I think the days of the "Entertainer" are numbered - gone are the days of the front man or woman who could host a show and be funny and musical.

But there are few all-rounders to choose from these days - dancer/singer/comedian - (I know, even Brucie doesn't do all 3 at once!!) with a personality to fit the programme. Tall order that one (so Ronnie Corbett out then). A lot of comedians finished their set with a song (think Ken Dodd, Des O'Connor - no don't).

My choices for Brucie's job would be Brian Conley or Gary Wilmot. The show needs someone who will enhance the show and not take it over as their show. I'm afraid Tess is co-presenter material, not natural or quick-witted enough to be in charge.

The whole point of being a presenter is to PRESENT the show - not showcase yourself and your talents whatever they might be.

As Tess proved very convincingly last Saturday - you don't NEED to crack awful jokes, sing or dance to present a show like SCD. There are singers in the band who do sing (a LOT better than Bruce does and that's not saying a lot!), there are a LOT of really good dancers on the show (funny that!) and there isn't really a need for a stand up comedy act with ancient and irritating catchphrases either!

SCD is a great show and will be brilliant whoever presents it - but it needs to have a capable presenter in front - there's no need for that presenter to be an "Entertainer" themselves as the show isn't about them!

Why not give Tess a chance with her own script not try and fit Brucie's to her and see how she does in her own right.

Couldn't agree more CaroUK. You've only got to look at Tom Bergeron in the US on DWTS to see how a professional presenter does it without the need for jokes or songs or silly dances. I really do think they should give Tess a go - as long as Claudia is in the Tesspit!!

I found Tess very competent but bland. I think the show would be enhanced with a bit more wit and personality to hold it together.

Like Claudia's wit and personality?

I like Brian Conley and Gary Wilmott. They are both very entertaining.

Tess was OK last Saturday, but would she have been the same composed presenter had something gone wrong, meaning that she had to think on her feet or ad-lib? That's where the real skills of a presenter on a live show come into play.

Peter Kay

Now he is a current all round entertainer and could easily take over from Bruce.

Lets face it, Bruce was the man. Emphasis on WAS. He now neeeds to gracefully retire.

And please, no, not Tes, let her go and find new fields to explore. (There are some good ones between the cariageways of the M6 in Cumbria )

dale winton, hes camp enough to love all the sequins and have handbags at dawn with craig n bruno

This would never ever happen, but in my dreams the new presenter would be Bill Bailey.

Never gonna happen, but I can dream.

No Dale Winton please

Bill Bailey! What an awsome idea. I wish it would come to pass but I fear I will have to keep on wishing.........

Didn't Tess present Saturday morning children's TV at one point? In which case, I'd say she probably does have those skills, although I'd really like to see what Zoe Ball would be like at presenting SCD.

If Saturday proved anything, it was that what Strictly doesn't need is a big personality or an 'entertainer' to present it.
Saturday showed that you don't need to give valuable minutes of airtime over to a presenter who prefers to entertain rather than present.
It gave the judges (and Alesha) more time to make useful comments rather than having to squeeze their opinion of a performance into a nanosecond to accommodate Forsyth's 'jokes'.

Tess is a very professional and skilled presenter with the ability to run a live tv show.
In my opinion, she has a far better understanding of team work than Forsyth will ever have, and a good grasp of the concept that the presenter is there to showcase the skills and talents of the competitors - not herself.

Tess didnt present childrens telly maybe your thinking of Cat Deely?

Tess did SMTV with BB winner Brian Dowling.

Though her performance on Saturday was competent, there was no natural sparkle for me. So not entertaining.

Tess is completely bland and heavily dependent on the auto-cue.
She's no real "presence" like many attractive women in TV.
Some viewers can't get past this fact.

The problem with Bill Bailey is that he is WAAAAAY too hilarious. He would turn the whole program into a riot, I'm sure it would turn into a Bill Bailey set piece with a bit of dancing on the side.

Dale Winton? I love Dale, he's a great presenter, but far too fluffy for Strictly nowadays.

I love Bill Bailey, but he'd want to entertain, not present.

On the other hand, someone like Dale Winton (like Tess) exists to present, It's his raison d'etre.
He wouldn't be looking for every possible opportunity to showcase his own singing/dancing/comedy talents because he doesn't claim to have them - he's a presenter who presents other people's talents.
I'm not sure I'd want to see him on Strictly though.

Dale is far too nice for Strictly. He's a lovely fluffy bunny who would be torn to shreds by the collective mean people on the forums and in the papers, and would probably get hurt.

I think a Strictly presenter necessarily needs to have a pretty thick skin to put up with all the flack that gets directed at them. They can't do a thing right for a large proportion of people.

I'm not a Tess fan, but the night SCD was pushed back due to the formula one racing she kept her composure and had to rescue Brucie a couple of times during the night as he had clearly lost his.

Having said that, I thought she was awful on Saturday, draping herself over the judges desk and gurning for Britain. Also, much as I like Claudia, this type of show is not the best platform for her quirky persona.

I thought Tess did okay on Saturday, but that's only because I knew it was for one week only and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I may be the only one, but I'm looking forward to Brucie's return this week.

I agree with your comments about PRESENTERS who PRESENT but anyone doing the job would not be writing their own script - it is written for them.

Yes - but it was obvious on Saturday that Tess was working with what had been written for Bruce hastily adapted for her - rather than one written especially for her!

I agree with CaroUK, I think Tess's script on Sat was Brucie's (with the jokes taken out)
If she presented front of house on a regular basis, I think that she would build up a rapport and confidence, resulting in her own jokes or her own way of presenting
I think she did an alright job on Sat!

Bruce pretty much writes his own script. Check out the writers in the end credits! Hence the awful jokes!