Changed my mind.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...tz-sunset.html

Kelly Brook? If that is true then the producers just plain don't get it.

It would be laughable even if they didn't have an ex-pro dancer who is
-still associated with the show, and therefore know to viewers
-an experienced and well-respected judge
-one of the most successful (professionally) dancers ever to appear on the show
-also an ex-winner, therefore able to sympathise with those going through the process (albeit from the pro point of view... she still knows what it's like for the celebs because she's been there defending them and working with their limitations and fears)

They really need to stop patronising the viewers like this

I really hope that's rubbish! I thought I'd read that Kelly Brook was moving to Australia or New Zealand, which makes me hopeful this is just the Daily Mail's usual crap. And even the BBC must have realised how awful Darcey was last year!


Definitely agree that we need Karen (who I presume you're referring to) or equally Camilla as a judge, no-one else will do!

Yeah, I really don't get why they don't ask Karen.

Camilla would also be better than Alesha or Darcy (although personally am really not a fan of hers), but she does not have Karen's judging experience. Also I think her relationships with the pro dancers would make her judging more complicated- not that she would be unprofessional, but that it would be too easy to accuse her of it. Obviously Karen also has relationships with the pros, but she hasn't partnered or been in a relationship with any of them, and from press etc it seems Camilla has more close friendships with the others than Karen seems to.
On the other hand there is the rumoured animosity between Brendan and Karen to consider.

I just think it's a shame the BBC don't seem to see how lucky they are to have someone so well qualified, already well known to the viewers. And although Karen is a bit hit and miss with the viewers, Kelly is mostly 'miss' and only a tiny bit 'hit'!

Actually I'm not really keen on either Karen or Camilla... but would far rather either of them than any celeb, even if it's a celeb I like!

Yeah I was never a huge Camilla fan either, but would rather have her dancing knowledge than any celeb's lack of it! I think she'd survive any accusations of unprofessionalism as regards relationships with the other pros - it'd be an issue whoever judges, as it was when everyone knew Alesha wouldn't vote to send Matt Cutler home in the first week of the series. Anyone who's a judge who's had prior involvement with the show will be closer to some pros than others, but I'm sure Camilla would be far too professional to let it influence her judging.

I'd prefer Karen as well though, and I don't think the rumoured animosity with Brendan would make any difference if it's true, she's also too professional for that to be a factor

Anyone's better than Kelly Brook though - if it's a choice between her and Alesha then keep Alesha for definite, I'd only have her replaced by Karen or Camilla. The BBC really are blind though - asking Karen to do group choreography and ITT and not realising how good she'd be as a judge?! But then again, it is the BBC....

Wasn't Blackpool Tower pre-booked for other shows, which is why it was the week it was? Great if the final could be there though.

Definitely fewer couples, but a 2 person presenting team as M123 has said! Perhaps Bruce will go, but from the way he appeared on Have I got News for You last week, it doesn't look ever so likely - the scripted bits aside, he was very quick and funny on there too.

Kelly Brook - noooooooooo

OMG surely not! She's even less qualified than Alesha, and many times more annoying.

The only person I'd like to see on the panel even less than Kelly B would be Dom Littlewood or The Krankies...

I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach though and I don't think it's down to the dodgy lasagne I had for lunch...

I think I would prefer the krankies to Kelly brook

I was highly doubtful about how much time I'd be prepared to invest in this year's SCD after the last series. If this Kelly Brook thing comes to pass that will be the end for me.

I'll freely admit I dislike Kelly as a personality though she's probably perfectly lovely if you know her. But her appointment as a judge - or anybody of her ilk - would be proof positive for me that the producers are determined to go in a direction I personally just don't wanna go!

The changes I would make:

1. Replace Alesha with Karen Hardy.
2. Reduce the number of couples to 12.
3. Replace Bruce & Tess with Graham Norton & Claudia Winkleman.
4. Judges dance off for first 6 weeks only.

Those are just my personal opinions not based on any research or press related articles. I just think the series needs to be re balanced.

All programmes reach a peak and then begin to die (some jump the shark, but SCD isn't really the kind of show to do that). However does anyone feel that the show has passed it's peak? If so how long can you see it continuing?

Agree with all your changes (although in practice you'd have to replace Tess with someone else as Claudia is on record saying she wouldn't do it. Kate Thornton would be good though IMO).

I am coming to the conclusion that the show has passed its peak though. I guess it depends what you value in it, but it's never going to have the freshness and unpredictability of the first few series again, and the more it tries to compete with the X factor the worse it gets for me.

One change I do think they should make to save the last few series, is to cut down strongly on the influence the judges are given. I don't care if there's a dance off or not, but the judges are given way too much air time. They aren't entertaining, they aren't informative, a lot of the time they aren't even that objective. Is anyone entertained by Craig and Len shouting at each other? They should be allowed a quick comment and a score, and that's it. The show is not about them. And a pay cut will take down the show's budget without compromising the actual talent.

The BBC are setting their cap at competing with popular culture - i.e the X Factor.

SCD is NOT popular culture - it's all about nostalgia and is underpinned by offering its audience an opportunity to learn about the art and the technicalities of a form of dance.

I'd contend that outside of those who are actually dancers - either professional, amateur or recreational - the show's core audience are probably 40/50 somethings who would have sneered at ballroom dancing until they were charmed by SCD's innocence & nostalgic qualities and were furthermore intrigued by the opportunity to actually learn something, become more discerning viewers, better qualified to judge, and hence better qualified to spend their money on a casting vote.

