I agree that bit did male me uncomfortable, but if Brucie hadn't brought it up first I don't know if it would have been as uncomfortable.

Hopefully now that's the 'Alesha and Matthew' bit out of the way now though, and it won't be referred to again.

(Until Brendan or James end up on Claudia's couch some week after they've done badly and Matthew hasn't. I can just hear them now - after all, they weren't shy about making their feelings about Karen known, so why should Alesha be any safer?)

I don't feel sorry for Alesha at all. She should have known that SCD is not about the judges at all, whereas on TXF they are of equal importance, if not more so than the contestants.

I loved Alesha when she was a contestant but last night I didn't see the need for her at all. At times it was as if she was stuck for something to say. Just telling Lynda that she was 'fierce' is hardly constructive or helpful in the slightest.

It did occur to me, when the advert for 'So You Think You Can Dance?' did appear, as to why the BBC didn't have Alesha on there. It strikes me as a young person's show and Alesha would have been alright at it.

But she was fair in her mark to Matt and Martina, she gave them a 6 so hardly the highest rank of the night.

I feel for her in the sense that its not her fault shes there, she didnt ask for Arlene to be fired and whop turns down a high profile job when offered .

But it just didnt gel last night, maybe it will improve as it goes along but she knows as we know she is not a professional, her comments cannot be anything other than personal opinion and I think she must feel that as well.

If they wanted to add someone young they could have done it and kept Arlene, they could have upped the scores to 50 and added Aleisha as a judge speaking on behalf of the viewers , so in effect giving a less critical opinion and more on behalf of the audience and public.

All i can say is that she looks out of place and i feel sorry for her really

Yes, she was. I didn't think she was overly kind to them. I felt that she was uncomfortable - or that I'd have been uncomfortable in her place, perhaps. If I was her, I'd feel under pressure not to give them too much, a bit like some children of teachers have a hard time in school. But it did feel to me unfair in that she couldn't really be impartial.

Feel sorry for Alesha?

Hell no.

She's earning a packet for delivering comments that I could come up with.

Adore her as a person, singer and as an amateur dancer, but cannot take a word of what she says as a judge seriously.

Er.....

No.

I can see that she's doing the Carrie Ann Inaba role, and she's equally as much of a spare part on DWTS. She fills a seat and looks good. Otherwise, I or most people on here could say what she said last night pretty much.

hear, hear

I think she looked very comfortable and as if she was having a good night.

Do we need 4 professional dance judges? I don't think so. The technical side and in-depth critique of the choreography can be covered by Len, Bruno and Craig. Alesha is there to empathise with the celebs and judge their development during the competition. I would have liked Arlene to stay but think Alesha deserves a chance. She is arguably judging from a more informed stance than Ruthie Henshall on Dancing on Ice and even Cheryl "Nation's Sweetheart" Cole on X Factor as Cheryl is not even an accomplished enough singer to be called a "good amateur". Cheryl adds value to XF through her personal experience from Popstars and Alesha's SCD experience must qualify her to comment on some level, albeit a different one to the professional dancers. I hope she gets a bit more opinionated but I think it will bring a nice balance to a panel that has had a huge technical focus in previous series.

I do feel sorry for her. I've met Alesha and she is a lovely girl.
All these nasty comments are just uncalled for.

I like Arlene as much as anyoen eles but nothing lasts forever. People really need to move on!!

Alesha is fantastic in everything she does, including being a judge on SCD. It is a given that she is not a professional dancer, but she is an entertainer and her opinions concerning entertainment have tremendous value.

Surely we don't equate happiness merely to looks or salary! Personal criticism usually hurts and whether it's deserved or not, I still feel for Alesha, who can't be totally immune to the volume of ill will directed at her.

This is my first year watching so am not sure I should comment on Alesha's commenting skills etc.

I remember watching the whole Arlene saga unfold in the press though, and was not sure what was going on...someone said she bullied someone out of the show? I can't even remember the reason the beeb gave...someone help me out

Arlene is going to do "So you think you can dance...UK" so she will be ok won't she?
I like the US version of that show.

Great post. The problem with the completely technical panel in previous years was that the public seemed to love nothing more than to vote for the person they gave the fewest votes to, or rubbished the most. Probably because the public were looking at improvement, or effort, or sheer entertainment value, more than the technical side of things. Now if it were still "Come Dancing", with people who are ACTUALLY involved in a dance competition, it would be highly inappropriate to have a non expert judge. But this is a light entertainment show, which is often more like a popularity contest. And Alesha has the dimension of having been the winner of a previous series, despite not being an early favourite to win. She has her place on this panel.

As for the "Matthew bias" - I doubt very much that she will ever offer criticism of his choreography, etc. She will focus on the CELEB, not the professional, which is the appropriate thing to do. Let those who are more experienced in choreography give any necessary praise or roastings to the professionals.

So was she normal (and not OTT), or subdued?

I think I prefer her a bit "toned down". If she'd had that laugh going full blast all night, I'd have been looking for something to smash into tiny pieces.

I agree but for the exact opposite reason. She was rubbish!

She's also marking, and if empathising biases that, as it easily could (a bias towards Linda and Natalie is already detectable), ...?

Judging the dancers' development requires expertise she lacks.

However, I agree that Alesha should be given (more of) a chance. I mean, come on! It's been only one night.