Not sure why they want to bring in strangers to this years show tbh. Takes away the cosy feel.
I like the 'comfy slipper' feel of the old favs but agree some have done enough time....Anton being a definate one tbh.
As for Brian and Kristina not being as popular as some of the 'comfy slippers' then I disagree really. Ive never had a favourite pro and this year I definately moved to the Brian and Kristina camp....mainly Brian and more than enough to make me post in this forum. I like the feel of my comfy Brian and Kristina slippers.

Brian more so than Kristina. Kristina was extremely popular in her first year, but if you look at the polls at the end of this year, she was not at all popular on DS any more. It was one of the most marked changes, along with Ola's huge rise in popularity.

DS is hardly representative and in any case I dont think an individual dancer makes much difference to the popularity of the format.

Sorry to disagree with many of the above posts, but I think this is great news.

DWTS seems to manage to reinvent itself with every new series, which isn't easy, considering they have 2 series a year. This latest series has apparently become the "most watched show on American tv", which is no small feat.

SCD on the otherhand, has been staid and dull by comparison, almost "old hat". It is undoubtedly still very popular, but it needs to work harder to keep its popularity.

Definitely a lot of the pros need to be replaced, and last year several of them were already admitting they did not think they would be asked to return this year, so it will come as no surprise to them.

To answer 2 points made in previous posts :

1. Why American dancers? Have we no British ones? The simple answer is No, regrettably we haven't.

2. Brendan Cole doesn't like being on the show? Where did that idea come from? Brendan admits he sometimes finds it frustrating, but he loves being on the show.

So roll on SCD 2010 and Viva le change!

I agree completely. If they replace most of the pros, effectively turning SCD into DWTS, then I will switch off - it's blatent disrespect to the professional dancers who have contributed so much to the show's success, turning celebrities who didn't have a broad fanbase into winners in a popular vote - Ola with Chris, Karen with Mark and Lilia with Darren spring to mind, but you could argue at least one success story for nearly all of the pros who have done more than a single season. Maybe it's time to stop paying my licence fee and just not bother with the BBC at all


Your first statement in bold - source please. I'm unaware of any of the pros saying they didn't think they'd be asked back, and I'll need some proof before I believe something like that.

And I think very many people would take offence at your claim that we have no good British dancers, I think that's a very uncalled-for sweeping generalisation.

What you'll find is the changes on DWTS are exactly the reasons why SCD shouldn't change. Some of them are fine, and are ideas the BBC could borrow. Others are just demeaning to the professionals and dance itself - I don't want to watch people wearing futuristic costumes or entering the stage on a motorcycle (as I believe happened in one of the international DWTS). That's not what SCD is about, it's not what it's ever been about and it's not what it should ever be about. The show is about celebrating people attempting to dance properly, no gimmicks or anything that makes reality TV in general so demeaning.

Both Brian and Kristina's popularity has declined since last year.

I couldn't agree more with these sentiments Tbh I find DWTS a complete turn off and have a morbid fear of the show turning into a copy of it...

It's not representative to take the winner of a 'favourite pro' poll and declare they are the nation's favourite, but I think when it's as marked as the decline in Kristina's popularity this year has been, it is indicative of something that is probably reflected in the nation's taste.

I agree the individual dancers don't make much of a difference overall, but we are discussing in light of the fact that the producers want to add pros they think will increase ratings. The extension of that is to remove pros who are not well liked by viewers, which at the moment I think includes Kristina.

Who knows though, she could get another old darling this year, or even a ringer, and end up being the show's sweetheart for another year.

I couldnt agree with you more.


The exciting pros with personalities and big media profiles like Kristina and 'Bad boy' Brendan will be kept.

It will have nothing to do with what DS posters want and who they think is unpopular and popular with the public.

According to the DS dancing on ice forum Hayley was one of the least popular. When the actual public votes were released it was shown she won the most votes nearly every week.

Both The head of BBC entertainment and Exec producer of stictly have 'moved on' since last years fiasco

I wouldn't mind another pro or two from DWTS tbh.

Brian and Kristina were a breath of fresh air for me on SCD and I'd say both became popular very quickly and shook up the existing pros for sure! Kristina's popularity has dipped, but Brian is still up there imho. I'm not a particular fan of any pro btw.

That made me spit out my tea


Why do people believe the sun .There not going to cull the entire cast. I would say people who failed to make an impact on the show like Aliona will be out and I wouldnt be surprised if Anton takes over Arlenes 'one show' duties.

Lets hope the new execs know their stuff.

What fiasco !!! yes the celebs werent as strong as some of the previous years, but hardly a fiasco, nobody knows how good they will be until they start, and isnt that the idea of the show... to see if Celebs can become competent dancers...... as far as i can see "The fiasco" is only in the minds of some posters on the internet.

So having too many boring celebs, axing Arlene, hiring wooden Alesha and Darcy as judges, pointless Friday show for the first 2 weeks, dowdy/cheap looking set design, one-show format and awful camerawork isn't a fiasco? I beg to differ.

I don't see what nationality has to do with it either - the only British dancers at the moment are Ian, Darren, Anton, James and....?? I can't think of any British females, particularly out of the favourites (Lilia, Ola, Flavia, Erin, Camilla, Kristina, Karen, etc.)

the one problem I will have if they make it more like DWTS is with the horrible gimmicks some of the dancers come up with - they are much more OTT than we have at the mo (even the heinous 'playing guitar on woman's leg' move that is so popular)

it would be more simple to just cut the number of couples and get a better standard of celebrity on but whatever!

