Hosts: Gethin Jones and Kate Thornton

Judges: Camilla, Craig (head judge), Karen and Len

yes, the BBC really should stop promoting their biggest entertainment show in the press.
take a leaf out of Simon Cowell's book and keep it understated...

Craig, Karen and Len as judges. Don't think I'd want to see Brendan there.

The most needed change imo is getting someone to replace Bruce. Hadn't thought of Aled but I think he'd be great. I don't mind Tess, actually.

Celebs
Higher profile celebs & celebs that actually have interesting personalities.

Format
Split the performance part of the show and the results part with the National Lottery draws which last just 10 minutes. Therefore, still giving the show an 'event' feel.

Move strictly back to around 6pm with the show finishing at 8pm.

Reduce the number of contestants from 16 down to 13

Replace Alesha Dixon if she hasn't improved

Make the interval act more of an integral part of the show along the lines of a "Strictly Concert", by having more high profile singers/groups to perform a series a songs with spectacular production standards and getting the audience involved.

Voting
Have telephone lines open right at the start of the show (like in the past)

During the dance-off if there is a tie between the judges decision then the couple in the dance off that received the lowest combined score from judges and public will then get voted off as they are statistically the worst.

Production
Use a larger studio (eg. Film studio stages at elstree/pinewood etc.) for shows up until quarter final
Use Blackpool Tower ballroom for quarter final and semi final
Use Royal Albert Hall for Final
Improve camera work
More LED screens, glass, shiny studio
No more reserved seats in the audience for BBC employees, have more real fans who aren't stuck up

Thats pretty spot on for me, but with the following:

Higher profile celebs & celebs that actually have interesting personalities. - and no previously questionable dance experience/training

Replace Alesha Dixon with Karen Hardy

No more reserved seats in the audience for BBC employees, have more real fans who aren't stuck up[/quote] - Disagree I like celeb audience spotting...

And NO NO NO Frikkin dance off! Viewers vote final.

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but my ideas are:

Replace Brucie with Aled Jones
Replace Tess with Alesha
Judges: Craig, Karen Hardy and Brendan (thanks duckwrangler77 - I would never have thought of Brendan for a judge) (Karen would have to sit in the middle though!). Having 3 judges eliminates the need for a so-called head judge, because there would be no split decisions!
Replace whoever is responsible for the camerawork that we see on screen - should be mostly full length shots, so that we can see the whole thing - forget the overhead shots and 'twirly' stuff.
Have fewer couples, to eliminate the need for alternate 1st & 2nd weeks - we then get to see them all dance before we eliminate somone.
Get rid of the 'dreaded' dance off - pointless and annoying!

That is actually why he should be on the panel!

How about a studio audience of ordinary people - ie not friends of one celeb or another - getting the chance to vote at the touch of a button after each dance? Add that to the judges score prior to the phone vote for an indication of the views of the public.....

Perhaps judges vote out of a maximum of 5, with the audience doing the same, then add them together.

I understand this is a wish list thread, but the BBC are the decision masters. There are politics and losing face issues all over the place here. Bruce is a legend and I really think will only go when he decides. Tess role is wound up completely with Bruce and her fate rests with his.
As for change in general. The BBC arent very good these days at Light Entertainment. Strictlys success is more of a happy accident, but the BBC arent good at PR and I get the feeling there is a naieveity when it comes to maintaining a show like SCD. Because of this, change when it comes will only be borne out of panic and not rational thought. The changes this year have been ill thought out and resulted in nothing but negativity. What they do next year may make or break the show.

Less couples would be great.

If they're replacing Brucie, then I'd love to see someone like Michael Ball host it... I know he doesn't have presenting experience, and would probably be tied up with West End commitments, but from watching him appear on various TV shows, I think he'd be fantastic. He has a natural quick wit - he was great as a guest on WILTY - and he'd be used to performing in front of an audience.

Female host? Claudia, maybe...

I wouldn't mind if they went back to Craig, Len, Bruno and Arlene as judges. If that's not possible, then keep Craig and Len and maybe Bruno, and bring in Karen Hardy, Camilla, or Darcey Bussell. Someone with dance experience anyway.

Keep the one show on a Saturday night, as with less couples, it wouldn't drag on so much.

Less couples, and when a celeb gets voted out, they dont compete anymore, but do a group dance each week, we would then maybe lose the sympathy vote,as the viewers would still see their favourite take part!!!

I agree and disagree with some of the points here but there are two areas which the BBC need to find a solution for: scheduling and number of contestants.

I do not agree that SCD should be scheduled as early as 6pm. It is far too early and has not worked in the past with regards to ratings. It is a prime time show so it needs to be on at a prime time hour (7pm onwards).

There has been a number of comments about reducing the number of contestants. I have mixed views on this. Yes by reducing the number makes the program less drawn out, but that will mean it would start later in the year. Meaning that X factor will have greater momentum that usual. In fact this year x factor seems more of a television event that scd. They have compelling contestants, a more comtemporary feel and it is exciting family viewing.

It is a pity, though, that this year's crop are by far the least talented group of people I've seen on a show like The X Factor. There's a couple of them who can carry a tune, but that's about it. Don't even get me started on the awfulness which was Cheryl's "performance", either! I seriously don't understand why The X Factor's winning the ratings this year - and I'm speaking as someone who always used to watch both.

My humble suggestions to the Bbc

Forget about going into ratings battle with ITV - the BBC does not need to fight for ratings they are publically funded

Instead concentrate on getting decent celebrities with a higher profile than the current ones

Pro Dancers replace those who are past their sell by date or who have not jelled with audience this year - instead of going abroad try and make these home grown dancers

Hosts - Tess is going to LA so unlikely to be around so move Alesha to host with a decent male host - Julian would be good!!

