Every year around this time, the same familiar grumbling starts up about the Strictly Come Dancing celebrity cast. You could almost set your watch by it.

“This is the worst line-up we’ve ever had!” people cry, full of frustration. But is that really true?

Of course everyone would love to watch Harry Styles attempt a samba, Tom Cruise tackle a tango, or Adele glide through an American Smooth. Yet by now we should all realise those kinds of bookings simply aren’t realistic. Just because Emma Bunton appeared two decades ago doesn’t mean another Spice Girl is suddenly going to sign up.

Celebrity Traitors may have landed a string of major names, but that show is a completely different prospect. Filming wraps up in a couple of weeks. Strictly, by contrast, runs from early September right through to Christmas — a gruelling four-month commitment involving endless training sessions, physio appointments, and sometimes even hospital visits. It’s easy to understand why A-listers might think twice.

The real issue is this: it doesn’t matter if some of the contestants aren’t household names at the start. This happens every single series. Within a few weeks viewers know all about them and usually end up championing at least one to victory.

Some of the complaints this year have been particularly amusing. One viewer insisted that if a dog trainer had to appear, it ought to be Barbara Woodhouse. She may have been more famous in her era than Graeme Hall, but she passed away in 1988 and would be 116 today — not exactly a realistic alternative.

Plenty of past contestants started as relative unknowns and went on to become firm favourites. Think of HRVY, Joe Sugg, or last year’s George Clarke. Younger viewers may have been thrilled about the YouTuber while older ones wondered who he was, yet his charm soon won everyone over and he sailed to the final. In 2022, wildlife cameraman Hamza Yassin barely attracted a question at the press launch because so few people recognised him. Months later he was lifting the Glitterball trophy, and now everyone knows his name.

So whether or not people are familiar with Kim Kardashian’s hairstylist Chris Appleton, House of the Dragon actress Bethany Antonia, dog expert Graeme Hall or YouTuber John Nellis is largely irrelevant. Once the dancing begins, fame levels stop mattering. It’s time everyone took a leaf out of Elsa’s book and simply let it go.