I'm enjoying it too though my only problem is that (for me) it's too long. But then I sky+ it every week to watch later so I fast forward through some parts. I also sky+ X-factor too and watch that too but I much prefer SCD!

I would agree that it is a bit too long. But as I have to record it and watch it later (as daughter gets priority over tv on Sat nights) then I just skip boring bits.

Not to deny that some people might not be that into it this year, but we do see this thread pretty much year-on-year. And outside the forums, fellow Strictly followers ALWAYS say, "ooh, it's not that good this year" and yet in a few weeks, they will be just as hooked.

I wonder if maybe this year with the couples coming together a lot sooner that it doesn't give as much time for favourites to develop. The show is a jot on the long side, I would agree, and it's easy to forget a few of the blighters in the jumble.

It always takes a few weeks to settle down though, and I'm sure this series will be no different.

If anything, ITT seems better already this year (though I've never not enjoyed it). There aren't too many annoying couples and the pack is still fairly even.

Even Tess is becoming a sadistic pleasure. Worrying times!

Might this cheer you up Sid.

Mwaah, mwaah.

The dance-off recaps the worst, as if the first time was not bad enough. Perhaps the judges(?) and the management think car crash TV beats feelgood TV.

The dance off is nothing but a sham to enable:

1. A big name celeb eg Stephanie Beacham/Martina Hingis who only wants to do one week of the show to be voted off at the end of the first show.

2. The show to have a longer running time so Match of the Day can be shown after 10pm without too many other filler programs having to be found. The BBC aren't allowed to show MOTD before 10pm.

3. The likes of Sargent/Calzaghe/GMTV woman to be kept in the show regardless of how bad they are, as it puts media attention on to the show and away from X Factor.

It is indeed if you spell it this way: trepidation.

I believe Camilla went from choice - but I too feel Karen should have stayed.

I too found Alesha's appointment to the judging panel inappropriate. I think I made my point with much emphasis, so on this occasion I'll be succinct: inexperienced and insulting to the pros.

Not really, provided you put your money where your mouth is and vote for them!

They're my favourites.

Don't. I still mourn Aled and will never forgive Julian Clary for depriving him of a place in the final.

[LIST][*]Denise was my favourite when Jill won. [*]Ramps and Karen were a dream partnership. [*]I thought Zoe a better dancer than Goughie, but I think the tears and the 'luviness' cost her the public vote. (Poor Ian thwarted again.)[*]Last year my pick was Rachel and Vincent, although in the early days I voted for Mark Foster, because I have a soft spot for the athletes.[/LIST]

Well I’m really enjoying it so far, it’s a shame a couple of my favourite pros have gone out so far but they all have to go out at some point, unless they get to the final or win of course! There are a couple of other niggles that I have but nothing enough to really bother me enough to stop watching.

Bruce, bless him, should make this his last year he always fluffs it a bit but he really does seem to be struggling this year. I’ve never liked Tess , so I’d be happy for them to replace her as well. I don’t know who I’d have to replace them but a presenting change would not be a bad thing next year imo. And would go a long way to freshening up the show.

I miss Karen and Camilla, imo. the BBC should’ve snapped one of them up if they were thinking of replacing Arlene. That being said, I do think Alesha’s doing okay and getting better each week .

I agree about the Sunday results, I b#tched and moaned about it when they first switched it to Sunday but I actually miss having two lots of strictly rather than one big chunk. It would’ve been much, much better if they’d split the two bits with Merlin in the middle imo.

The singing this year has been dire at times, but I appreciate it can’t be easy to have to cover so many styles, and I do love having a live band rather than them playing a recorded track.

The biggest thing that really grates on me to the extent that I actually yell at the TV at times , is the truly awful camera work. But that’s not a new thing this year it’s been an ongoing issue with strictly that doesn’t look like changing no matter how many times we complain about it! That is one thing that might stop me watching in the end, more than anything else, because I fail to see the point of a dancing show, where you can’t actually appreciate the dancing because the camera is whirling around manically.

It's early days really in terms of this series, but overall I love Strictly as much as I ever have.