Judges revert back to the 4 format and put Arlene back if you have to have 5 add Shirley Ballas someone with absolute Ballroom and Latin credibility - don't use past dancers just would not work

Take the show back to 6.30pm and have a break for lotto results etc before Results show 2 hours in one go is far too long by having a break for an hour or more will give ,more time for voting and avoid the need to drag the show out in one go

but most of all forget about X Factor concentrate on what is good about SCD and watch the figures improve

My humble suggestions:

Host: Paul O'Grady, Julian Clary or Rob Brydon
Hostess: Kate Thornton or Alesha

Judges: Craig, Len, Arlene, Karen

Maybe reduce the celebrities down to 12 or 14. Try and get a better calibre of celebrities and NO MORE comment from anyone about relationships between dancing partners! I don't like it

More British/Irish dancing professionals please. There must be plenty of them! Keep: Ola and James (because Ola probably won't do it without him), Anton and Erin, Lilia and Darren, Ian Waite, Matthew Cutler, Kristina R (give her someone who can dance eh?) not too fussed about the rest!

But most importantly - split the show back into 2 halves!! Much easier on the bum and builds up the tension nicely

Simples

You speak a lot of sense.
All these ideas about studios and format are fine, but they're all a bit like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic unless the BBC really grasps the nettle and does a complete refresh of the programme instead off timidly faffing around at the edges like they did this season.

Their starstruck, fawning attitude to Forsyth is to blame for the debacle that is Series 7, but the rot set in during Series 5 when it truly started to become the Brucie Show.
Their misjudgement of what makes the programme such a sucess and why people tune in is breathtaking.
Beneath the sequins is a dance competition holding everything up, and until they understand that, nothing will improve.

We don't need megalomaniac comedians running the show, we don't need diva-like judges running off to the press every 5 minutes (as they did with Sargentgate), we don't need the Beeb to employ a PR company to tell us that everything in the Strictly Family Garden is rosy and that we should be grateful that we don't need to look at the wrinkled face of a properly qualified judge anymore.

The majority of pro dancers, and their celebrity partners, deserve great credit for coming up with the goods week after week in spite of an atmosphere so horrible that it oozes through the screen every Saturday night.

They need to get a presenter who can be an objective chairman/woman and who is capable of holding a live show together and judges who can judge.
They need to stop manipulating their viewers and treating them like children, and give proper respect to the votes of both the judges and the public.

More than that, they need to ensure that EVERYONE taking part in the show knows that they are a cog in a wheel, not a star and that this is an ensemble piece where noone's contribution is greater than anyone elses - it's this imbalance of egos that has caused this series (and last) to become so bad tempered.

Back to basics, please BBC.
That way. Strictly might be able to hold up it's head again.

That somes up my thoughts exactly. The light entertainment producers don't really understand what it takes to make a well produced and popular entertainment show. It's got to a point where most people don't bother investing time in a BBC entertainment show because they know it is going to be rubbish. Strictly has been the exception to this.

I also think that this years show feels like it is on a precipise. The producers better get their act together for next years series otherwise it is the beginning of the end for strictly.

Think why there are B-list celebrities on, at best. Why they don't move to a proper ballroom and do it OB. Why they get no-name foreign pros in who will either sink (Hayley) or swim (Brian). Why there's zero chance of a live results show on Sunday.

It's all about production costs. If a star feels they're too big for the BBC shilling, they won't sign up. The BBC doesn't have as many shillings to throw around these days, by order of the Director-General. He's got to show an incoming Tory government that he's giving value for the licence fee money.

So forget big names. This is the Australian Jungle with sequins and a glitterball, and James Jordan instead of witchety grubs.

EDIT: Oh yes, and if you can't stand Bruce and/or Tess, just thank God it's not Ant & Dec you're watching.

If they HAVE to keep the dance off, and I can't see why. I think they should do away with Len having casting vote in the event of a tie and the couple with the lowest marks of the two goes ie they'd had a second chance and didn't nail it

Some alterations I'd suggest:

*) Don't have SCD in 2010, give it a rest for a year.

*) Just one host (Tess's bit is better handled by ITT during the week, just have a camera to show contestants hearing scores). Host to have enough dance experience to be able to illustrate any technical terms the judges use (this is something Bruce could probably usefully be doing but he doesn't).

*) As soon as judging over announce next contestants without any extra talk and then if must show just a clip of rehearsals.

*) Reduce the number of contestants to a maximum of 12 couples so the show doesn't get overlong and rushed.

*) Four judges is probably the minimum but five is probably too many as we need to hear from all of them for every contestant. Have two teachers/judges of Len's type, one choreographer of Craig/Bruno's type and one ex-pro from the show. Judges to be encouraged to use all paddles from 1 to 10.

*) Audience to be encouraged to keep quiet except for any applause they feel is deserved at the end of the dancing. No clapping along out of time or on the wrong beats, no bursting into applause just because a dancer cocks a leg, no whoops or boos during judging.

Audition too many celebs for the requirement. Have Len and Karen Hardy (both high on empathy measures) test them out and try to avoid more than two no-hopers. Look for potential journeys (Aaargh, I said it!)

That's such a good post I'm actually a bit in awe! You're correct - get the ego maniacs off and get back to basics

Anyone but Kate Thornton. Someone needs to tell her that shouting is not a substitute for actual ability.

Made me laugh!

After reading this the only change I'd make to the show is for Quisling to become the new Strictly producer.