Question: what are you really excited about on television, airing now or soon?

If you're reading this, you probably get excited by television—either in general as a medium, in terms of its technology, or with certain shows you're watching. So I thought I'd take the temperature of reader excitement for whatever televisual entertainment's happening now or very soon.

Are you excited X Factor returned last weekend, or that Strictly Come Dancing will shimmy onto our screens tomorrow? Does your stomach tingle just thinking about more Game of Thrones next year? Are the imminent series finales of Breaking Bad and Dexter circled on your calendar? Maybe you're stoked about original content on the likes of Netflix, or can't wait to get your hands on a Ultra HD 4K television? Is there a new TV series starting this year that you can't help getting sweaty with anticipation for?

What's exciting me is Breaking Bad, which is providing weekly jaw-droppers and will have me glued to my television when I sit down to watch the big finale. A close second is the 50th Anniversary special of Doctor Who, where Matt Smith and David Tennant will be united on-screen as The Doctor. The BBC's hype-machine has barely even started with that November special, either... and, whatever issues you may have with the show, that promises to be a very special TV moment. The descriptions of the trailers shown at San Diego Comic-Con and the Edinburgh TV Festival alone were enough to get me salivating.

So, come on: what's exciting you about current TV?

STRICTLY COME DANCING 2011: Celebrities

Lulu, Russell Grant, Rory Bremner & Holly Valance

The BBC have released details of this year's Strictly Come Dancing lineup, taking the unusual step of making the announcement live on The One Show—perhaps because one participant is co-star Alex Jones?

The 14-strong line-up is as follows: impressionist Rory Bremner, astrologist Russell Grant, politician Edwina Currie, Daybreak presenter Daniel Lobb, singer Lulu, boxer Audley Harrison, Sven-Göran Eriksson's ex-wife Nancy Dell'Olio, Waterloo Road actress Chelsee Healey, footballer Robbie Savage, ex-EastEnders actress Anita Dobson, One Show presenter Alex Jones, ex-Neighbours/popstar Jason Donovan, ditto Holly Valance, and McFly singer Harry Judd.

Jason Donovan, Nancy Dell'Olio, Robbie Savage & Edwina Currie

For the second year running, that's a surprisingly strong gathering of talent. There are only two people I've never heard of (Chelsee Healey and Daniel Lobb). It's certainly the kind of group the producers of Celebrity Big Brother would kill for, which just goes to prove that Strictly has a certain level of respectability to it. In fact, it's probably the only celeb-based reality show that's proven to only really benefit your career. Honestly, who's ever lived to regret being a part of it?

Harry Judd, Chelsee Healey, Audley Harrison & Anita Dobson

Who's your favourite? Edwina Currie's assumedly there to be terrible, but will she surprise us with some fancy moves? Can tubby Russell Grant manage to foxtrot in a straight line? Will boxer Audley Harrison float like a butterfly, or stomp like an elephant? Is Jason Donovan the man to beat, given his background in musical theatre? How many Bruce Forsyth impressions with Rory Bremner be forced to do until Christmas? Oh yes, and I'm already salivating at the prospect of Holly Valance shaking her bottom every Saturday night!

Any thoughts, people?

Alex Jones & Daniel Lobb

STRICTLY COME DANCING returns to BBC1 on 10 September @6.10PM, beginning with a special Launch Show.

'Strictly Come Dancing', series 8: The Celebrities Revealed

Patsy Kensit; one of many celebrities hitting the dance floor

The BBC have confirmed the celebrity lineup for this year's Strictly Come Dancing, and it makes for encouraging reading: Anne Widdecombe (former-MP), Felicity Kendall (actress), Gavin Henson (rugby player), Goldie (musician/DJ), Jimi Mistry (actor), Kara Tointon (ex-EastEnders actress), Matt Baker (presenter), Michelle Williams (ex-Destiny's Child singer), Pamela Stephenson (psychologist, wife of Billy Connolly), Patsy Kensit (actress), Paul Daniels (magician), Peter Shilton (ex-England goalkeeper), Scott Maslen (EastEnders actor) and Tina O'Brien (ex-Coronation Street actress).

