I just asked a question, there's no need to get shirty.

Arlene should feel happy that she's been on the show so long, move over and give someone else a chance. I wouldn't mind, but if my memory serves me right, was Arlene not a choreographer for a disco dance team on TOTPs? - nothing whatever to do with ballroom or Latin. Come to think of it, rather silly dance moves as I recall. Therefore, this means she is no more qualified than Alesha surely.

Blimey! Bit strong!!

Isn't there a broadcasting forum to make anti BBC comments on?

And yes you can post any comments you like anywhere you like. Your opinions have every right to be aired. As have mine.

Wouldn't be surprised!

Thanks for the link to the BBC Norfolk interview. Gareth David-Lloyd on Strictly would be a great idea. And he doesn't seem to be averse to the idea.

No, she wasn't. That was Flick Colby.

She was choreographer for Hot Gossip.

Arlene has been responsible for choreographing half the musicals in the West End, also in USA and Canada, not just the likes of Hot Gossip. Before that she was an excellent dancer. She has a huge amount of dance experience, and yes, that is different from ballroom and Latin, but still dance experience that Alesha totally lacks.

And if it's right that she should move over and give someone else a chance then (a) let that someone have dance experience; and (b) why not insist Bruce, Tess, and all the pro dancers etc etc etc move over and give someone else a chance? Why is it only Arlene who should think herself lucky?

Even before SCD started if some one had asked me to name a famous choreographer I would have said Arlene Phillips.

She is a world class choreographer and I'd say that for anyone to imply otherwise simply doesn't know what they are talking about.

Hear hear!!! Nothing to add!

Thank you

I would love the BBC to admit their mistake in exchanging an expert for a nobody (in dance terms). I believe I once saw a quote from Bruno to the effect that Arlene is the most knowledgable person he knows in the dance world.

A number of the pro dancers have spoken of their respect for Arlene.

I really don't believe it was an ageism/sexism issue with the decision to sack Arlene - as far as I remember, on the boards at the end of the last series she seemed the least popular judge. The BBC clearly felt the need to do something to improve the show, and replacing the least popular judge probably seemed a good idea.

For all the wealth of experience Arlene has as a choreographer, she was making less and less use of it, mainly coming out with inane, embarrassing comments (although this could be said increasingly for Len also). I am not bothered that she is gone, although I am not convinced Alesha is the right replacement.

The problem is now the Beeb have wasted an opportunity to make good use of Alesha, as she could have been a very popular presenter, but it looks like she'll have a hard time as a judge.

With all the negative publicity, I think Alesha herself must be wondering if she made the right decision in accepting the job. After all, she surely knows she is unqualified to judge?

There is surley another twist to come in this- the Beeb surely can't ignore this just for the sake of their own vanity

And I wonder what Alesha is thinking after all the bad press

I think those expecting Alesha to resign are on a hiding to nothing. She's already been on the downward fame slide once, so she knows how quickly the offers and the money can dry up. Expecting her to break contract on an extremely well-paid job on a prestige show (in the middle of a credit crunching recessiony economic downturn etc etc et bloody cetera) because she's "not qualified" is almost certainly only going to end up in disappointment.

Personally I wouldn't even say she's not qualified. She's not qualified to judge a proper dancing competition sure but that's not what this is. There's not even a set criteria for what the judges are supposed to be marking on and even if there were they don't stick to it half the time (and that half's being generous). The problem with hiring Alesha isn't that it somehow changes the show. It just makes it more obvious to people who try to kid themselves otherwise how the show has been all along.

Either she's obviously worse than the current judges and she's a laughing stock, or she's just as good, and it becomes really obvious that anybody really could do what the judges do, with a bare minimum amount of dance knowledge. It's lose-lose. It damages the veneer of respectability of the show as a dance competition, and to an awful lot of viewers who want to invest their chosen woobie doing well in the show with some sort of meaning, that's going to hurt their desire to watch.

Surely they can't, but probably they will, unfortunately.

Not just vanity, but arrogance too.

I don't believe for one moment that Alesha will resign; but I do think she is probably feeling a tad uncomfortable.

I don't think that anyone can do what the judges do without some dance knowledge. Alesha proved when dancing with Matt that she has no idea of correct timing (which is of paramount importance) or when legs should be straight or when the knees should be softened - 2 of the most basic elements of ballroom/Latin.

We can all, with or without dance knowledge, have an opinion on who we like best, and that is what the public vote is for.

But the judges job is to judge the best dancing and that means technique and quality.

Given the quality of the judges comments and scores in general over the years, I honestly think you could put any articulate charismatic lay person who'd watched, say, 2 series of the show, give them some pretend dance credentials a la Faking It, and they could bluff their way through an entire series as a judge. Easy.

In that sense, anybody (within reason obviously - I couldn't do it because I come across as a stuttering idiot on camera (and often off camera)) could do what the judges do. The difference is we KNOW Alesha has no experience and qualifications so this suddenly becomes very, very obvious. Again, if she does well.

Just Googled 'woobie' -

Two good points there, and so well put that I almost agreed. It may not be so any more but I think when it started it was a proper dance competition. I don't think it was a veneer of respectability, I think it was actual respectability. What undermined it was the aberration of the public vote which reached its apotheosis last year when people were taken in by John S. The last thing the show needs is a 'public' representation on the panel further undermining what little credibility it has left.

As for her likely performance, let's be honest, Alesha will simply not be allowed to fail. I would imagine that, under the threat of a lost or terminated contract, everyone involved in the show will toe the party line and proffer support.

Arlene's was a unique presence on the panel; she combined authoritative opinion on hold, posture and technique with a knowledge and desire of how those technical elements should be presented. Alesha can't be as good at that because she simply doesn't have the experience so she'll change her approach to that of an 'informed' everyman - as the BBC press release suggested. The trouble is, that's what the public vote is for. We don't need to have been through the training, we've seen the VT, we've followed the contestants, we know how hard it is because we can see it for ourselves. We don't need Alesha (or anyone else) for that but that's all she can offer.

The chances are the viewing figures will remain high (I'll still be watching), everyone involved will support Alesha in public and the question will be asked 'What was the fuss about?'

Well the fuss was about the fact that it's still good, but it used to be better.

Its one of my fave words

Spot on.


Right up there with numpty for me!

I actually think it's more of a dance competition now than it was when it started. If you look at the results of series 1 they're more or less random. The best dancer finished 5th out of 8. The worst dancer of the whole series finished 2nd.

John Sergeant was no more an apotheosis of the public vote than Chris Parker, Julian Clary or Kenny Logan, and if he'd stuck around and finished 3rd/4th (as he definitely would, at best - at the hands of the judges if the public not turning on him in favour of Austin or Tom) that could have been made obvious.

The show's always been a weird mix of dance competition, popularity contest, Mills & Boon romance novel projection festival, anti-authoritatarian smash-up (in a very polite BBC way) and debate on the role of men and women in dance. Where Alesha fits into all that God only knows.

What a ridiculous comparison