Now I really enjoyed that. Just goes to show you can't please all of the people all the time!

Anybody wondering how the show could be worse could always re-watch the last series and find out.

the saturday show has lost focus - dancers, couple of pro dances, a singer, result

that's all we want

shut your big chinny face Bruce, your 'jokes' suck

I love a good flashback or two meee

My problem with last year was how it ended rather than the mix of celebs/dancers taking part.

I never thought I'd say it but even Lisa Snowdon was vaguely entertaining, ok.......ok annoying, but at least her annoyingness (is that even a word? ) kept me awake and interested, well shouting at the tv.

I love this year's series!

Bruce annoys me at times but I am fully aware that he is the show in the eyes of many people.

Before you fire him, think of his potential replacement: Vernon Kay? Paul O'Grady? Graham Norton?

No thanks!

I still love Strictly but I'm looking forward to having less couples in it. At the moment, I just feel drained by the time the last dance comes on and I amn't as enthusiastic about hearing the results as I was last year.

I do miss Arlene as well, and the connection that the four judges had, and the long working relationship. Although something did need to be done with the panel - as the level of overmarking got out of hand last year. Alesha isn't as bad as I thought she was going to be. Although I could live with her toning down her laugh a bit. She seems to have stopped talking over the other judges as well, which drove me crazy in the first couple of weeks. I know she was enthusiastic but there was a real lack of decorum there.

But yeah, Strictly is still a great show. It will probably be a few more weeks before I can really start to enjoy it though. And once I've picked a couple to champion, I'll probably get really into it.

Having read all the posts on this thread, it appears to us, that the basic format of SCD is good, but with a little tweaking the show could be very good.

Having grown up with Brucie and his jokes, we are curious to know, how much input does he have. Have the feeling, it is very little because his ad-libs, which can be quite amusing are not as good as the jokes.

Yes, the show is long, but would rather watch the dancing (whether it is good or bad) than switch channels to view a program catering for children.

The BBC needed to turn SCD into a DWTS type show. Like X-factor has improved its production SCD has been left behind DWTS has better:

Dancing
Music
Hosts
Costumes
VT's
Pro's
Voting Format
Camera Work

It's just a better show. Ours is looking very tired and dated now. That said the new series of DWTS has suffered an alarming ratings dip! I put this down to them milking it to death though, they have two per year so it's on for nearly 26 weeks in total!

I've only ever seen a clip of DWTS - is it on Sky?

parthena

Funny you should say that.............

I've just finished watching the dances on youtube and reading the comments here and on the Strictly forum so I can keep abreast of what's happening.

I only watched the first two shows.
It used to be my favourite show, but Bruce has finished it off for me, together with the BBC's half hearted and ill considered attempt to bring in a younger audience by replacing a dance judge with a pretty singer.
The cameraman's apparent refusal to film anyone's feet is a bit of a problem for me too.

I wouldn't miss ITT, and I've seen a couple of DWTS and longed for a presenter like that who knows his place in the pecking order and doesn't think he owns the show.

It's finished for me, I'm afraid.

Please god no. I watched X Factor for the first time this week, and I don't think I've ever seen a more patronising, taudry, tacky show full of so little talent (including judges and presenter) in my life. It was like having someone read the Daily Star to you while being force fed watered-down lager in an English themed bar in a cheap package holiday resort. And then have them try and argue to you why the Daily Star represented serious journalism while using words of no more than one syllable. The fact that that gutter-level show gets some of the highest ratings on TV is frightening.

I think Strictly needs to improve it's production standards, but it can be done to make it slick and classy as opposed to slick and trashy like X Factor.

It amazes me that over 13 million people watched X Factor this weekend. I could understand if it was the best produced TV show in the world, but really it's just a karaoke show. People are watching it mostly for the brand and Simon Cowell. The same goes for Britain's Got Talent. There's no accounting for public taste

The best shows never get the highest ratings unfortunately.

Couldn't agree more about X-Factor :yawn:
(Why is there no vomiting smiley?)
As it overran SCD this week, I watched the last 4 acts.
Shan't be bothering again.

The big difference between the shows is that in Strictly, at least the majority of the celebs are really overcoming athletic shortcomings and/or psychological barriers every time they perform a new dance. The X-Factor is just a lot of starstruck youngsters, a few admittedly with some talent, who are into living their dream and not much else. It's for teens and older I-coulda-been-a-contenders, full stop.

