Sounds like you need a new TV

I completely agree. The Tower Ballroom is amazing! It was a real occasion and it should be like that every week.

9 out of 10 for me - not quite enough goosebump moments for me to give a 10!

Definitely the best show this series and I agree with SomeOtherInsect that it is the best since the series 5 final!

I have to admit the dance off has been very exciting the last two weeks, waiting to hear if my two favourites have made it through!

I know increasing the tension in the dance off wasn't the reason for introducing the new scoring system, but it is a good result of the change!

Rod Stewart was recorded prior to the start of the live show tonight and we didn't hear any background noise. Perhaps they left their mikes on whilst they played the recording?

Re-watched the regular broadcast and the sound was fine. I wonder what happened to the HD broadcast?

Oh, you were at the show. Did you enjoy it?

It was a fab show watching on TV so it must have been a Gazillion times better to be in the live audience.

Compared with watching SCD filmed with swirling cameras, did you prefer the fixed view from the audience?

Was sat behind Bruce (between the judges and the stage) and because the seating wasn't tiered I haven't seen any of the dances yet until I watch what I recorded tomorrow night !!!! Not even the tops of their heads .. couldn't see a thing.

That's a crying shame for the audience of 2,000 -- many who made expensive long treks to Blackpool. It should not have been desperately difficult to arrange for tiered seating as the Beeb could have called on resources and vast experience at the Winter Gardens which have catered for live dance audiences for 80 years.

When faced with new situations the Beeb consistently miss vital details. I suspect it is because they have too much of a top-down command structure, and the few at the top cannot hear the voices of the many at the bottom.

It was ok but, I thought the sound was terrible. IMHO I thought it had been over-hyped and many of the performances didn't match the venue. I also felt it lost the intimacy of the studio and several couples looked lost in the space.

Sorry to be a killjoy but, it only gets a 6 from me.

Laura were you there? The acoustics were bad? How was the lighting for those onsite? Were you looking at the backs of heads?

Agreed. Loved the venue, hated the sound

9/10. I'd have given it '10' if the producers hadn't kept Craig for the climax of the show.

Hi soulmate61 unfortunately no. It's just how it looked and sounded on my TV. Maybe I should get a new one!

9 . . . . . If it hadn't been for the sound issues I would have given it a 10. Terrific atmosphere which I think brought the best out in the dancers.
Can we have another poll to bring it to Blackpool at least once every season????????

10 10 10

Brilliant show, great post match ents (for once) Ali getting deserved 40 and Rickki W mucking up (again) Aleshas comment and that idiot weirdo Craig getting voted off!

I gave a 9 -for anyone who saw the series 2 final (which would have been a 10!) it fell very slightly short but still loved it!

Ballroom dancing is about harmony of partnership. It was an inspired idea to bring back one of the best loved celebs of all time in Penny, and to have her dance with Forum favourite Matthew. Husband singing and wife dancing made it a family act .

Another all-time favourite in Jill Halfpenny brought back her emotional win in Blackpool 5 years ago. The magic of the pro dancers' formation dance showed intelligent use of the dance floor and camera angle.

I watched the show in non-HD and never realised there was a sound problem. Looks like the Beeb's sound engineers missed a heel lead and robbed the Beeb of four 10's.

Come Wednesday this poll will be emailed to 5 BBC tip-top managers, the Director General included. It will be read by top guys because this thread will drop plop into their personal emailboxes. Anyone with views about Strictly visiting Blackpool again, this is your chance to say so. The more persons vote, the more credible this poll.

To the Beeb from myself one hard-to-please viewer -- well done. My right hand shoots into the sky with conviction, my paddle says

10.

10

Thought it was absolutely brilliant - I even think the sound "problems" actually added to it - made it feel more like a live show.

Fabulous venue, it really puts the tacky studio set to shame.

I loved the idea of having the show in Blackpool but I didn't think the camera work or sound was particularly good. A real shame, i think the beeb could have done better.

Your very own paddle?

I watched the HD broadcast and you could hear Bruce talking over the first few bars of Rod's song. The sound was pretty appalling all the way through. I had to keep turning the sound up and down all the way through.

The ballroom looked fantastic though - which of course it is. So much better than the TV studio.

Whether at the Blackpool Tower or not, the final should always be at a big traditional live venue (min. 1500 capacity) for the atmosphere and visual glamour.

For those who went to the October dance compo in the Albert Hall, how would that venue suit a gala Strictly Final? What sort of audience numbers there?