for the voice of sanity! You have said exactly what I think, and many others too I bet. We watch because the dance part is what we like. The rest of it can always be 'muted' or fast forwarded. Altho' these days it reduces my viewing of the show down to about 20 mins!

That describes me to a T

I'm bothered by the judging (and Alesha being there, though I love watching her sing and dance) and Bruce - that Stone joke was, as said, utterly crass - what if Jo it still hurting deep down? What a thing to say just before she goes out to dance?

I look on X-factor as more of a children's and teens' programme - I recorded an episode last night, thinking I should give it a chance. It turned out to be a "selection" episode, I couldn't take more than a couple of minutes of the mawkishness.

parthena

I criticise it - but only because it has potential and I am sure it can improve and I do enjoy much of it.

I wouldn't even watch X-files (is that what it's called?) if you paid me. Like Parthena I think it's just for kids.

The reason my family and I watch it is because it's good Saturday night TV, and the barking mad Claudia is always entertaining. Yes, there are things about it I'd change, but nothing is so bad it would make me stop watching. Nor would I come on here to moan incessantly about it.

Bruce is hard to replace, but come the time I'm sure the BBC will find someone suitable. Tess - well, at least it's not Holly Dolly or Fearne Cotton.

Singers aren't consistently great, but I still prefer the live band and singers to taped music.

I'd like the whole thing to come from Blackpool, and maybe the set is as cardboard as Crossroads - but so what??

My biggest bugbear is the panel, and now Arlene is gone that's pretty well solved. I'd like the panel to be more like DOI. I'd like an odd number of judges, and think 5 is ideal. I'd like the panel to be more representative of the viewers. I would like to see three dance based judges (current 3 are fine), and two lay people. That's why to me, Alesha is absolutely the right choice. Some on here don't seem to grasp the fact that the majority of people who watch aren't dancers and aren't remotely interested in taking it up either. We just enjoy the show. Also, you don't NEED to have a wholly dance industry judging panel - it was the downfall of the format in the last two series ("Dancing Pig" and constant overmarking of people they want to keep out of the dance off that they know we don't vote for). The pure dance show of Come Dancing is dead - SCD is a different format with much wider mass appeal with an unfortunately similar title. In fact, the title put me off watching the first two series. I just saw a glimpse of one of the series 3 shows at my sisters, and got hooked then. The title of the show should never have been SCD.

But despite some minor aspects above I'd like to change, we just love the show as a family.

Again - if you really hate it that much just don't watch it.

what worked for me last night was ,after x factor came on an hour after scd ,i switch over watched x factor taped the rest of scd and watched it after the x factor.

it was great i had 3 shows to watch.

and although i am not one of bruce's biggest fans ,i do think allot of things he has to say are not his ideas most of the time.

its layed out in advance.

I love SCD and judging by some of the posts/threads on here I'm amazed that it's still going! I've watched it since day one and there are only two things that I haven't really liked about the format:
[list]The results show on a Sunday (mind you lurking in the results thread page on a Saturday night/Sunday morning was fun)[/list][list]Arlene leaving[/list]
Even though I thought Arlene went way over the top with her criticism of JS and should have kept comments just for when she was on the show, I am missing her. This is in no way a criticism of Alesha, (who I think for the most part is settling in quite nicely) but, for me it's not the same without Arlene. However, having said that, swapping an experienced judge for a trainee is not enough for me to switch over and watch the X-Factor, read a book, watch a DvD or even come on here week after week and do the Daily Mail's dirty work for them.

SCD is still a must watch in my house, and outside this forum I dissect the performances of faves and not so faves with like minded friends. We won't moan about the band, Bruce or even Tess. There are still a lot of couples in the programme we might say that we struggle to remember who's danced what but, on the whole we'll say how much we enjoyed the show.

Lynda's dress was bad but, as a regular viewer I know that every week someone is put into something that doesn't really suit them (whoever thought of putting Ali in that nappy thing deserves to be shot, and let's not forget poor Letitia Dean who spent most of her time on SCD being made to look like a sack of spuds).

