How can he say he thinks he can dance - should have been in the dance of this week. So unfair to see Zoe and Ali down there. Whats going on?

I know

I can't remember who said it but I read a very wise post a few days ago stating its probably the most difficult position to be a bad dancer kept in Strictly. Whatever way you approach the 'role', people will always be interpreting it against you.

At least he has manners , so I would prefare to be him than to be someone without .

Totally agree

My son says that Craig is the kind of guy everyone avoids at parties and who ends up in the kitchen by himself. :yawn:

I don't think Craig is either naive or full of himself, he just does his best and hopes. It is very difficult to know what to say in an interview, sometimes whatever you say is wrong. Craig seems like a pleasant and hard working chap, it isn't his fault if people vote for him, they don't have to. I agree he is no dancer but, still, we the public have the right to vote for whomever we choose and obviously some have chosen Craig, at least for a while.

My problems with Craig:

1. Unlike John S last year, who had to put up with such a verbal battering from all the judges pretty well every week - and therefore, understandably, made a lot of people feel sorry for him and make their feelings known by voting to spite the judges - Craig is getting a relatively easy time from the judges.

Which means some people at home are getting the idea that he isn't that bad. But he's not even "entertaining" in the way Lynda B (personal shudder, but each to their own) was, so he's contributing neither good/improving dancing nor "entertainment" value.

2. He really does need (as someone else has said earlier) to sit down and look at his dances and then the other celebs because he badly needs a reality check.

3. I thought Zoe looked uncomfortable on Saturday but I think most people would agree that if you put Zoe, Ali and Craig together and watched all their dances so far, there's absoloutely no question that Craig is consistently the weakest. So he's now stopping better dancers from being saved - ok, Zoe probably woudn't make the final but she sure as **** would have been saved against him in a dance-off between the two.

4. "I come from Blackpool" - sorry, but why should that even be a reason to keep a poor dancer in? So al the good people of blackpool can feel proud - oops, er, very embarrassed by the prowess of their local lad?

Sigh. I never thought this year I'd be posting stuff like this. Blame being off work sick for several weeks, Matthew leaving in week one (week one! ) and post-birthday blues. Think my cake today should probably be humble pie, or something. But does anyone else agree that the Craig situation is illogical and beginning to spoil the show?

John Sergeant wasn't THAT bad... his Waltz was quite charming at least.

I'd warm to Craig more if he lightened up a bit and said, "Ok, I know I'm not the best celeb dancer in the series but I'm enjoying myself."

Although, to be fair to Craig, I'm having problems warming to most of the celebs this year for some reason, so it's not just him.

Mind you, I was impressed with Jo & Brendan for saying last week on ITT that they felt it was their time to go and they wouldn't have felt right staying in at the expense of better dancers. Jo tried hard but she didn't get it and she accepted that and took what positives she could out of the experience. I respect people who are self-aware.

Craig always reminds me of one of the Woodentops and I keep looking for his strings when he dances.

He reminds me of Mr Tumnus from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

He has such little feet and they look like hooves to me. It was the image that flashed into my head week 3 and I haven't been able to shake it.

Not that Mr Tumnus is unappealing but I sort of picture Craig with an umbrella in the snow

This probably tells me more about the sad inner reaches of my mind

Craig is incredibly delusional. After 6 poor performances he still thinks his dancing is good. He is the only dancer to not show any dramtic improvlment. In fact his dance this week was the first half decent dance of the show and there were still huge errors made in posture, hold and timing. I've been saying for weeks that he's the worst dancer in this show. He should have gone when he was in the dance off with Richard Dunwoody.

He'll be on ITT this week claiming his dance was good. He must be a nightmare to teach cuz he doesnt think he's got that much to learn. He's got to go soon.

He's kind of growing on me. I thought he was hilarious when he responded to Bruno's comment with, "I wish he'd stop sittin' on the fence about it." And equally funny a moment later when he said that yes, he believes he can dance. The guy is a card.

But I think he'll have to find his own ride back from Blackpool.

I love it when threads capture my feelings. Craig is soooo annoying. The fact that he thinks he can dance is most annoying, as well as his wooden detached performances. I don't get why people vote for him. Yes he is the underdog, but if people are not voting on the dancing, what are they voting on? Entertainment? Could someone please enlighten me about his entertainment value.

I voted for Craig last week (not last Saturday) and might have done again had I not seen Jade and Ian in the dance off!

Why did I vote for him? In part because I find some satisfaction in the displeasure and shock horror I clearly cause those who look with disdain on Craig's supporters.

He is perhaps delusional but imo not at all arrogant. I think he's like a small boy, doing his best, waiting with baited breath for approval and visibly quite hurt when it's not forthcoming. I'd rather give him a hug than the vitriolic flak he's attracted on these boards. He seems to have been subjected to as much spite as any other underdog in the history of SCD - and he certainly isn't the worst dancer ever!

Good on him for coming back week after week and giving it his best shot despite the vented spleens his efforts have induced.

Why is he still there?[LIST=1][*]Because some are prepared to pay to keep him there. They pay their money and make their choice.[*]The multitudes now screaming unfair didn't bother voting for either Zoe or Ali.[/LIST]

No he isn't arrogant, but he can't dance. Why convince himself that he can?

Who's he harming?

I personally think Craig and Flavia don't have much of a relationship. She doesn't seem to care much - maybe I'm wrong but they come across like they don't really speak to each other. I think he's doing his best but she always looks like she can't really be bothered and is just going through the motions.

I'm probably way off and wrong but that's how it seems to me. I think she could have tried harder to make him technically correct. He seems keen to learn but doesn't improve.

I think he tries his best but he's just not a dancer. He should go out (and should have before Zoe) but this is how Strictly always is. He'll have alot of support from Corrie viewers no matter how bad he is.

I don't think it's Corrie viewers necessarily voting for him. Past Corrie contestants haven't really attracted a loyalty vote.

In series 4 Ray Fearon went out in week 6; before his time in the opinion of many (but not enough).

Brian Capron went out first week in series 5.
[LIST][*]I think Craig is likeable[*]Clearly the Blackpool plea has had some effect[*]The British like to support the underdog [*]Some take an evil amusement seeing his detractors almost burst a blood vessel each time he gets through. Although I've only voted for him once - I do smile when his name is called each week.[/LIST]

Why was his combined score one of the bottom scores?

Now that Craig has realised his Blackpool ambition, will he have the sense to avoid the beach donkeys, otherwise it may be rather difficult to spot the difference.

I am beginning to see a little " want " in Craig , he is just not quite getting it . He is an odd fish allright .

Well said, Ignazio

That's the weird thing. Sometimes he seems a bit simple, and then he says something like this which makes him seem the opposite. I find him really difficult to read. He may be acting a part, he may be thick, he may equally be extremely clever.

I'd say it's his deadpan, laconic Northern delivery that many are not reading correctly.