Former Strictly Come Dancing finalists, Louisa Lytton and Vincent Simone will represent the UK in the 2008 Eurovision Dance Contest.

The youngest ever Strictly Come Dancing contestant, and currently starring in The Bill, Louisa competed in series four alongside other famous faces including Mark Ramprakash, Matt Dawson and Emma Bunton.

This time Louisa and Vincent are striving to reach the top spot as they bring together elements of Latin and Ballroom for a one-chance, freestyle performance to incorporate the nation’s dancing flavour.

Fronting the sequin-showered spectacular are Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman, who return to present the second instalment of the electric European dance tournament.

Strictly Come Dancing stalwarts Len Goodman and Craig Revel Horwood, who make up two of the fearsome foursome judging panel, will comment on the performances and artistic content.

Hosting the event, the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) will welcome dancing couples from countries across Europe.

Each nation’s dance entrants are made up of one professional performer and one non-professional, usually a celebrity.

The winning couple will have to overcome the unpredictable scoreboard which reflects the public phone vote from across the competing countries.

There is added pressure, as well, with a panel of judges overseeing the proceedings. Their scores will contribute to a proportion of the final result.

Will Finland retain their crown or is an upset on the cards in the eagerly anticipated dancefloor extravaganza?

Take your partners by the hand for the second Eurovision Dance Contest presented by Graham Norton and Claudia Winkleman on BBC One on Saturday 6 September, coming from the fabulous European city of Glasgow.

BBC Scotland will be the host broadcaster for the event in the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).

Viewers from all over Europe will be the judges for the spectacular competition, featuring dancing couples from 15 countries across Europe, including Austria, Azerbaijan, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and, of course, the UK.

This glitzy and glamorous 135-minute special will be a major BBC One Saturday night event and will see couples made up of one professional and one celebrity compete for the international crown.

They will perform one dance – a Freestyle dance with a national flavour which may include elements of the traditional Latin and Ballroom.

Like the Eurovision Song Contest, the show will be live and unpredictable, with a scoreboard updating the audience and competitors on who is heading for the top spot.

Viewers will be asked to vote on the overall performance: dancing, choreography, costume and choice of music, with Strictly Come Dancing’s Len Goodman and Craig Revell Horwood commentating on performances and artistic content.

Elaine Bedell, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning, BBC, said: “This will be an evening of extraordinary dance performance fusing the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing with the scale of Eurovision Song Contest.

“It will be a great event in the great city of Glasgow.”

Eurovision Dance Contest is a co-production between Splash Media and Sunset + Vine with assistance from the International DanceSport Federation and in association with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

While working in BBC Entertainment, Jane Lush and Fenia Vardanis of Splash Media were the two main creators of the BBC’s highly successful format Strictly Come Dancing; Sunset + Vine is the UK’s leading independent sports production company specialising in live events.

Eurovision Dance Contest is commissioned by Elaine Bedell, BBC Controller Entertainment Commissioning.

Jane Lush said: “Take a ringside seat and watch the spectacle of Graham and Claudia crown the Dancing Queen and King of Europe.”

Fenia Vardanis said: “Another chance in the TV calendar for a big Eurovision knees-up – literally! Fake tans, fancy footwork and score sheets at the ready!”