For the first time in a long time (perhaps ever?), I think most British people would know every single celebrity taking part in the show. And the mixture of talent is very good -- you have the funny "wild cards" (Widdecombe, Daniels, Shilton, Goldie), the middle-aged glamourpusses (Kendall, Stephenson, Kensit), the handsome hunks (Henson, Baker, Maslen, Mistry), and the sexy babes (Tointon, O'Brien, Williams) I already predict a good showing from Mistry (it's just a feeling -- does he have a Bollywood background?), Tointon (ballroom experience in Strictly's Comic Relief special) and Williams (dance/choreography background with Destiny's Child)

The celebs will be formally introduced and partnered with their professional dance partners this Saturday 11 September, during BBC1's red carpet Live Launch ceremony at 6.25pm. Series 8 will begin properly a few weeks later on 1 and 2 October. Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly will again be presenting the show, with Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood, Alesha Dixon and Bruno Tolioni all back to pass judgement.

It's also been announced that Bruce Forsyth won't co-present the Sunday night results shows this year, with Claudia Winkleman covering that role. The BBC are also working closely with ITV to ensure Strictly won't clash with X Factor this year, in light of numerous viewer complaints and the fact Strictly always lost against its arch-rival.

Mark Linsey, Controller of BBC Entertainment Commissioning:

"It's fantastic to be bringing Strictly back for it's eighth series with even more glamour and excitement than ever before. This year we have a fantastic line-up of celebrities and more spectacular dancing than ever before -- a red carpet launch is the perfect way to start the show."

Are you looking forward to Strictly Come Dancing this year? Have you always hated the show? Have you gone off it in recent years? Do you just prefer X Factor? Do you prefer the US version, Dancing With The Stars? Will the caliber of these celebrities lure you in for a few weeks? Is Alesha Dixon back on merit as a judge, or because it would be too embarrassing to axe her so soon?

Strictly Come Dancing: Series 8 Dancers & Rumours

It's still a few months away yet, but the lineup for Strictly Come Dancing is becoming clearer. Ian Waite and Darren Bennett have both been "demoted" to form part of the show's new "professional dance group" (to be joined by a new man and three new women whose identities aren't known yet).

Matthew Cutler won't be back fulltime, choosing instead to focus on his choreography and teaching career, but may make occasional guest appearances. Brian Fortuna won't be back, and (most disappointingly) Lilia Kopylova is hanging up her sequins after six years, but hasn't ruled out a few guest turns.

Three new male dancers have also been announced: Artem Chigvintsev (Latin champion from America's So You Think You Can Dance), Jared Murillo (an American dancer from High School Musical) and Robin Windsor (star of ballroom show Burn The Floor).

Existing favourites returning are: Anton du Beke, Brendan Cole, James Jordan, Vincent Simone, Ola Jordan, Flavia Cacace, Erin Boag, Kristina Rihanoff, Natalie Lowe, Aliona Vilani and Katya Virshilas.

But the most interesting new development for the show is the decision to only pay celebrities based on how far they progress in the competition. That's a marvelous idea, because it gives celebs more of an incentive to put in the training and want to win. I don't think the show's had many truly lazy celebs involved, but it was always a bit sickening when an expensive booking was voted off after a few weeks but pocketed upwards of £50,000 for their appearance. Paying the celebs incrementally every week is a welcome change that will save cash while also boosting the sense of competition.

No celebrities have been confirmed yet, but names being bandied around include: Ann Widdecombe (politician), Gavin Henson (rugby player), Nathalie Emmanuel (actress), Sophie Anderton (model), Felicity Kendal (actress), Patsy Kensit (actress) and Frank Bruno (former boxer).

Strictly Come Dancing will return in the Autumn on BBC1/HD.

Strictly Stopped Watching

Ola Jordan: she's my favourite

I gave up watching Strictly Come Dancing halfway through this seventh series, for a variety of reasons, not least my lack of time to write a post with so many embedded videos every week. But I'd also grown tired by how the behind-the-scenes turmoil had overwhelmed the show, thanks to a run of bad luck (injuries, 'flu, arrest), controversies (ageism, racism), and preventable mistakes by the program makers (Alesha Dixon replacing Arlene Phillips, the insufferable runtime, bad scheduling to compete with X Factor.)

Recently, things were compounded by the addition of ballet dancer Darcy Bussell to the judging panel for the last few weeks of competition. Her arrival as a "special guest judge" throughout December sounded like a stupid idea when it was first mentioned months ago, and so it proved true. Dancing With The Stars only has three judges, the British original now needs five?! Really? No, it doesn't. A fact proven when only four of the five judges were asked their opinion, in rotation! Even worse, Darcy has the opposite problem to Alesha -- she has a laudable dance background and expert knowledge, but lacks any palpable charm or enthusiasm. Plus, she rates the dances too highly. Or did someone tell her to whip out 9's and 10's to make it seem like the celebs deserved to be in the semi-final?

