Originally Posted by Liparus:
“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?”
Originally Posted by katie_p:
“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.