Surely SCD has inspired lots of British male and females to want to take up Latin and Ballroom and become pros or does it have no effect?

Could be the same for me as well.


Watched DWTS last year and his futuristic dance was brilliant.

I have a feeling this is the beginning of the end for SCD. If they cut the number of professionals AND bring in new ones, meaning many of the regulars will be gone, this will be too much. A change in one or two professionals each year isn't a big thing, but many of the profs are just as important as the celebs, some celebs in their own right now.

The programme wants to compete with X Factor - it needs to realise that any changes need to be carefully thought out and not knee-jerk reactions, otherwise the show will lose many of its hardcore fans.

I have to agree with yelsel here - what fiasco?!


One or two is different from a mass influx of US pros though!

Yes, hiring from the US has worked in the past - Brian has done well, Kristina handled John Sergeant admirably, Aliona showed her worth in some of her dances with Matt and Katya is a talented choreographer. BUT hiring all US pros to replace the current line-up (i.e. turning the show into DWTS - don't see how you can argue it wouldn't be) is an entirely different game altogether. It's just as bad as saying the whole line-up of pros should be British, which is ridiculous. (And for the record, Ola, Lilia and Karen at least have all competed for Britain).


There'll always be some boring celebs, but that's impossible to predict - no-one thought Joe Calzaghe would be awful!

Axing Arlene isn't the catastrophe it was made out to be by some - she's made her fair share of mistakes on the show. Darcey was a mistake, I don't disagree with that, but Alesha wasn't awful.

The Friday show wasn't pointless, in fact I think it was the best idea they had last year - letting each celebrity dance ballroom and Latin before an elimination is a much better format without any of the DWTS gimmicks.

The set design and dodgy camerawork were in place long before last year



Totally agree with all of this

Changing the pros certainly would not stop me watching the show, but certain celebs would. Some of the pros are getting on in age and younger, new blood is essential - note young, but younger btw.

Pros on DWTS do OTT things because it is allowed and they are not dancing to the same stands as on SCD. It just wouldn't be tolerated on SCD, as more technical dancing content is expected.

Sorry, I just read some of the previous posts again and have to agree with those saying "What fiasco?"

Last series was a million times better than series 6 which I wish had never happened.

I liked almost all the changes introduced except one - can't remember what it was though .

This is an interesting discussion, but I don't believe a word The Sun writes, so I doubt if a mass cull will happen - not when 5 new pros have been introduced in the last two series - 6 if you include Hayley.

This has already been covered to a certain extent here ........

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/s....php?t=1239852

There seems to be a grey area over whether the original ad lost a bit in translation from the BBC to whoever placed the ad......."10 dance" means obviously someone proficient in 10 Ballroom/Latin dances and it seems that this could have been translated to "10 dancers" in the ad.......hence the confusion whether the BBC is looking for 10 dancers rather than maybe one or two dancers proficient in 10 dances.

No doubt the BBC is looking to the USA for dancers but it would be madness to get rid of 10 current (on the whole popular ones at that ) ones for 10 new ones,2-3 or 4 (Anton,Erin,Brendan,Katya) i can guess at with maybe Aliona in the firing line ( she dosen't match Matt completely but then again she is doing the pro tour and who else out there would be better with him than her ??).
If i had a bet on it i'd say 4 out ( possibly 5) and 2 (or 3) new ones in with fewer weeks/couples overall.

Who knows though ?? there is obviously a lot that goes on behind the scenes and we only get the edited version,the BBC have a lot more information to base any decision on than we do.

I think fairygirl is correct. The BBC are not replacing 10 dancers. They are looking for dancers who can perform 10 latin/ballroom dances.

I don't think the BBC are having a knee jerk reaction. If SCD is to have a future it has to evolve and change. Yes keep the successful elements and discard with the bad ones.

IMO the pro dance line up needs a refresh. I think some of the dancers who have been in from the begining should leave and be replaced with new talented dancers. If they are unpopular with the public then the BBC can release them at the end of the series.

Overall I think its good the BBC looking into areas of the program that need change. The changes do not need to be dramatic but need to be executed well.

I want SCD to be around for many years and in order for it to do so it needs to be relevant. By resting on the laurels and hanging on to things just because they are 'comfy' will not make it sucessful in the future.

Moira Ross has worked on DWTS so she is familiar with what works over there presumably. We will have to see if she understands what works here. She seems to be seen as an 'up and coming' producer which can be a dangerous type as they have more to gain than lose by taking risks and less experience to judge the risks.

A number of the good suggestions on this forum for change were implemented last year and the show benefitted. They have been bringing Americans over here in small quantities and mostly they have been welcomed, but it should be fairly obvious that a larger influx would be different. The good thing is that the stories have been in the NOTW and the Sun.

Other areas need more work - like finding good celebrities and matching them better, getting better acts, improving the camerawork, improving the judges and the presenters (except for Claudia).

I'd like them to have more inventive show dances by the pros, which might involve more elaborate sets and actually hiring them before the show to rehearse the dances. Matt and Aliona's Hip-hop Samba is an example of one with great choreography, rehearsed to perfection and had great lighting and good music.

Karen is British, Lilia is also a British citizen, and all of the females you mentioned other than Kristina also competed for Britain. They are therefore strongly associated with the British dancing scene.

I don't think there is a particular need to hire only British dancers, but going specifically to America seems a bit odd to me. The British show is different from the American show, and that isn't a weakness. I prefer Strictly personally.