Watch out for tomorrow's Mirror where they're going to publish complete details of some of the artists' contracts from last season. The jist will be that the BBC is wasting license-payers' money on a programme that always underperforms in comparison with X Factor and why should we be paying good money for old farts, racists, sexists, ageists, etc., etc.

Enjoy SCD7; it could be your last!

how can a show with over 4 million viewers be cancelled?

Surprisingly easily if the beeb thought they'd found a new show that could bring in 8 million I'm afraid.

'Old farts, racists, sexists, ageists, etc etc' That sounds more like a cross-section of the staff at a tabloid newspaper tbh

It's happened to Big Brother

But BB hasn't been getting 4 million viewers for ages now: Its average this year was about two million.

There's no way Strictly is going anywhere, it's one of the BBC's biggest rating successes.

I very, very hope so!

Not only that the tour is a cash cow for the Corporation.

I wonder how far the BBC has been stung by the furore of the calibre of the celebs? Journalists having to " Google" who some of them were, when they were announced.

My complaint here is that there are always too many celebs from soaps, so I never know who they are.

OT, read at the weekend Richard Armitage does a mean Argentine tango but would refuse to do SCD as he'd have to "be himself" *fans herself quickly*

Richard Armitage! *Goes to a happy place*

I'm probably odd, but I actually prefer it when I don't know much about the 'celebs' - fewer preconceptions that way.

I agree I just wish we had more of a "mix" of different backgrounds.

Yeah.
Far too many Eastenders and the like....

Oh god thats me gone for the day....*thud*

Fairly normal for the papers. The wages are a non-story, so they have to dress it up with a lot of opinion.

The Stephen Gately 'Eight hour binge/vomit death.' story, shows how wary people should be.

Change that to 8 million.

well that little day dream is definitely going to help the day go a bit quicker *sighs*

I think that the Xfacor PR machine are not blamless in the anti-strictly coverage. It is possible that they may have been promised certain info/exclusives etc. in return for not backing the competition.

I think its more that bad news sells and good news doesn't.

its publicity...
more of it...
this is the biggest scd yet!
so much media coverage!

The SCD format is one of the BBC's biggest money spinners and makes millions especially from the USA version.

Oh dear . The other day in the 'Anton making racist comment' thread, I said that the press were out to tarnish SCD this year with the press moving on to different damaging stories every week or so. This 'celeb fees' story is the next one. Stories so far;

-Arlene being axed
-Alesha being hired
-One show format
-Clash with X Factor
-2+hrs running time
-Anton Du Beke's "racist" comment
-Brucie wading in on the above row
-Fee's payed to celebrities.

It's all to make SCD/BBC look bad, and to make ITV/X Factor look brilliant.

With regards to this celeb fees story, personally, I couldn't care less about how much the beeb spend on their programmes/chaneels. I hate sports, but the beeb spends hundreds of millions every year on sports and sports related shows. I don't like Radio 1 or Radio 3 or Radio 4, but the beeb spend millions on those stations. You've got to spend money to make decent shows, if the beeb spent a pittance on their shows, people would complain about that. Specifically with strictly, it is one of their biggest shows and is the most succesfully exported format ever. To me, this justifies the budget for SCD.

You've gotta love the press in this country

But C4 ratings are hugely lower in general to the BBCs so it's all relative.

I haven't really been on the forums but SCD can't only have 4m viewers! That's ridiculous surely???? More like 8 - 10m???

Oh and the BBC won't axe it - no way jose.

Seriously, Strictly isn't going anywhere, it is one of the biggest money spinners for the BBC, the tour makes a lot of money too and it is now officially the most popular talent/reality show in the world, with the format being sold to many countries worldwide.
It's a shame the media have nothing nice to say about Strictly, but as they say, there is no such thing as bad press.

If anything's going to go anywhere, it's Trinity Mirror's newspaper business, which is on its knees.

Well said and let's not forget that most of this is coming from News International who we all know have an anti-BBC agenda.

Is anyone still watching Strictly? I was an avid fan last year, but I've been utterly bored this year. Brucie has gone from being a national treasure to a national joke. Even with its miming controversies, X Factor blows Strictly out of the water. Hopefully, 'So You Think You Can Dance' will fill the void. Come on Arlene!