And he had a really good SCD pro partnership with Aliona. Blimey, my TV nearly caught fire during one routine!

But we dont know that the 'troupe' is a permenant thing.......it could be rotational and Matthew would get a celeb next time.

The BBC says they have been "offered" a place in the pro troupe not that they have accepted. My concern is that Brian won't be the only one to leave.

I get what you are saying Jan but Matts partnership with Christine and if it was "positively dull" ( in your opinion) could also be down to Christine not just Matt,it takes two to make a partnership (obviously !!).

Yep Matt did a lot of pro routines last year but as a "Matt fan" i like to see him if i can dance every week and i like to see him teaching/interacting with a "celeb",i like to see him doing interviews on ITT etc.........nobody knows the terms of this pro group contract yet and it could be Matt in one pro group routine every few weeks for all we know with no other "sightings" of him.......

Thats the difference........


Hip Hop Samba !!!!! never looked at Aliona once !!

True we dont know that.....and I have no idea what sort of living the dancers were making prior to strictly.....or if being in Strictly would allow Matthew and the others to make a good living without it......who knows.

Brian has left yes but he does have another show he is dancing in and I expect he will return to America after that.

I've made this point a few times on forum........dancers have to earn a living just like anyone else and the SCD pros have this chance now,the SCD bubble will burst for each and every one of them one day or another at some time and they won't be offered a contract for anything,so can they afford to walk away from the salary offered by SCD now........do they take the money whilst its offered or can they absorb the financial hit and find a liveable alternative source of income ??

Lots of other things also tied into the SCD brand,tours etc,you walk away from SCD you walk away from all the salary earned from the other things as well.

This news is a huge disappointment! Don't the BBC realise that, for the most part, much of their audience tunes in out of interest in their favourite Pro dancer(s) rather than the so-called celebrities with whom they are paired??!!

It was only the prospect of his fabulous performances/choreography in the Pro dances that kept me tuning in last year when Matthew was undeservedly sent packing in week 1. It's bad enough that they've given Ian,Darren and Lilya the flick and that Brian has felt he had to leave. To sideline Matthew is absolute madness, (especially leaving Anton, Brendan and James chuffing Jordan in place!!).

If Matt and his fellow evictees do sign up for the Pro-troupe (and I wouldn't blame them for telling the Beeb to stick it, if it were not for them probably needing the money) I have a feeling I may just record the show this year and fast forward to the Pro dances. If Matt goes, I doubt I'll bother watching at all.

Apparently the aim is to "Refresh the brand" to compete with that infernal Cowell-vehicle on the other side. Well, Aunty Beeb, ditching the viewers' favourite Pro dancers is NOT the way to go about it!

I don't care which way he swings, his dancing is hot. Another bad decision by the Beeb.

I will be a happy bunny! LOL!

Matthew is my favourite pro dancer. I'm bitterly disappointed he's been sidelined. Some people cannot be replaced.

No matter what changes they make to the show, for me, it will now always be less than it might have been.

Aside from who are and aren't my favourite dancers, I can't even fathom why they've made these decisions. Surely it doesn't make sense to cut the dancers they have? I wouldn't have predicted losing those five in a million years (except maybe Ian, I could see them cutting him).

What a sad day I can't believe Matt has been sidelined ,someone of his calibre and professionalism,he's one of the best dancers they have ,in fact the 5 they've chosen to sideline are the BEST dancers!!!!Matt,Lillia and Darren have all won Strictly Ian was a finalist and Brian runner up..The lunatics are certainly running the asylum that is now known as the BBC,which overpaid bod thought of this one?
I'm trying to understand the logic behind this but finding it really difficult,the BBC decide to keep Anton whose latin is appalling, and Brendan average but arrogant,are they there for comedy value??That's the only reason I can think of obviously the show's no longer about dance...There's quite a few overpaid BBC execs I'd personally like to sideline,who don't give a toss about us the viewers,and if they think controversy will equate to ratings then they really are misguided ,you don't cull your very best people..There would be no interest for me as it's not only Matt, but they have demoted the dancers who attract the biggest audience,they all have large fanbases,it's not just stupid... more suicidal

Ellie

I would be ruddy ecstatic!

