If you strip away the shimmying sequins and flapping feathers, Strictly Come Dancing is a serious competition.
The celebrities face gruelling training, complicated routines and harsh critiques, in the hope of lifting that much-coveted Glitterball Trophy.
But Ted Lasso star Ellie Taylor, 38, is also feeling the pressure of another responsibility – the serious job of making people laugh.
The stand-up comic is on a mission during Strictly to show women can be just as funny on screen as the men.
It is a lesson she wants to teach her daughter, Valentina, three.
"You want to see more women on telly being funny so little girls can know it's OK to be a woman and be funny and silly," says Ellie, who is a regular on panel shows such as Mock the Week.
"You don’t have to be prim and proper, you can be a wally. That's what I want to show to my daughter."
Recently a number of female comics have voiced fears stand-up is lagging behind when it comes to the #MeToo movement and gender equality.
While the sexism has improved since gamechangers like the late Dame Victoria Wood and French and Saunders, Ellie believes there is still more work to be done.
"We stand on the shoulders of the generations before us who made the headway and they had a much tougher time," says Ellie. "There are a few more opportunities now. But I still think it's probably more skewed towards guys."
She believes the answer is better "representation". The more girls see more women like her on TV, the more chance there is that the balance will shift in the future.
In the meantime, Ellie, of Brentwood, Essex, who is married to journalist Phil Black, is enjoying laughs with her dance partner Johannes Radebe, 35.
They already have a comedy moniker, Jelly, a combo of their names.
"The laughter often follows me trying to use my arms and legs at the same time," she says. "We tried to practise the Cha-cha arms in the mirror and we had to abandon it as it was just too funny.
"We do laugh an awful lot, which I'm really glad about because it's really intense when stuck with this person you've only just met. Plus we both like biscuits, which is a good bonding point."
Her only gripe with the South African dance pro is the way he looks - too fabulous.
"I look like I've been found in a hedge. He'll leave training looking like a king, I'll look like a sweaty abomination," jokes Ellie. "He's far too stylish, so that is something I've had to stomach!"
After studying English Literature at York University, she began a career as a model, having been scouted while an intern at FHM magazine. But by her mid-20s, she wanted a new challenge.
A friend convinced her to perform at an open mic stand-up night, and she fell in love with comedy.
In 2011, Ellie got her first big break on ITV 's Show Me the Funny, and after stand-up shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, she became a regular guest on Channel 4 ’s 8 out of 10 Cats, as well as the BBC ’s The Mash Report and Mock the Week, while working with Heart FM and CBBC.
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Now Ellie could be about to see her star grow stateside after being nominated for an Online TV Association Award for her role as Flo 'Sassy' Collins in Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, one of the US's biggest comedies.
But her four-episode arc being viewed across the globe is far less nerve-racking than hitting the dance floor in front of 12 million viewers.
Especially when it comes to tomorrow night's Movie Week – and their Cha-cha-cha. The pair are dancing to Cher 's Shoop Shoop Song (It’s in His Kiss) from the 1990 movie Mermaids.
Ellie says: "There are a lot of bum movements going on, and in the hips. My hips really are mostly just used for carrying a toddler! It's a different use of hips for the old girls!"
Last week the pair suffered harsh criticism and were awarded just 23 points, with judge Shirley Ballas, 62, saying the dance "lacked completely the essence of Paso Doble".
They are determined to improve, with Ellie saying: "I want to get everything out of this experience I can. It's a good lesson for my daughter. You don’t necessarily have to be the best at everything, you just have to try your best."
Johannes knows the positive impact TV stars can have, as last year he was runner-up with Bake Off's John Whaite as the show's first male same-sex couple. "The world is a better place for it," says Johannes. "It's so powerful from a cultural point of view."
The show has two same sex couples this year - Karen Hauer and comic Jayde Adams, and Giovanni Pernice and BBC Radio 2 personality Richie Anderson. Johannes enthuses: "More, please! More, please!"
As with Ellie, Johannes, wants to do his bit for better representation. He grew up in Zamdela, South Africa, and endured homophobic bullying and was attacked with a baseball bat.
Suffice to say, he never saw men dancing together growing up.
"Can you imagine, little Johannes watching someone like you on the telly?" asks Ellie. "It's just that!" Johannes exclaims. "To show you're not alone, that somebody looks like you, and somebody identifies like you, is so important."
So, this weekend the pair will give it their best shot, but not take themselves too seriously, for all the little Valentinas and young Johanneses who tune in.
Strictly Come Dancing continues tomorrow night on BBC One from 6.30pm, followed by the results show on Sunday from 7.20pm.
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