Poor old Paul Merson is bookies’ favourite for first elimination. Just behind is Nick Knowles, with Dr Punam Krishan and Wynne Evans tied in third place.

Sounds about right to me, but don’t rule out Toyah Willcox either. Just 15 minutes until the glittery curtain comes up…

Here’s your traditional spotter’s guide to on-screen happenings each week. Tick them off when you spot them! Take a drink for each! Wake up fully clothed! Bring on tonight’s 10 predictions:

• A Chris McCausland gag makes Claudia bark with laughter but confuses Tess

• Male celebrity on the new opening titles does finger guns

• Shirley Ballas thanks the first couple to perform for “opening our show”

• Benched pro Carlos Gu hogs the camera up on the Clauditorium

• Anton pronounces the Brazilian carnival dance as the “saaarm-ba”

• Celebrity mentions Epsom salts/ice baths/deep tissue massage

• Craig’s first negative comment of the series gets booed, so he tells the studio audience to shuddup

• Everyone sings along to Vindaloo but only knows the “na-na-naaa” bit

• Toyah Willcox namedrops an A-list celebrity with whom she’s great showbiz pals

• Tess exclaims “look at your little face!” after a youngish celebrity dances

Tonight’s 15 numbers include three cha cha chas, two foxtrots, two tangos and two sambas. Overall we’ll see 10 different dance styles. A good, eclectic mix. It’s not long now until showtime…

A quick reminder of the deal tonight. The couples will be critiqued and marked by the judging panel for the first time but there’s no public vote yet. Instead the judges’ scores will be carried over to next week, when us viewers can vote for our favourites for the first time. It will all be combined and the bottom two are consigned to the dreaded dance-off.

So our plucky pro-celeb pairs get two chances to impress before anyone is cruelly canned. Any predictions on who it might be? *cough* Paul Merson *splutter*

First night nerves, anyone? The glitterball is about to start spinning as our couples hit the floor for their first full routines. Gulp.

Good evening all and welcome to the first live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2024. I’m Michael, your liveblogging dance partner. I hope you’ll watch along with me as this year’s sequin-spangled action kicks off in earnest.

After last week’s pre-recorded launch show, tonight our 15 newly formed pro-celebrity pairings take to the Elstree Studios ballroom for their first proper dances together. They’ve been toiling away in the training rooms all week, grumbling about their sore feet, marvelling at their sweat patches and trying not to let the all-new chaperones spoil the chemistry. Now we get to see the fruits of their twinkle-toed labours.

It’s showtime at 7pm on BBC One. I’ll be liveblogging from 6.30pm, providing build-up, rolling coverage, analysis, reaction and catty asides. So don flesh-coloured Spanx, slather on some fake tan and see you on the sofa.

I’d love to hear from you too. You can tweet me @michaelhogan, email me michael.hogan.freelance@guardian.co.uk and the comments section below is back open for ballroom business. I’ll shimmy down every now and again to gauge your reaction to the show, so please share your thoughts.

Drinks, nibbles and second screens to hand? I hope so. Nearly time to, yep, staaaaaart dancing!