I don't want the show sexing up, I don't want to listen to 'judges' who haven't got a bloody clue what they're talking about, I don't want 'showmances', I don't want to see mock antagonism on the judging panel in an attempt to ape to the bull**it we see on X Factor, and I don't want to be subjected to any other crap that the BBC see fit to cook up in the name of competing with popular culture.

I want to continue watching the one bit of reality TV that I ever had any time for, and I want it to retain the qualities that differentiated SCD from any other reality show out there.

The BBC have signally failed to understand the very nature of the show and what made it a resounding success in the first place and they are killing it very slowly - but equally as surely.

What a shame.

Agreed completely - for most of last series I put the judges on mute, I couldn't care less what metaphors or grammatically-incorrect sentences they use, all I know is they add very little of substance to the show at all. That's also why the panel needs someone like Karen!

I don't often comment on other threads other than "my" own one that I usually post in, but just wanted to come in here to say THANK YOU fancynancy for such a brilliant post ....and to say I agree with you wholeheartedly on every single bit of it!

great post, thank you!

Indeed and in any case the judges can air their views and have discussion on ITT during the week.

To be honest I'd rather they didn't!

I genuinely don't understand why the producers seem to view them as entertaining. I accept the show format requires judges, but to me they're just not a big part of the show. And whilst they don't need the credibility of professional judges for what they're doing, to me they lack any credibility at all. The only one anyone seems to respect is Craig... to my mind they could quite easily dump the other three (four) and replace with Karen, Camilla and maybe John Byrnes. All those three have been part of the show (although only die-hards will remember John Byrnes from series one), all are respected professionals, Karen and John are also profesisonal judges. And maybe that would raise the credibility of the judging panel, whilst at the same time cutting down on the histrionics...

I do get that the judging can't be too dry and technical, but I would think any dancer with experience of teaching amateurs would understand how to explain things so that non-dancers can understand.

BBC is not shown for free on overseas TVs. Cable companies have to pay up and usually only offer BBC1 and BBC2 (NO red button) and the News without asking digital viewers for extra cash to see the other channels; I refuse to pay for BBC3 so I can't get BBC4.
But I can get BBC1 so I get to see Strictly .
now from Yelsel I understand that "for UK only" may mean I should watch the show while wearing a blindfold.
Hmm


By the way, did any body else see Bruce F make a whole mashed potato salad of Have I Got News For You recently?
Left Ian Hislop and Paul Merton in a daze - the show ended with dance music and Brucie took a female panellist out front to dance, where she didn't want to go.
But Paul Merton and his guest did the honours with a dance that merged Argentinian Tango with Hip hop by way of pole dancing. Hilarious. But Bruce was not. Time he was put out to grass, I say. Best change you could make to Strictly.

What was meant was that the UK version I.e BBC version with Bruce is only made for BBC Viewers,that may include cable viewers in some european countries and i am sure the BBC will receive a small licence fee from the local cable companies, but this will be a drop in the ocean compared to the fees for the use of the format in another 38 countries. By format i mean the right to produce a TV show based on celebrities learning to dance with pro partners, judged by 4 suuitable judges,and using the name Strictly come dancing or a local language variation of same. But i suspect you already knew that !:yawn:

Well, here's my recipe for a successful revamp:

1. One presenter only out front: Tess
2. One presenter backstage: Zoe Ball or Jodie, alternating.
3. Judges to remain silent, just allocate marks on electronic scoreboards. Marks out of 5 for style and out of 5 for technique.
4. No embarassing VTs just before contestants dance.
5. More appreciation for the live band.
6. Due appreciation (more money) given to the pro dancers.
7. Ten couples maximum with two in reserve in case of pullouts. (they train in secret and have a little twirly dance each in the quarter finals and semi finals if it looks obvious that they will never be used)
8. Full medical checks, Kilomanjaro style, of all contestants before they start even first week - to remove likely physical collapse.
9. Keep media journos out of the Strictly Messageboards - they can make up their own copy. And reset all message boards to zero once the competition proper gets under way.
10 Make a nicer glitterball prize - less tacky - and have a proper presentation at the end instead of the usual total chaos.

I'm guessing that the Daily Heil's 'story' is as fictional as its usual attempts at journalism - certainly if this is anything to go by: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s104/...-strictly.html

However, I think you make a number of excellent points in your post and it should be printed off and put on the desks of relevant BBC executives and the new Strictly production team.

Whether or not they would pay any attention is, of course, another matter altogether ...

I quite liked Shirley Ballas when she was on ITT last year, i wonder if she'd consider being a judge? maybe too busy if she is still a teacher.
Karen is my only other choice. Alesha being a judge was a big annoyance of mine last year, so her not returning would be welcomed by me.
Kelly Brook would be worse than Alesha!

I too would like Shirley Ballas but then I am biased I would hope if she came she would bring Derek Hough and her son Mark with her to dance on SCD

There's a story posted in the blueroom that apparently the producers are in talks with Camilla to be a judge.

I don't get why they would go to Camilla over Karen, but it's a step in the right direction.

Unless Karen's too busy with her studio and said no....I'm sure we'll see her on a couple of ITT and choreographing some group dances though! Would definitely prefer her as a judge, but Camilla would be good too