Who should replace Alesha Dixon as the new Strictly Come Dancing judge?

With Alesha Dixon off to ‘Britain’s Got Talent’, our ‘Strictly Come

Dancing’ expert takes a look at who might take her place as

the new ‘Strictly’ judge…

Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips was allegedly forced off the show in 2009 for ageist reasons so forgive us for calling her old faithful. It’s true though, she is tried, tested, well loved (yes, we remember your thousands of comments when she was axed) and certainly knowledgeable enough to return to the judging panel. It would be a step back, however, at a time when ‘Strictly’ finally appears to be shrugging off the competition of Simon Cowell’s reality juggernauts.

Karen Hardy
Favourite to take the role if you ask us. She is a professional dancer, a former ‘Strictly’ champion and most importantly has continued to work as a consultant for the show since she left an active role in 2008. Last year she provided alternate commentary on the red button, which proved a successful addition to the show, so she is surely the obvious choice.

Claudia Winkleman
Okay, so lovely Claudia doesn’t actually have much knowledge of the technical side of dancing, but that didn’t stop the Beeb from hiring Alesha Dixon! The former ‘It Takes Two’ presenter gave up the presenting role to host the weekend’s results shows with Tess Daly and is a firm favourite with fans and everyone involved. Her rapport with the judges would hinder professionalism on Saturday nights though but damn would it be entertaining.

Kara Tointon
A more recent, and no less talented, champion of the show is Kara Tointon who The Sun has claimed is the front-runner to fill the vacant judge’s chair. A BBC insider leaked this nugget of gossip to the tabloid but we suspect it was born out of little more than wanting to print a picture of her. Well played Sun.

Jennifer Grey
You may have noticed when the ‘Dirty Dancing’ star took over Len’s seat for a week last year, the show’s bosses certainly made enough of a fuss about it. And why not? She’s from a film held dear by the majority of ‘Strictly’s’ target audience and won the American version of the show in 2010. It’s unlikely she’ll take the job permanently, but she did well in that week and certainly seemed to enjoy herself.

Darcey Bussell
The famous ballerina has history with the show, appearing as a judge towards the end of the 2009 series.  She is certainly a big enough name for the BBC to be interested.

Jill Halfpenny
Winner of the second series, Jill Halfpenny is a ‘Strictly’ legend. Even now, seven years later, her top-scoring jive is talked about it as though it was the second coming of Jesus. The former ‘EastEnder’ continued her acting career following her win and is currently working in theatre. She would certainly be a popular choice if she returned.