By the way, Danni Minogue's comments to the final act left Bruce and Tess' banter about dropped stones etc way behind in the cringe stakes. She basically challenged the guy (a 20+ schoolteacher) to come out as gay, and repeated it almost word for word when she twigged that he hadn't got her drift. Alesha, Len, Bruno, Arlene - all is forgiven! (Don't need to forgive Craig as he is a Judging God)

I saw DWTS for the first time on Watch t'other day. IMHO, it seemed very flashy and brash with ridiculously over-the-top routines. Not what I'd like to see for Strictly at all dahling
One couple danced to the theme from the Muppet Show FGS!

I thought that too - if people complain about over marking SCD then DWTS marks are through the roof!

Me too and I know what you're saying about OTT routines. Some of them make me think "ferrets on speed"

I agree with OP- its not the actual set or whatever that bothers me, but comparing this to earlier series, then it just seems so dull in comparison.

Firstly, the celebrity dancers this year, are, by and large, uninspiring in their actual celebrity (Hingis & Calzaghe aside). Wheras previous years have through up some high profile names, such as Emma Bunton, Jodie Kidd, Kelly Brook, heck, even Gary Rhodes, this year seems stuffed full of BBC also rans like Chris Hollins and Rav Wilding, or semi-famous soap stars and starlets.

The judging panel isn't working, although its not the fullblown car crash it could have been.

I miss Series 3!

I am loving this series. After the disastrous last series, this one is more than living up to my expectations. The changes are great and there are many potential winners amongst this group of celebs.

For me there have been two negative things happen - Brendan and the chicken and the Anton and Laila incident. Neither of these have spoiled my enjoyment of the main show or ITT. Every series has had something the media had grabbed hold of, so in that respect this series is no different.

What is spoiling things for me is the huge influx of people on this board as a result of the Anton and Laila thing, who clearly do not even watch the show and are making a very good job at creating an unpleasant atmosphere on here, because they are using every chance they get to turn other threads into yet another Anton and Laila argument.

In no way am I implying that the Anton and Laila thing wasn't serious, but the reaction to it on here was completely out of proportion. Personally I am disappointed that DS felt it necessary numerous times to weed the main thread of offensive posts, but reopened it again and again. I have never seen this happen on here before. When is enough enough?

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and mine is I wish the stirrers would go back where they came from. We have enough arguments on here without them making things worse.

DWTS is very dumbed down and cheap. The presenters are stock US presenters from any decade since TV was invented. The judges give simple comments and nice marks. The standard of dancing doesn't seem very good - at least not this year. The voting gives the public a bit more say but thats because the US public votes a bit more responsibly and they havn't got an anti-judge vote going. They have no comedy from their presenter and less backstory to make anyone care.

Martina and Joe is twice as many well known people as you found in any other series. I don't see Phil as being a lesser celeb than Darren or Mark either.The rest of the casting is about the same - swap Jade for Colin or Denise, a jockey for a football player or two and Nathalie for anyone else from a main soap. Tom wasn't known better than Leila or Zoe or Ali.


Its hardly dull compared to last time when we had the JS saga removing better people and the public vote ignoring the best dancers. We have 4 contenders and if we can get rid of Joe and Phil and their fanclubs we might even get a final where the attractive male hasn't won before it starts.

But he's a lovely mover and a lively personality, what have you got against him?

parthena

It will never sink in with some people...but this sort of exaggerated criticism doesn't work with TV shows which the vast majority of viewers watch voluntarily in preference to a plethora of readily available alternatives. It just looks phony...slagging for the sake of it...a lame attempt to stimulate 'debate'.

There are all sorts of tweaks I would make to Strictly if I ruled the world...and it's perfectly legitimate to criticise the show...but ultimately I wouldn't be watching it if I was wondering how much 'worse' it could get...or I would, at least, recognise the incongruity of excessive and imbalanced nitpicking and whining. Perspective is your pal.

Poor old Jo cannot be allowed to put her sad year behind her with unappropriate jokes coming out of Bruce's mouth. She is a sweet lady who deserves better than that.

As for Lynda's dress, it was revolting. I also think that a lot of Natalie Cassidy's dresses have been pretty dire also.

it makes me laugh that half the FM don't even know what Bruce is joking about!!!