Whatever next - two of the biggest guest are out of the race already?? Oops!

First this story:

http://entertainment.stv.tv/tv/11244...-come-dancing/

Then this one! http://entertainment.stv.tv/tv/11249...uite-strictly/

Perhaps this Jay Hunt pressed the self destruct button by mistake.

the BBC valiantly trying to cover things up but it doesnt really ring true more like an act of desperation.

I can't see why two reports by STV (ITV in Scotland) means SCD is falling apart?

Jay Hunt should be sacked for this- if she had any shame about her she would resign

The BBC "never lie" but they are sometimes economical with the truth.

My guess is that they hadn't signed either.

But an offer could have been made a while back, some time taken by possible contestants considering the offer, which has recently been declined.



It's like the old question, "Who chooses the dances?"

The professional dancers and the BBC have said in the past, that the pros choose the music.

What they don't say is that it's chosen from a short list of tunes provided by the production department.

See? No lies there either.

Don't forget that the BBC has to get permission (and pay) to use the music on SCD. They probably choose a large selection of songs and get permission for them all before the series even starts because there might not be enough time to do it from week to week.

I understand their are costs involved but it is not fai to penalise the pros by cutting their pay just to accomodate someone else who it is reported is being paid to the tune of £100k

I don't think copyright has ever been a problem for the BBC.
If they were using someone's recording it might be a bit more difficult, but not the use of sheet music.

The point I was making was that the producers influence the choice, so the programme sometimes ends of with stuff like Elenor Rigby, instead of always sticking to recognised ballroom dance tunes of any era.

A case of pandering to what the BBC considers as "Yoof" again.

But that isn't what is happening. Everyone at the BBC is being paid less, not just the pros (if the reports are even true). Even people like Terry Wogan and Jonathan Ross. It isn't about part of someone's pay being paid to someone else.

Well how is it that Alesha is reportedly on 100K - that is hardly fair- she should take a pay cut- is it fair that she gets money of that ilk- while the pros are on a third of that- and they do all the work

If you worked out the pay per hour for Ross and Wogan and the SCD judges and then compared it to the six months of pretty much exclusive hard work put in by the pro dancers, £35,000 by any TV standards of pay, isn't much.
I remember too the huge distances Camilla was following Roger Black around Europe, just to get the job done.

I'm not sure about that.

I agree the producers tell the couples what music they will be dancing to, but as memmh says it is from a list originally supplied by each pro before the series starts (this has been confirmed by pros).

The show has never stuck to recognised ballroom/Latin music and it you look at performances by pro couples on YouTube, it is the same there. Pros are always thinking about what would be a good piece of music to dance to, no matter what era it comes from. They obviously want their performances to be distinctive, so choosing a widely recognised song is an easy way of doing this.

Too right- and I bet she had to pay for that herself

Firstly, we don't know how much Alesha will be paid and secondly the other judges were reportedly earning £90k last year and you can hardly expect her to accept less than they are getting paid. She can't take a pay cut if she's never had any pay to cut. The BBC have made it quite clear they never disclose salaries as it is commercially sensitive information.

You know how often the pro dancers' salaries are discussed on here, so you know the reasons they don't walk away from the show is that firstly, they are getting well paid compared to what they could earn in the same period without SCD and secondly, they have become household names because of SCD and that has made them much more bankable outside of SCD.


Again, I would point out this is the world of showbiz not the real world and fairness has absolutely nothing to do with it, only the market value of an individual.

How many pros have walked away saying the pay is too low?

I doubt that very much.

No, I don't think she'd have to pay her own fare and accomodation, the BBC would have seen to that, but it would have meant she'd have had some long days.

For the pros, it's pretty much a fulltime job and they won't be able to commit to other stuff and though they benefit from "the exposure" it does restrict their opportunity to take on other work.

The problem is that they cannot afford to walk away from it- the Beeb know they really need the money- so just cut their pay

My main beef as regarding wages is that those who sit and open their mouths get paid more by some distance while the pros who work round the clock get only a fraction- there is some disparity

My understanding was the judges got about 50k last year, which curiously enough was about 50k more than Bruno should have got

*Sorry about bringing 'the joke-r' up again but it's a fixation I have*

I think that's a beef most of us have footygirl
Last edited by SideshowStu : 29-07-2009 at 18:02

The show is falling apart because it doesn't have Richard Madeley and Sharon Bloody Osborne on it?

OK...

You do realise they ask a lot of people who turn them down? And equally they put out a lot of prelimnary feelers to people which are then snatched away (the roll-call of Hollyoaks actors who were asked, only to be told "actually..." once the show realised they could do better is lengthy)

At any rate I'm sure the show will survive without that shrieking hosebeast on it.

I can't believe that Bruce is on £500,000 down from £660,000 Apologies to his fans but in my honest opinion he just isn't worth that!!

I personally would rather see the Chuckle Brothers on the show than those two, and that really is saying something.

Having said that, if the stuff about budget cuts is true, my nightmare may still yet come true...What a terrible thought

First 'woobie', now 'hosebeast' - I am learning some fabulous new words on here at the moment! What a perfect word for this occasion! Thank you!

Falling apart due to the number of negative stories coming out along with "stars" appearing to be at odds with the offer on the table, and rumours of others not wanting to take part.

The drip, drip, drip of seemingly negative publicity (even if it is unfounded) can in itself do great damage.

Oh there always have been negative stories. As soon as 16 celebs turn up with 16 pros on opening night all this "THE SHOW IS IN A LAST MINUTE DASH TO FIND CELEBRITIES!" (such rubbish) will be forgotten. Unfortunately the public care far less about the pros than people on here (sadly, because I think they deserve at least a pay freeze) so if anything they'll come away with a positive image of the BBC finally doing something about their "stars obscene salaries".

The Arlene stuff might last, because God knows the public hasn't worked itself into a total PC meltdown in about a year, but this is small potatoes.

In other news, Barak Obama, Brad Pitt and Pope Benedict XVI have all pulled out as well.

I suppose the fact that they were never in the show or indeed hadn't started rehearsals makes it a good story.

Folks, it's nearly August, there's no news and all media are scratching around for stories. If everyone is going to believe everything they read in the press it's going to be a long five months