And that's been another problem this year: the celebs have been a weak bunch (fame and talent wise), and they've all appeared less interested than past contestants. I'm sure Ricky Whittle and Ali Bastian aren't exactly slouches at rehearsal, but compared to previous series they don't look anywhere near as committed as their predecessors have been. So, it's been a bad year for SCD, and the usual salve of seeing Ola Jordan shimmying around the dancefloor hasn't been enough to keep me tuning in.

STRICTLY COME DANCING 7 – Week 7

Ola's why I stay in most Saturday nights. Now that's a dress, Cheryl Cole...

Is Strictly still on? This hasn't been a good series, has it. Even diehard fans must admit that SCD's been sunk this year by too much distracting controversy, behind-the-scenes racism, and terrible scheduling from the BBC. You don't even have a chance to vote if you're watching on time-delay, as you could when the result show was on Sunday. There's even gossip that many of the celebs aren't putting in the effort this year, as the stats for rehearsal hours are significantly down on last year. Meanwhile, The X Factor is widening the gap to record-breaking levels over on ITV – 15m to Strictly's 8m. I'd ordinarily suggest a big revamp next year, but that's kinda what they were aiming to do this year, and look where it's gotten them...

Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone

Jive: Totally unsexy and Natalie's facial expressions are beginning to bug me now, but she's admittedl one of the few celebs that actually seems to enjoy every second out on the dance floor.

Zoe Lucker & James Jordan

Samba: With a tiny dress resembling a leaf (something a teenage Tinkerbell might wear, perhaps), this was another fun and saucy performance from Zoe. Slender body, lovely long legs, smiley and fun with some hip grinding thrown in.

Craig Kelly & Flavia Cacace

Waltz: I really hate the waltz. It just looks so pretensious and dull to me. And for someone like Flavia it means she generally wears long, boring ballgowns. It's like throwing a towel over a Mona Lisa!

Ricky Groves & Erin Boag

Rumba: Phewee. Hot and steamy antipodean loveliness, as Erin makes a play to the next Bond Girl in dancing to "License To KilL". Sexy little black dress, very stylish, semi-transparent skirt, hair down and looking great.

Laila Rouass & Anton Du Beke

Waltz: Again, yawn. Sorry, Laila's a beautiful woman, but these ballroom dances are fast-forward material. Thank God for Virgin+.

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas

Tango: Sexily aggressive dance from Katya (check out those karate kicks at the start!) and she certainly put across the attitude. Not hugely attractive once it settled down, but not bad.

Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe

Quickstep: After weeks wowing us, Natalie was due a potentially dull dance, and the quickstep never gets me excited. But Natalie just about made it bearable in a snow white dress going well with her Scandinavian blonde locks.

Jade Johnson & Ian Waite

Foxtrot: Another fairly dull offering, really. I'm a Latin dance man, clearly. Still, Jade looked pretty glitzy.

Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna

Paso Doble: Lots of entertainment and blood-pumping fun here, as Ali tore up the dance floor – open-backed dress, skirt slashed up to the waist, lots of drama and passion. Good fun.

Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan

Cha Cha Cha: Ola's catsuit from series 6 went down in SCD history, so here came its red-hot sister. Yes, you can't really beat seeing Ola dancing to a sexy disco tune in a body-hugging catsuit, swirling her hips with enough energy to power every home in the country. There's a reason they leave her till last on the show. Bliss.

The Result

A controversial dance-off, with favourites Ali & Brian versus popular Zoe & James. I'd have kept Ali, which is exactly what happened – but it was a shame to lose Zoe. She didn't really deserve that at all. But there you go.

STRICTLY COME DANCING 7 – Week 6

I've given up watching Strictly Come Dancing live on Saturdays. It's on for too long, it moves too slowly, there are no particularly good or bad celebs to love or love-to-hate, and the lack of advert breaks is actually a bad thing in Strictly's case. I don't think I'll defect to X Factor, but I find you can watch the iPlayer replays of the dances (see below) and pretty much get your fix in 10 minutes flat. Anyway, we're approaching the halfway point of the show, so let's see what the dancing diva's were up to this week:

Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone

American Smooth: I appreciate she puts the effort in and really performs, but there wasn't much sex appeal about this. A long, boring, strawberry red dress and a stern face. Bland.

Zoe Lucker & James Jordan

American Smooth: She's good to watch, even in the ballgowns, because Zoe's clearly having a great time. Elegant and refined beauty.