Look, I have nothing against Matthew Cutler and I'm sorry that any of the pros are going, but I simply don't get how people can make assertions such as this. Biggest following? Where? On this board? How is that relevant even if true? Most popular pro? With whom? Based on what?
As far as I am aware he has no profile whatsoever outside of dancing circles, does no unassociated work or advertising and, I would guess, casual viewers would struggle to name him. It is very, very obvious (to me) what has 'saved' those older dancers who are staying - a media profile going beyond Strictly.

He does quite a few shows with Nicole and teaches, so it's quite unfair to say he has no profile outside Strictly.

But you're right about the media assertions that he is the most popular, or among the most popular, it's always going to be subjective....but that doesn't disqualify people from having favourites, or saying pros are popular when they clearly are on here!

Well good for him that he hasn't cheapened himself by dressing up in a tinfoil suit and leaping through walls! Is that what you call a media profile? How does that help keep a dancer in SCD?

Matthew is very popular on here. People are sad to see him sidelined. I didn't realise we would have to provide scientifically-conducted surveys to back up our disappointment!

I don't want to speak for anyone, but I'm pretty sure all missfrankiecat is getting at is that regardless of how popular Matthew might be on here, he's not going to mean as much to the casual viewer who doesn't get as in-depth as we do as someone who they are more familiar with. I don't think Matthew should have had to do something like Hole in the Wall, but I'd certainly imagine that that, amongst other things (that cookery show he presented, last year's race row, the odd television appearance like in Victoria Wood's Christmas special, etc.), has made Anton a more recognisible figure to the casual viewer. For someone who doesn't watch as much as we do, is Matthew anything more than "that nice boy who won with Alesha"?

Unfortunately, there are far more casuals than there are us...

Precisely what I was getting at. People on this board express incredulity that Anton and Brendan, both of whom have had the sense and the foresight to broaden their skills bases beyond simply dancing, have survived this cull. Some may call grabbing every opportunity 'cheap' but, with respect, you don't get the plum presenting job without putting in the time with the crap ones. Anton and Brendan have shown versatility and are far more recogniseable to Joe Public as a result than Matt Cutler, fabulous dancer though he is. Stargazer, of course you don't have to justify your preference for Matthew or your sadness at him being sidelined in SCD but equally don't knock others who have taken a broader view of their careers and are reaping the benefits.

i don't know how the can get rid of matt,ian,darren and lilia. They are the best dancers on the show along with brian. Antons latin is not very good.

But SCD is about dancing, not whether someone can sing or take part in game shows. If the criteria for the show is that people should be all-round celebs then surely that undermines the show? I would rather see someone like Matthew who is committed purely to dance, than someone who is spreading themself all over the place.

Really agree with you there. Matt (in my opinion) is the best male dancer on SCD. Cannot believe they have done this to him and others. The only thing I wondered is if they want the best dancers for this dancing troupe !!

If that was the case Vincent and Flavia would have been included in the troupe. I think they have tried to keep a mix of the top dancers between the competing pros and the troupe pros as no one would really be interested in this group creation if they didn't have some of our best loved names in it....I dont think its entirely true though that the best dancers are all in the troupe.

Probably did not explain that correctly!!

Its just that everyone is wondering how on earth that Matt &Co have been sidelined into the troupe I was therefore trying to find some logic to it and wondered if the BBC thought Matt & Co were the best dancers - simply trying to think of how the BBC may have thought but then who knows how that lot think!!

I do understand your point of view and of others equally passionate about dance on this board but I am trying to explain why I think those who are responsible for viewing figures may have a different perspective. SCD is of course a programme which features dance but only in a light hearted way. It's a light entertainment show, not a serious dance competition. People watch for a myriad of reasons but personality is a huge factor, of celebs, judges and dancing pros. So, frankly, whether or not a pro dancer is the best technical performer of the cha cha is way less important than whether he can pull off a good gag to a lot of casual viewers, and therefore the people who make the show.

so will Matt and Ian have partners in this dancing troupe or is Lilia going to be spreading herself round? Will there be new female pro dancers brought in for them?