Does no one else recall the TV programme " Skippy , the Bush kangaroo"?

That is no doubt from where Craig's comment came .

He was referring to the tV show from the 60s and not Jo per se.

He obviously thought more viewers and audience members and Bruce certainly ( who is many years my senior! ) would remember .

Yes Skippy was a Bush kangaroo (wallaby) who JUMPED along (as kangaroos do).

Jo might not have been much good - but she skipped in her dance rather than jumped, and Craig's comment was just plain nasty and unecessary. Brendan (who I normally think of as an egotistical twerp) spends all week building up Jo's confidence and it must be frustrating for him to stand there and see Craigs fatuous comments shatter it in a few seconds.

Message to Craig - Criticism doesn't need to be nasty or personal, and it usually gets better results when its CONSTRUCTIVE rathen than your favourite DESTRUCTIVE!!

Maybe judges should take a little training in giving feedback

As a trainer myself by profession (not in dance i should add), we in turn are taught to give positive feedback at the end of any negative points - in Jo's case

"You skipped a lot of the time and the waltz should be smooth rise and fall like a waltzer - but you kept your frame throughout the dance and didn't make a single mistake"

so it's always urked me to see the judges either giving wholly negative feedback or negative feedback at the end, in turn leaving dancers unnecessarily deflated

However 'nasty' Craig's comments were they weren't any worse than 'drunken ragdoll' and he wasn't allowed to get the constructive part at the end because he was shouted down by Bruce. Same with Len shouting down Craig after Matt DA's meltdown we never got to see if he said anything contructive after the criticsm because someone lost their rag and how does that help the celeb if they are just in the middle of row between clashing egos?

Maybe Bruce and Len et all on the show are fed up with Craig's constant negativity??

He has ALWAYS made nasty and highly personal comments to the celebs none of which actually are constructive or helpful in any way. I'm just surprised that he hasn't yet been punched in the face (although Jan Ravens husband apparently came close.

Yes he's there to judge - but criticism should be objective and constructive - not just acidic sound bites designed to focus attention on the judge delivering them.

Like a lot of others, I actually think Craig's critiques are probably the best of the 4 judges - but I loathe the way he delivers them - its just unnecessary (and nasty!)

brendan is a big girls blouse and should grow up hes like a child storming off


jo woods getting on my nerves with this im so nervous ramble she does every week now shes not good and should go

Gotta say, I don't think Craig's comment was all that bad! I don't see what's worse about being called a bush kangaroo than being called a grasshopper! I think Bruce was a bit unfair on Craig. It's definitely not the worst thing Craig's ever said - rigormortis being an example...

"Hmm let's see - Clearly the worst dancer this year, how can I stay in the competition ? I know, I'll play up her helplessness and overreact to any critical comments, that way the audience will vote for us and we won't be in the bottom two."

I don’t think that Craig’s ‘kangaroo’ was any worse than Bruno’s ‘grasshopper’ or Alesha’s ‘drunken ragdoll’ or ‘dad at a disco’.

If he makes a comment it is personal, if the others comment, it is ok. Beats me.

I don't think that Bruce should have criticised Craig. He should be the impartital host of the show.

When Brendan walked away I couldn't help thinking about the sympathy votes. Maybe I am cyncial after all these years, but some pros are better than others at 'playing the game'.

And Brendan did look suitably embarrassed when the marks they got were not actually that bad .

Craig is honest , occasionally he veers towards the personal;; however he gives constructive criticism , which can be used for benefit and worked on n the training room.He looks for them to have worded on his suggestions week by week.
Len doesn't always do that , and Bruno has been far more personal and " cruel " in his comments .Alesha simply does not know what she is doing; she has no dance knowledge to call upon and she is rarely giving comments based on the contestant's viewpoint . I don't think the improvement in weeks 2 and 3 has been sustained .

Bruce really got on my nerves last night in general but I was so irritated by his attitude to Craig. Im sorry but how was that 'personal'? It was a reasonable comment considering the disaaaarrrster that was Jo's VW. Brenda was her usual stroppy self, bless him.

Agreed.

Nothing new about Brendan walking off, he has a PhD in walkouts in the back room. He is an impulsive man of action who does more than just think about it, but never vicious. In SCD5 when Len thundered at Kelly on account of her unambitious samba routine, Kelly having stayed at the bedside of her dying dad, Brendan stood there and held his tongue.

Nothing new about Craig. Camilla the neutral said Craig alone of the judges said such razor-sharp things that she used to spend the whole of Sunday building up her demoralised celebs again.

I have never seen the "Skippy the Bush Kangaroo" serial before. If Craig's remark came from unintentional word association much like Arlene's slip over Ola as the "Pole dancer from Poland" that could be an explanation, but unfortunate nonetheless.

Len won the UK Dance Championship once in the sixties, then promptly retired and spent decades teaching and judging. He has been through the mill and seen competition dancing from both sides. Craig reminds me less of an even-handed judge than the late George Carman QC, the most feared, most brilliant libel lawyer who found a sword to cut Gillian Taylforth to ribbons, reducing her to tears.

The scales of justice are balanced on the principle of proportionality. Any OTT poster breaching Forum rules will have his post removed with or without a slap on the wrist. The offender will not face instant expulsion accompanied by a slashing, unanswerable, Craigesque gibe.

Brendan was partnered with Fiona once, she not much worse than Jo. But Fiona did not try, and Brendan was furious. Jo the 60yo tries her heart out, and Brendan respects that. "Bush kangaroo" is no worse than "drunken rag doll", except that the speaker of the first has past form. The speaker of the second is rapidly acquiring the same.

Jo said on ITT that all her life she was overshadowed by family and husband, always playing second fiddle apologetically in the shadows. Looks like she cannot answer back and stand up for herself, a sweet ageing dizzy grannie. But Brendan has what it takes to stand up for her, and he did -- well done Brendan.

Had Brendan partnered Gabby or Lisa last night I doubt if he would have walked out. There is a precedent for walkouts under provocation. Last year Kristina and John walked out after a moving AS, called back only by an insistent Bruce. K&J had good reason too. 4 days later John did walk out for good.

For me no harm was done last night. If anything it cleared the air. Craig saw a shot across his bow -- beware the worm can turn, and two can play this game. Doubt it would worry Craig much.

I agree wholeheartedly with Carol and would add, in my opinion, Craig has a vicious and acid tongue. Whilst I was surprised that Brendan escorted Jo away I can understand why he did it and why Bruce said he did. There is a way of judging without resorting to nasty comments. This not only applies to Craig but all the Judges. I though Alesha's comment about Laila looking like a "drunken rag doll" the worst of the night. This came from a so-called expert who has studied each dance for one week two years ago!

What hypocrites Bruce and Brendan were last night ! Bruce is always getting personal....the way he's spoken about Ali & Brian recently and him having a go at Craig when all the judges said worse things that same night. As for Brendan, he clearly has something against Craig because he is always fine with the other judges and some of the things he has said about Craig last night and 2 weeks before were very personal.

That's how I felt too. It's one thing for the contestants in a show like this to be constructively criticised. However I think it oversteps the mark when judges resort to similies that ridicule the contestant then snigger over how 'funny' their comments were.

Jo does have confidence issues and did skip through the routine - why not just leave it at that. Other contestants seem to get away with dancing like demented donkeys without being targetted by such comments.

I was cringing when Bruce was 'trying' to tell Craig off. It was totally uncalled for. Carig's comments were no worse than Brunos. Bruce was the one out of order last night IMHO