Gosh I find this thread amazing. It just goes to show you can't please all of the people all of the time. Since series 4 I'd been going through the motions with Strictly and didn't really engage with the forum or the spin-off series. This year I'm totally immersed in it and it's back to being a "can't miss" for me.

Hello sexy

Yes, it's a start

x x x

Goodness me - where will it end.

Remember last year Sid? You and I didn't see eye to eye, yet we managed to resolve our differences without invective or insult.

Those were the days, my friend. (nostalgic smiley).

I like to think it was down to sexual chemistry between us Ignazio - it brought out the passionate side in us both

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoy your posts now (even the pompous ones *ducks*), especially when you start quoting Chaucer and the like!!

The Dishy Dane is feeling hurt Sid!



Another thing I am liking this year is the top quality dancing from the celebs. I am not sure if there has been another year where so many of them have been this good. Makes it much more of an exciting competition.

Tell him there's more than enough Sid to go round!

And I agree that the standard is very high. But I'm not sure that's a positive for me. I prefer seeing everyone start from scratch, a little bit rough around the edges, and then develop before us.

Ali and Ricky seem to know it all already.

Tart!!!

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It always has been, IMO! I always focus on the pro dancers during that part of the show, and try to ignore the singing...

I'm glad the Sunday results show is no more, but I do agree that the spoiler threads were nice =).

I am not obsessed this year.
Too many dancers.
Too long.
The Alesha-thing.

I still watch the dancing though.

I am biding my time.

I didn't get 'hooked' last year, until about the fifth week, I think. I keep trying to remember that.

I love watching the dancing and ITT is great this year.

Last year was just thrilling for me - better than series 5 where I had no clear favourite, but liked Gethin a bit more than Matt and Alesha, though I liked them too.

I'm hoping that something 'clicks' with me and I start rooting madly for a couple - that always makes it more exciting. At the moment I like several of the couples and feel quite laid back.

But - it's early days yet and I'm biding my time.

I wish they'd ditch the dance-off. Who wants to see the lame ducks dance again?

Why not have a dance-off for the top spot that week? The winner (until later on in the series) gets a free pass and can't be eliminated in the next week.

My Latin teacher ran that incentive. If you got 100% in 3 consecutive tests then you didn't have to do the next one. I'd rather see the good dancers vying for position.

Can't wait for tonight, I love every minute of it, it's so lovely to have that couple of hours of sheer escapism when the rest of the world just ceases to exist. Pure magic.

I'd forgotten how depressing some peeps are on here!

If you watch religiously the same programme every year of course you're going to get bored of it. If you don't like it don't watch it. But purlease don't watch it & then moan endlessly, it's so boring for the rest of us.

Personally I'm enjoying this series much more than last year.

There's been some great dancing & some great comedy moments. Not even missing Arlene as much as I thought I would.

So if you don't like it - go & read a book.

I love this series so far.

Usually I'll have one or two favourites but this year I can't make my mind up and I'm happy about that. I like that the celebs aren't so well known. I'm enjoying getting to know them and I find the characters much more interesting then the last two years.

I liked having the two weeks of Friday/Saturday shows, but I think there are too many contestants still. But I also thought having everyone dancing the same two dances first off was really good.

I don't like Alesha but I don't dislike her either. For me I don't really care about her appointment anymore, she very rarely gives any information I'd be interested in listening to but I think most of her marking is pretty good. I miss Arlene a bit but then I never found her annoying to begin with I liked her comments.

Every year we have a thread like this, your always going to fall in and out of love with something like this for a majority of different reasons. Personally I love it, I didn't love it as much last year but I still loved it then. I'm enjoying this year for the reasons a lot of people don't seem to love it for.

As for DWTS I watched a few series but its just too showy for me. Strictly probably will never be as grand as DWTS because of the cost. The guests are never going to be that big as most of the big BIG bands etc will probably be going onto X-Factor and I'm guessing there might be a few contracts and agreements to mean most don't go on both shows.

But everyone is going to have a differing opinion on things like this, I just love it and watch it every week. Last year I could miss a show and not care, I could also miss ITT and not care, this year I've recorded every ITT and show and watch it more then once.