Celebrities gear up for Comic Relief dance contest

Though it may be of little comfort to anyone whose family home is repossessed by a bank manager donning the full Ali G get-up, at least the UK TV guides will benefit from this year's Comic Relief efforts.

Set to be the year's biggest small-screen event to date, more than a dozen celebrities, some worthy of the title, some not, have agreed to make fools of themselves in 'Let's Dance for Comic Relief', which kicks off on Saturday night.

To be staged over three heats, the show will see the stars recreate famous dance scenes from movies and pop videos before the BBC's usual dancing critics, including head judge Anton du Beke, give their opinion.

However, as with most shows these days, it will be the public who decide who progresses and ultimately makes it through to the final on Red Nose Weekend.

To kick things off, Hollyoaks stars Loui Batley, Nathalie Emmanuel, Dominique Jackson, Ricky Whittle, Garnon Davies and Chris Fountain will join a number of their EastEnders peers on the first show, which will also see one of Emma Bunton or Paul O'Grady join the rotating panel of judges.

Dancing alongside them on the first show will be the likes of Dick and Dom, Nicky Chapman, Christopher Biggins, Robert Webb and Les Dennis, while the second heat will feature stars such as Keith Lemon, Paddy McGuinness, Neil Fox, Nancy Sorrell and the entrepreneurs from BBC's 'Dragons' Den'.

Though details of the show have been kept to a minimum, it has been confirmed that comedian Jo Brand will attempt to recreate Britney Spears' famous schoolgirl routine, with the star having already posed for a series of promotional shots for the short series.

'Let's Dance for Comic Relief' will be hosted by Claudia Winkleman and Steve Jones, while Denise Van Outen has been confirmed as a special guest judge for the three shows.

Meanwhile, dance fever has also been in the air at Sky1s headquarters, with the broadcaster announcing that it has commissioned a follow-up to 'Hairspray: The High School Musical'.

The show, which proved a hit in the TV Guides, followed secondary school pupils on their quest to make it as West End stars and the channel has revealed that some 1,000 schools have already applied to take part in the 2009 series.

One major change to the show will be the replacement of former presenter Denise Van Outen by Duncan James, with the Blue singer stating that he is "really excited" to be involved in what he believes to be a "fantastic opportunity" for the kids, as well as a massive opportunity for himself.