a selfie video of himself covered in a glitter filter with the caption: “Has anybody else felt this sparkling sensation since joining Strictly?”

Whilst I’m glad to see the dancers are having so much fun, Saturday’s show will prove how well they actually work together and who is learning the most alongside joining in with the banter.

You can read my full explainer on what to expect from Strictly Come Dancing 2024 here.