Craig Kelly & Flavia Cacace

Samba: Finally, we have a long overdue breakthrough! Flavia was back to her sexy best in a sparkling blue dress that was basically two offcuts sewn together across her iconic abdomen. Lots of body shape, hair down, great fun.

Ricky Groves & Erin Boag

American Smooth: Custard yellow dresses aren't really my thing, but I guess Erin made it work with the open-back and ample bosom. Quite light and air, very pleasant.

Laila Rouass & Anton Du Beke

Samba: Laila's probably the best at looking great in dresses that actually hide a fair bit, and this pure white outfit was pretty groovy. The lady version of John Travolta's iconic suit?

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas

Samba: Katya has that excitable schoolgirl vibe to her, don't you think? The sea green dress was hot – fluffy skirt, long blonde locks, slender legs, lots of those quick waist twists the ladies tend to do, and booty shaking. Sizzling and fun.

Jo Wood & Brendan Cole

Samba: As older women go, Jo probably raised some blood pressure in nursing homes across the country. You could see hints of the '60s sex-kitten here at times, I guess.

Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe

Samba: Awful colours threatened to make Natalie look like a trifle, but when you have legs this long and know how to move your body, I think all men go colour blind. Of all the new pro dancers, Nat's making the best impression – really fast, fun, enjoyable, sexy stuff.

Jade Johnson & Ian Waite

Samba: Wowzers! Jade certainly impresses this week with a silvery web-like dress that looked like it had been drizzled over her body by a giant spider. Lots of leg and plenty of gyration.

Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna

American Smooth: I think Ali's a good match with Brian because both have a funny mannequin look to their features, don't you think? Anyway, Ali's dance was again very good, and she somehow even made a tangerine orange dress look quite hot.

Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan

American Smooth: As Brucie said, this was a rare week where Ola covered her body, but she still looked great in that silvery-pink ballgown that hugged her waist.

The Result

It came down to Jo & Brendan vs. Jade & Ian, and was there any doubt that Jo would be walking straight out the door? No, not really. A good result.

STRICTLY COME DANCING 7 – Week 5

It's no good, Strictly Come Dancing is just too damn long and eats up too much of a Saturday night. I can't watch it live now, so I'll just have to get my fix with the highlight videos. Does anyone else feel the same? It doesn't help that I recently stumbled upon Dancing With The Stars (the US version of the show), and that show motored along in comparison. A national treasure he may be, but Bruce Forsyth is partly responsible for the longueurs between dances. Anyway, let's take a look at those lovely light-footed ladies:

NATALIE CASSIDY & VINCENT SIMONE

Waltz: No, not for me. A pretty dull dress with a net curtain skirt.

ZOE LUCKER & JAMES JORDAN

Jive: Zoe's always great fun to watch, with a huge smile and lots of confidence. This jive number meant she had a cute '60s look with long legs, and got to wear a tiny cyan dress with lots of sparkle.

CRAIG KELLY & FLAVIA CACACE

Jive: After weeks of disappointment, this was a decent comeback for Flavia because of some sea-green hotpants I think may have been spray-painted on. Energetic, leggy, and her best look in weeks.

RICKY GROVES & ERIN BOAG

Jive: A bit embarrassing, if you ask me – but Erin looked pretty good, in a sexy mum sort of way. The orange dress was a bit garish, like someone had forced her to wear some orange peel. Still, some leggy kicks and a beautiful flat stomach.

LAILA ROUASS & ANTON DU BEKE

Jive: The black trousers may have hidden her legs, but it was such a different look that it didn't matter. Open-backed, lots of cleavage, Laila looked pretty sweet doing this funky jive.

PHIL TUFNELL & KATYA VIRSHILAS

Waltz: Dull dance, but Katya's dress was understated and beautiful. Long, elegant and white-silver in colour – very fairy tale.

JO WOOD & BRENDAN COLE

Waltz: She was like a dancing bush kangaroo. Not in looks, in movement, dummies.

RICKY WHITTLE & NATALIE LOWE

Waltz: Now that's a ballgown! Candyfloss pink, open-backed, tight-fitting, and Natalie looked a dream.

JADE JOHNSON & IAN WAITE

Waltz: I'm not sure, really. The dress wasn't brilliant, but Jade has a certain poise and stern beauty to her.

ALI BASTIAN & BRIAN FORTUNA

Jive: Another of her many fantastic dresses; tiny, sparkly, showing plenty of leg and shapely rear. Very sexy, but she does go to pieces at certain points as the judges pointed out, and Brian tries to cover by overshadowing her at times.