Personally I don't watch SCD for the "guests" and yes Andy Williams was bad and yes the tap dancers weren't good. Yet we've also had some great guest performances over the years (Bette Midler actually made me cry when she was on) and I'm sure we'll get some more this year.

I love SCD and feel sorry for those who no longer want to watch it. I do feel some empathy for you all, because I must confess the JS debacle made me seriously consider not watching this series. The show had become far too serious and the entertainment element had all but disappeared. However, I'm glad I didn't defect to the X-Factor as I'm loving the show. We've a really good mix of dancers this year and SCD is fun again. Yes there is still some over-marking, and yes the judges do have their obvious favourites but, I've reluctantly accepted without these, it wouldn't be SCD.

To those who want to:
[list]change the judges[/list][list]get rid of Bruce[/list][list]watch with the mute button on[/list][list]get rid of Tess[/list][list]get rid of the good dancers[/list][list]get rid of the bad dancers[/list][list]get rid of the band[/list][list]stop the audience clapping[/list]
may I ask what would be left of the programme that millions of viewers up and down the country tune into every Saturday night and thoroughly enjoy?

Oh and to those who want the forum colour changed, there wouldn't be anything to discuss if all of the above were implemented.

Loved Bette Midler. In fact, I was in the studio audience that day. She recorded her bit before the live show - which was just as well because she forgot the words on the first take! We were seated in a funny little corner, and tended to watch the monitor as we could see it better than the dance floor, and made the embarrasing faux-pas of being the only one of the audience whooping and clapping when they played the tape back as part of the live show! The floor manager told everybody before the show to clap and cheer to support and encourage the celebs, and I forgot it was a recording as I was enjoying it so much!

Nice story and interesting too, Stewie. Good to get an insider's eye view

parthena

Awwww, what a nice story. Please note my keyboard has gone a lovely shade of green!

It's a shame; we don't seem to have as many experiences posted from those who go to the show. I'm sure people used to post more regularly in previous series and it would be far more interesting than the usual slating off anyone who isn't your fave..

That was totally bizarre, wasn't it? I wondered for a moment if the footie ad was another of Brucie's tasteless jokes to do with Kristina and Joe's relationship and perhaps she did too.

In fairness to Bruce he was probably instructed to make the football reference. Most of the country didn't think the match was going to be aired anywhere except the internet. So for the Beeb to get the highlights was a coup. With so little time to advertise it anywhere SCD was probably their best bet. Can you imagine the football mad husbands reluctantly watching SCD and hearing that news and the wives groaning!

Again, a lot of people might not like football but, for those who wanted to see the game it must have been great news.

And the Beeb was forbidden to pre-announce the programme "for contractual reasons", so SCD was their only big chance to get the news out.

parthena

I'm a big Brucie fan - just for sheer nostalgia's sake.
By the same token, I like the faintly end of the pier feel of the whole show - the glamour of the dancing and the frocks, the slightly amateur feel of the rest of it. Again, it's nostalgic, warm, Saturday-evening viewing, and it works for me. I really wouldn't watch something that was transatlantically slick or over-theatrical.
Apart from anything else, the format of SCD doesn't take itself too seriously, it's only about dancing, after all.

What I would like is to have fewer contestants, so that the programmes were shorter; and that the contestants were chosen/hired from among people who had the possibility of being able to achieve. Not being a dancer but willing to give it a go, is one thing; but the humiliation value of Lynda and Natalie and, in the past Letitia Dean, in fact all the big women has just been unkind. Yes, LD improved a lot but picking large ladies with no dancing history just seems unkind, the creating of a freak show by allowing the judges to comment negatively about personal appearance rather than ability/performance. Men who have shown no aptitude, the Dancing Pig and, this season, the Block of Wood are just as embarrassing. Cruel is never funny for me.

