When a certain contestant withdrew from the show in December, there were many postings on here about Arlene and how she should apologise/resign/be sacked/worse.

How do the forumites who were calling for her head now feel about her departure?

Fair point.

I wasn't a fan of the aforementioned contestant and so wouldn't have called for her head over that.

However I have often expressed the view that some of the judges should be changed (not specifically Arlene though). However, I did add that this was because we needed more ballroom expertise on the panel (not less).

But the BBC producers may well look at the forums and see that there's always been quite a bit of criticism of Arlene and so they probably thought everyone would be happy if they replaced her.

Personally I thought she overstepped the mark when she went on just about every programme available shooting her mouth off about JS.

What she and the rest of the panel didn't seem to realise was that every time they went off on a rant about him, he was guaranteed umpteen more votes, especially with the encouragement of Chris moyles et al and their vote for JS and wind up the judges campaign.

No-one could ever stand up and say JS was good and deserved to stay week after week, but the way he was treated by the panel in their comments and marking was VERY disrespectful, to him, the viewers, his wonderful professional partner, and to every potential contestant "of a certain age" who might be approached for future series. Arlene was one of the most vocal critics and put herself in the firing line. She was a great dancer in her time, but I would like to see how well she would cope with learning ballroom dancing properly at her age, and putting herself up for what she happily dished out to the less able contestants.

So no - I'm not sorry to see her go - especially as she had intimated before all this blew up that she was considering leaving anyway as she had an offer of a Broadway show.

But I do agree - if the were getting rid of her - they should have gone for someone with real ballroom dancing credentials, but I'm prepared to give Alesha a chance.

No , I am not sorry to see chage , I am fully prepared to give people a fair chance and Alesha is a breath of fresh air
Arlene bored me and Iam looking forward the the new season .

Never had a problem with Arlene...Bruno and Len is a different story

I never hated her but she irritated me with her inane comments sometimes, especially when it came to the men. I wouldn't have been bothered if she left only to be replaced by someone similar to her. It's the manner of her departure that's so galling to most people - blatantly replacing her with a younger, prettier, and (for all intents and purposes) brainless model just for the sake of looking good.

I dont think Arlene was singled out for blame in that whole shambles of a last series....ALL the judges spoke out of turn in the papers and on other progammes......they should all be stopped from talking away from the judging table.

I wouldn't have said I "hated" Arlene but I did hate her behaviour - not over John Sergeant but over her blatant favouritism towards other contestants.

However, I also hated Bruno's behaviour and, to a lesser extent Len's, for the very same reason.

I am not sorry to see the back of Arlene but I don't think she should have been the only judge to go.

The producers of SCD6 and head of entertainment are the ones who should carry the can for what happened then and they should also be blamed for the very obvious mimicking of The X Factor last year (dump Sharon Osborne, bring in Cheryl Cole) - unless of course they have already been removed for their incompetence.

Knowing the BBC, however, I very much doubt that ...

You can also add in the irony that an awful lot of the people who criticised the judges for "being too big for their boots", "thinking they were the most important part of the show", and "forgetting it's about the celebs not them, we don't care about them, they are as nothing" etc etc, are now saying they're going to jump ship... because of a change of the judging.

Arlene does not have a leg to stand on for the way she reacted to JS was ageist herself. Am I sad she has gone, nope. Will alesha be any better- who cares My daughter & I will still watch and vote for our faves.

I've never said I hated Arlene (or anyone for that matter), but I was one of those who said she should go - along with Bruno.

Before last year I accepted the parts Arlene and Bruno played as all part and parcel of the show, but for me their conduct during Series 6 was out of order. In fact, I thought all of the judges behaved very badly at some point, but Arlene was the worst imho and I said so many times back then.

I'm glad Arlene has been replaced and although Alesha would not have been my choice as I would have preferred any new judge to have a ballroom/Latin background, I am glad someone who I like was chosen and am willing to give her a chance.

I don't approve of how Arlene found out her contract was not being renewed and I'm sure she was very disappointed, but she always had the option of turning down the One Show role if she chose. Arlene did say last year she might not do SCD this time because of an offer of work in the USA. What has happened to Arlene will have shown the other three judges that they are not irreplaceable - nobody is.

I can't wait for the show to start!

Would have prefered Arlene to stay, but not to big a deal that she has gone.

However, Alesha is an awful choice to take over. She has no real idea on technical parts of the dancing. A better choice would have been Camilla or Erin Boag.

She may well have had favourites, but she would mark them down if they did badly. Which is more than some others did! Love her or hate her, Arlene was always fair.

Arlene was mainly fair in her judging and would often berate Craig for excessive under marking. She had her favourites but she never marked them up (unlike Bruno!). Yes she went way over the top last year and should have been reprimanded but not sacked. And the manner of her sacking ... words fail me I wouldn't wish this humiliation on anyone.

I will also miss her obsession with 'hands'

Can someone point me to a factual account of this sacking, and the true reasons stated for it? I can't find anything anywhere.