JOE CALZAGHE & KRISTINA RIHANOFF

Jive: Kristina sort of overdoes things with her appearance (she looks much better au naturele), but you can't really hate a tiny rose red dress that shows as much cleavage and leg as this.

CHRIS HOLLINS & OLA JORDAN

Jive: Enjoy her while you can, because Chris will be out soon. Ola refuses to wear anything but the sexiest outfits, it seems, so here she was in golden underwear with pink frills. High energy, incredibly cute, always great fun to watch.

THE RESULT

It came down to Kristina & Joe vs. Zoe & James in the dance-off, and unfortunately it was Kristina who was given the fifth week exit. Oh well, it would have been a shame either way, but I'd have preferred to Kristina to stick around for a few more weeks.

STRICTLY COME DANCING 7 – Week 4

Is anyone else finding it difficult to get enthused about Strictly Come Dancing on any level? It's been swamped with controversy behind-the-scenes since the summer, and this week all eyes were on pro dancer Anton Du Beke, who apparently called his celebrity dancer partner Laila Rouass a "paki" after she got a spray tan. I'm sure you've heard about it. So, again, another week passes with the majority of the audience looking for tension between Anton and Laila instead of enjoying the dances. But, for what it's worth:

Natalie Cassidy & Vincent Simone

Salsa: Well, she has fun and gives it 100% on the dance floor, and her purple dress was quite hot. But, y'know, it's still like watching your sister go mad at a disco, and not especially sexy.

Craig Kelly & Flavia Cacace

Foxtrot: Oh dear, what's happened to Flavia this year? Another boring dance, wearing something your grandma may have hanging on her washing line. Totally boring and left everything to the imagination.

Ricky Groves & Erin Boag

Foxtrot: If you're doing a ballroom dance with a long skirt, this is how you want to look. Erin looked like she was wearing a svelte cloud in this dance; lovely open back, long gloves, pink underskirt and sophisticated classiness.

Laila Rouass & Anton Du Beke

Foxtrot: Laila's been another disappointment this year, so I hope she gets a chance to steam up the screen with some Latin dances very soon. This dress was pretty and her makeup was great, but it was underwhelming.

Phil Tufnell & Katya Virshilas

Salsa: I could have done without Tuffers' prancing, but luckily Katya made up for those indulgences with some leggy kicks and plenty of infectious energy. Lightning quick legs, spinning body, twisty hips.

Jo Wood & Brendan Cole

Foxtrot: She can't dance, she looks totally perplexed half the time. I wish she'd just get voted off. Dull silver ballgown, stilted performance.

Ricky Whittle & Natalie Lowe

Salsa: Cyan dress with a skirt vehemently unable to hide any leg, lots of energy and sexy moves. Natalie's one of the new girls who's really making an impression this year. Hot stuff.

Jade Johnson & Ian Waite

Salsa: Quite an awful dress, I thought, like she was wearing a blood clot. Still, all the female performers get some points for showing their legs, and she managed a few provocative poses and moves in this.

Ali Bastian & Brian Fortuna

Salsa: Aww, bless her for finding it so hard to be sexy in training, but she pulled it off on the night. Ali again looked fabulous, in one of those flesh-stocking outfits, showing a heap of cleavage and ensuring that orange skirt was on constant vibrate. Sexy.

Lynda Bellingham & Darren Bennett

Foxtrot: I just look away now, don't you?

Joe Calzaghe & Kristina Rihanoff

Foxtrot: Kristina's one of these girls who ages five years when she puts makeup on. I don't know why, but she only ever looks 31 when she's papped in the street or posing for a fashion magazine. On the show, she always looks close to 40. She's still hot, mind, and one of the few dancers who can look sexy in the ballgowns; supple body, big booty.

Chris Hollins & Ola Jordan

Salsa: Ola and salsa go together like peaches n' cream, so this was another sexy performance from the Polish hotie. Another dress half-worn, showcasing her hot body with lots of grinding and saucy moves.

Zoe Lucker & James Jordan

Foxtrot: A pure white dress that covered her up entirely, but she somehow made it work well for herself. She has a good stature to her, which helps. Still a disappointment, but not bad considering.

The Dance-Off

Of course it came down to the two most hideously dressed women in the end: Flavia with Craig vs. Lynda with Darren, and I was overjoyed to see dancing turbot Lynda make a fairly early exit from the competition.