5 judges is a good idea.

I didn't hear the Stone Joke - oh, I just got it as I wrote it. Duh. You mean she hasn't really lost weight? I'd been going to say I'd be delighted if anyone thought I'd lost a stone. Oh. Got it now.

aww liking something in the uk means we moan about it
it means we care
silly to be so literal about it all
look at us all talking and sharing and questioning and criticising and laughing and moaning and wishing and hoping and expecting.. its Fab-U-Lous in my view and a great great message board. Im loving it here xxx

But I still like watching the dancing!

It's all the cr*p that goes with it that's putting me off.

I love SCD but that's it, I won't be watching it anymore. The mix of celebs this year is just wrong. The ones who can dance have no personality and the ones with personality can't dance.

I tried, I really tried, to enjoy this year's bunch, but the nerves, lack of personality and just general lack of talent has tipped me over the edge. It's such a shame because I really loved the show.

Finally, Alesha hasn't helped. Her lack of knowledge, lack of basic grammar and just general all-round ineptitude has spoiled the panel for me too.

And that's my moan over with for today.

Yeah, that was so funny, he seemed to have completely lost his marbles there! The audience was stunned into silence. And Len quickly commented on the dance as if Bruce didn't say anything completely unrelated to Strictly.

Yeah, try moaning nearer Christmas, when the show's almost to end. Gosh I can't even bare to think about it.

I share most of the sentiments as the rest of you with regards to this years Strictly. This year, all the small elements that make Strictly what it is, just don't seem to be working;

Celebrities - Most are boring and dull as dishwater
Judging panel - Alesha is flat and Bruno is too enthusiastic
Format - 2+hrs is giving the show a slow pace
PR Disaster - The press are really giving SCD a kicking this year aren't they?

One of the problems that Strictly has had from day one is the production standards, which are poor. I've seen clips from international versions of SCD, and they look so superior compared to ours. I don't think this can be improved much as BBC Entertainment are pretty much hopeless. On a positive note though, the lighting this year is pretty impressive, especially the image projection on the dancefloor.

If TPTB go back to basics for next year and manage to get a better line up of celebs, strictly should be back to it's best. This year feels like a precipise for the show, like being on a cliff edge. It'll go one way or the other.

Strictly is one of my TV highlights of the year and I'm still going to be an avid viewer and support it as much as possible, but it's like the old saying goes, "If it's not broken, don't fix it"...otherwise, it will break. And in this case, that sentiment is quite true

If you thought Bruce's dubious joke about Jo Wood and her Stone was bad, there was much worse on the X-Factor, of which I watched the last four acts after SCD finished.

Danni Minogue basically challenged the last contestant about his sexuality (and this on live TV?!) and repeated what she said word for word when his reaction showed he actually hadn't understood what she was on about.
Poor thing must have been expecting a comment on his stage performance, how naive of him.

This was the first time I've seen that show and frankly, despite some undoubted talent on show, it seems a show about and for callow youth. The artists seem to be either certs for a recording contact, or easy targets for the judges and audience. None of them are overcoming a lifetime of inhibitions, they're all just living their dream.

Sorry to the OP for "Going off on one".

@Laura:-
I was one of those that did report on their visit to the show. This thread is from last year. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s...d.php?t=902350
Note it was from the time when we had the Saturday Spoiler threads.

The big problem with it this year is it's on for too long. By the time the 10th/11th dance is taking place, I'm just looking at the clock and thinking "God, how much longer?"

They need to break up the main show and the results show. I don't see why they can't put the Lottery in between.

Contrarily, I'm sorry when all the dances are over


Heaven forfend - where's me skip button?

parthena

I don't know about 2 hours being too long but I agree about the entertainment after the dances has ended. There seems to be a lot of faffing about that could be gotten rid of. The story of what it feels like to get a 10 was a bit much.

I enjoy the dances but when they end is when I start looking at the clock. I keep thinking what will we have to endure tonight before the results come in.