There are two issues. One is arlene going - good, she overstepped the mark big time with JS. She should give her view on the dancing and then let the public give theirs, accepting the outcome. In addition some of her comments were not suitable IMO.

I am pleased she has gone.

The second matter is hiring Alesha,who I love. I don't think she is the right choice for judge.

Without wishing to dredge up absolutely everything that was said and done last year (), I beg to differ.

Scoring Lisa Snowdon ultra-generously for mediocre performances while being hyper-critical of Christine Bleakley and Austin Healy (so they would be unrescue-able by the public) isn't fair.

Resorting to outright lying about Rachel Stevens to promote her above the other contestants on other shows (BBC Breakfast) isn't fair.

Sorry, but in the words of the song, 'She had it coming'. So, of course, did others ... but it was Arlene who was sacrificed.

I agree with Servalan, not sorry Arlene has gone, she could have taken Len & Bruno with her, but , please, Alesha, yes she's pretty, did a great job as a contestant and I really like her, but not as a judge, too frothy.

I haven't decided whether or not I can be bother to tape this (, I have watched since day one), the move to Friday has clashed with prior committments, mind you it's not just SCD, I find I am watching less and less TV in general.

I didn't hate her at all, but she has always been my least favourite judge, the awful alliterations and the inappropriate drooling over certain contestants. I'm glad she's gone. Alesha replacing her doesn't come into that- yes it's a ridiculous decision, but they could have come up with dozens of suitable replacements. I kind of feel glad Arlene has gone, but wish the BBC had thought more seriously about who would be a good choice of replacement.
I'm one of those and I think it is a defensible position. My feeling is that too much emphasis has been placed on the judging panel for a while now- like the way they take up a quarter of the preview shows when who really gives a toss that Bruno is the "funny" one, Len is the "nice" one () etc. I think the judges should have a much smaller role- that doesn't mean I think they don't matter to the show, just that I think they get paid too much and have too much airtime.

Also there is a difference between thinking they are replaceable and thinking that anyone could do their job!

It is not really a sacking, but she has been dropped. Arlene is self employed so she would have a contract for each series and this year she wasn't offered a contract.



I agree with Servalan - it certainly wasn't just about JS.

Hey, I never said it wasn't a very superficial irony.

(I do think people generally underestimate the importance of the judges - as legitimate judges, as counterweights to the biases of the public vote, as drivers of narrative, as entertainment, and as "baddies" (serving as a target for the loose vitriol and rage that always accompanies watching these programmes which would otherwise be hurled at contestants). I think Alesha's a bad idea on the grounds that she's almost certainly going to fail at least 3 of them.)

I'm now hoping that the appointment of Alesha will result in 5 judges next time, with the new judges having the kind of background we expected any new judge appointed to have (like Karen when she hangs up her SCD shoes).

Maybe Arlene did overstep the mark when airing her views about JS in last series, but she only said what nearly everyone (well, a heck of a lot of people) was thinking and saying among themselves. Should she have spoken out to the media? That's another question. Unless there is some rule in their contracts that they shouldn 't speak out unless actually in their judges chair, then I have no great problem with it.

As for "Hating" Arlene.... Hate is a very strong emotion, and certainly not one I would feel against someone on the telly simply because I didn't always agree their views, or the way they delivered them.

I actually liked the panel, even though Bruno sends me mad with his daft antics, and seldom has anything constructive to say, and given the popularity of the show I would have said "If it ain't broke, don't mend it!"

However, as changes were on the table even before the last series was ended (and you can bet you life there will be more made next year) and a change of judge/judges was thought viable, then whichever judge they chose to replace SHOULD have been someone with dance knowledge and experience, the fact they have chosen someone for their looks as opposed to their knowledge, is where the beeb have blundered - big time!

I remember that when some people were condemning Arlene last year there were always many more sticking up for her and saying that she was one of the better judges. I believe that Len was most unpopular followed by Bruno.

Arlene's artificial-alliterations and obsession with sex made her rather predictable. At least she was clear in her own mind what she was talking about and drew on a well of experience.
I am curious about the new dynamic on the show considering Alesha is so much younger than the other judges, and that she stepped over the body of Arlene Philips who is still involved in the TV productions.
I have seen that Cheryl on X-Factor and Amanda on Britain's Got Talent were there as beautiful faces and to "emote" almost representing "the common man", yes as a "counterweight" if you like. But the public already have a voice just as strong as the judges in who they see next week. I can't see that Alesha's mere enthusiasm and sympathy sits well next to what are often fascinating in-depth comments of the other judges. What next- take a Vox Pop of audience or passers-by, live??
I can envisage Alesha gaining the support of cheers and claps of the audience with her sympathy and enthusiasm whilst it is left to the judges to dish the dirt on the performance. This is hardly fair on them and might intimidate them regarding speaking their full mind. Alesha is thus set apart from the judges. This "dynamic" could essentially define the audience vote, them voting on whether they side with the technical judges or Alesha. The BBC is probably attracted to this dramatisation, but real insight is more valuable than a cheap Punch and Judy show