In replying to another thread, I realised that most of the arguments are easily solved by deciding is it Strictly or is it Entertainment.

If the BBC made it clear that it was Strictly, then clear out the judges, bring in a set of Karen Hardy clones and lets get serious.

If it is entertainment, then stop the judges whinging about the way the public votes and accept that occasionally a public favorite will win.

Not much to ask, is it?

Last night I saw the finals of the World Championship Latin Formation Dancing on NDR 3 (German regional TV channel). It was amazing and very entertaining - although a German team won again...
No way the celebs on SCD will ever come near the level of the dancers in those finals.
Therefore SCD is pure entertainment. Great entertainment, but no more or less than that.

In all fairness to the judges they're not the ones "whinging" this time, it's the FMs.

If there's a DO next week then it could mean that the "weakest" dancer will be voted off by the judges and that will cause an almighty scandal!

I'm in the it's both camp. I vote for who I like, some series it's the best dancer, and other times it's who I like the best.

I'm in the entertainment camp but that's mainly because I know nothing about dancing and would never watch a pro show. I watch because it's celebs and I vote based on who I like rather than their dancing abilities.

I know this kind of voting ruins it for a lot of people but my only interest is in the entertainment value of it all. I like the dancing don't get me wrong but I like the celebs more.

Is it Strictly or is Entertainment?


It strictly isn't either this series imho.

I'm in the dancing camp. The dancing entertains me, I love it.

Its whatever the public want it to be - its their show and they pay for it via their licence fee.

Just let each person decide - and let them vote how they wish. And when one person wins that public vote don't allow judges to override their vote and kick out the person the public want to win!

It's a bit of both.

Is it live....or is it Memorex?

It's dancing entertainment the BBC used to screen the serious stuff and it never got the viewers

If I remember correctly that's what happened in the "good old days" and because of the "public" outcry it was changed.

Yes - there is a case for a dance off in the early weeks so save good dancers from arbitrary results. In the early weeks however the person topping the public vote can never go out.

However a dance off in the quarter and semi finals is wrong - as the person topping the public vote could go home. The judges have had their say in the dance off for 10 weeks - its time to let the people decide!

So we change the rules at short notice because the FMs favourite is threatened, and the bookies can make a killing? I accept that you're angry that Chris "could" go out next week but those are the rules we have at the moment and everyone knew what they were when the competition started.

I still believe that people are kicking up a fuss over nothing. Chris will make the final and they'll do what they did last year and give everyone a bye to the final.

It's both "strictly" and "entertainment" and the tensions in the balance create drama. Drama is all about conflict (can be positive and negative conflict) and the resolution of that conflict.

Neither dance purists nor entertainment addicts are "right". Where they are both "wrong" is in not accepting that the tensions between the two views are what creates interest and success for the show. The real trick is in managing those tensions to the extent that they make the show better, but at the same time keeping them under enough control so that they don't make it worse.

As ever, the production team is responsible.

Yes, when the argument has come up in previous years, a poster linked a pre-first show interview with a producer explaining the concept of SCD as a personality contest based around learning to dance.

I wish I had bookmarked the darn thing now

I certainly wasn't entertained by Bruce 'stripping off'!

I couldn't watch, tbh.

For the BBC, the "entertainment value" is secondary, in a programme with a frequently manipulated format in an ever constant "ratings chase."
"Competition" comes in a poor fourth after using every opportunity in "promoting one of their own."

It's a light entertainment show based around dancing. It's quite straightforward actually.

I think everything was fine before they introduced the dance off. Now the judges have their say twice. It would be far better just to have the show the way it was before the dance off.

And why shouldn't the judges whinge? They have a right to free speech, and even then they do, they temper their whinges with a rider saying that they accept that the public have 50% of the vote and that they vote according to a number of criteria, and that it's an entertainment programme.

No - we have rules whereby the person voted by the public wins.

This is Britain - not North Korea.

If I remember correctly, you're not remembering correctly ...

The judges were given greater power and the dance-off was introduced because the judges felt they were being ignored and wanted to protect their favourites. I think the turning point was Emma Bunton in Series 4: adored by the judges, not by the viewers.

There was no outcry from the public whatsoever ...

Thanks Servalan. I knew it was changed for a reason but, couldn't remember exactly why.

In that case I stand corrected.

Yes, but it's not the judges whinging this time it's the public.


We have rules that say the scores are combined and the people with the lowest scores go into the DO, it's only in the final where the person voted by the public wins.

As you quite rightly say this is Britain and we don't make the rules up as we go along.

Of course we can only judge by what we see.

I'd suggest that the BBC influenced the judges as they wanted to keep Emma Bunton in until after she'd appeared singing her charity single accompanied by the pro dancers on CIN.
All the "training footage" in IT2 was very positive and they even sent French and Saunders in to tell her how wonderful she was.
After the event, it didn't matter so the favouritism disappeared and she went out.

Wasn't the girl's fault, it's just the way the BBC manipulate things.
They may be a lot of things the BBC, but daft they ain't.

I think you are right.

The BBC have always wanted the cake and to eat it.

Making a foolproof voting scheme is not rocket science and IMHO, the dance off should be voted for by the public after "qualified" comments from the judges...not remarks like CRH saying Patsy Palmer "looked like a scubber in a puffer jacket".