After being so royally beaten by X factor in the ratings war last year, viewers may expect Strictly Come Dancing bosses to back off and move their show to a different time slot for it’s next series. However sources have confirmed that the BBC have decided to go head to head with the singing show once more, but only after pumping millions of extra pounds into their celebrity lineup.

A BBC insider told The Sun: “ITV expect us to back off this year but that’s not going to happen. We aren’t just going to roll over and do want they want us to. We have been running Strictly on Saturday for as long as The X Factor.”

In 2009 while X Factor enjoyed ratings of up to 14 million, Strictly was stuck down around the 8 million mark. It earned a respectable audience for the BBC, but remained far behind it’s rival show. Then again last year’s Strictly lineup was widely believed to be it’s worst yet, with stars like Richard Madely and Sharon Osbourne reportedly pulling out due to the low fees offered. Maybe if they do attract a higher calibre of celebrities for the 2010 series it will serve as a worthy rival to Mr Cowell’s singing show.