Hear hear...

I must admit that you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw that the Bennetts were a split decision over the DT. If there had been anyone I was more sure of was that either they BOTH would stay or BOTH would leave.

Sorry I dont get that the three new girls were always going to be invited back. Yes I agree re Natalie and I too had heard from a dancing source in Australia that they had been trying to get Natalie for 2 years... but i dont agree about Katya or Aliona (although the latter I do feel went down well with the fans on the tours).

Also agree with Lili's comment. Change for change sake just because you want to shake things up a bit isnt necessarily the best plan. The producers and the PTB at the BBC are hiding deceiving themselves from the truth if they think that change will automatically get more viewers.

Yes Jared might bring in a few viewers from the XFactor/teenybopper graphic but that probably will be less than those who won't watch because the likes of Matthew, Ian and the Bennetts won't be dancing (with celebs). (for every one new person, I bet they lose 2 or 3), which to my mind is just not sensible... (*thinks... but then again when was the last time the BBC were sensible! - have answered my own question/comment.)


ok rant over!

Ah I see, I guess I've been a bit naive in thinking that maybe the producers couldn't stoop that low!!

I can see it backfiring very badly, because of what I said about how all the returning pros (Anton possibly excepted) are now less likely to create controversy than they used to be - in other words, less likely to play along with what the producers want!! They won't be able to manufacture training room arguments unless people really don't get along, and we've seen the storming out on the judges (Brendan) and talking back to them (James among many others!) so many times now it couldn't be controversial if the BBC tried!!

Oh well, maybe this series the producers will finally learn their lesson - or is that too much to hope?

I couldnt get past that ponytail at the start of the pro tour... (anyone who knows me will tell you that it seriously pissed me off)... but eventually I got past it by focussing only on Matthew and also the pair's feet.. !

Hehe I quite like the ponytail

I'm so used to it now I don't even see it!!

[quote=Mystical123;42961867]Ah I see, I guess I've been a bit naive in thinking that maybe the producers couldn't stoop that low!!

I can see it backfiring very badly, because of what I said about how all the returning pros (Anton possibly excepted) are now less likely to create controversy than they used to be - in other words, less likely to play along with what the producers want!! They won't be able to manufacture training room arguments unless people really don't get along, and we've seen the storming out on the judges (Brendan) and talking back to them (James among many others!) so many times now it couldn't be controversial if the BBC tried!!

Oh well, maybe this series the producers will finally learn their lesson - or is that too much to hope? [/QUOTE]

Don't hold your breath!

The show has new producers who will have to prove their worth, and it is so obvious to me that they have gone for the 'glamour and youth' route.

I honestly don't think the media potential for scandal that the remaining existing pros may or may not have, would be a huge factor in these decisions.

The kind of media coverage the producers are looking for is the 'hot totty' kind and all the pros with the except of Erin and Anton would be classed as 'hot totty'. I am not saying Erin is not lovely, just not 'hot' in the 'red top' sense and I can only conclude Anton is still heir to Bruce's throne, although I think Erin and Anton also tick the box for 'older pros'. IMHO the cull of dancers imho was based on age and 'hotness'. The fans of the culled dancers may think their favourites fit the bill, but they don't in the view of the wider public. Nothing lasts for ever.

At the end of the day all of the chosen pros are good dancers and I'm sure they will bring glitz and glamour, as well as put on a good show for us.

They'll need to bring glitz, glamour, personality AND class if I'm to be completely mollified, Buddy and if I don't get it I'll either be on the phone complaining to the beeb or will have given up altogether and gone fishing instead

You might be pleasantly surprised!

If the Bennetts were both offered places in the dance troupe, I'm puzzled as to why Darren chose to do it, when Lilia didn't. If she's been inconsolable over not being on the show, why on earth did she turn it down? If she's done it in a fit of pique, then she's cut off her nose to spite her face. If Darren swallowed his principles to keep a foot in the SCD door, couldn't she have done the same ? If they'd been angry at their treatment by the BBC, surely both of them would have walked and told the BBC where to go? I do like Lilia and Darren, and together with Ian, I'm sorry about what's happened to them. Just seems that there's more to this than meets the eye

my thoughts exactly

I hold my hand up and say I admit I though Lilia's decision was going to be because she is pregnant (I know, I know... ), but seeing that photo of her on holiday and reading the interview, I think it is a personal decision - principles, pride or something?

Remember the 'interview' with Lilia was in the Mirror, and it's come out with 'interviews' with Strictly pros and celebs before that have turned out to be completely made-up nonsense!!! I'm sure Lilia was upset and being told she wasn't partnering a celebrity, and it must have taken a while to get used to the idea of not doing the show at all, but she clearly didn't want to be in it just to do a pro dance every week - she obviously enjoys the teaching side of it a lot. Maybe by not doing Strictly she'll be able to teach more and that's what swayed her into saying no altogether. And maybe Darren saying yes is an experiment by them to see what actually comes of this dance troupe. Lilia could come back next year for all we know, contracts are on a yearly basis after all.

I'm not so sure Mystic. The report says "Lilia said..." rather than one of the other options e.g. "A close friend said...", etc. We'll have to wait and see what happens next. We could do with Lilia twittering about this.

Me neither. Of course both of them love teaching a celebrity and all that that entails, such as the training clips, appearances on ITT etc. etc. I would have thought though that a weekly Pro dance with Darren and keeping in the public eye was better than no involvement whatsoever, and languishing at home feeling sidelined. Teaching her pupils privately may be what she'll be doing for the next few months but it'll feel odd without Darren being with her as much. As Buddy says, we'll have to wait and see!

I think its where you get to when you have a fundamental issue and X factor is winning the ratings. The fundamental issue is that you have a dance show with people not voting on the dancing. They have tried everything short of getting rid of a public vote (manipulating comments, manipulating marks, giving the judges another say, new judges, clearer direction) and Tom was still followed by Chris with the dancing competition ending in the SF or before. They may now be trying to move with the herd and to give the viewers what the voters seem to want - comedy, sex, catch phrases, stories, Lindyhops, Charlestons, lifts, and show dances. Added to that, the argument is probably that to counter the x factor you have to look more modern and more like the other dance shows. Its a wrongheaded confluence of two poor ideas.

I remember they did an 'interview' with Ola once that was a load of rubbish, and they'd said she said what they wrote. I think if they thought it sounded half realistic and they could get away with it, especially with Lilia on holiday, they'd say she said it. I've read since that was published that Darren's mother has said not to believe everything that's been written about Lilia in the papers...

The difference was that Lilia was the only female not to be asked back whereas Darren was 1 of 4 males.and Darren was probably offered some kind of choreography role as he was assistant choreographer or something like that on the tour. They probably thought it was better to keep their options open by Darren staying.

I find it funny how in DWTS they try to keep their home-grown talent and their previous pro winners whereas Strictly is doing the exact opposite.

Well you may not understand why Katya and Aliona were back but I was told after last year's SCD that the BBC were thrilled with the new girls and they would be back.
I understand about the comments you both make in your posts but I think what we have to realise is what has been said on here before that the general viewers are very different to the posters on the forum who have their favourite dancers etc. I suspect gernerally most viewers will not be that bothered.

I was away recently and did a lot of talking with relatives and friends re: SCD - Sadly most people wanted to see Anton!!!
Quite a few did not know the names of the dancers and just enjoyed the show on a whole!!
We shall have to see what happens but I doubt it will affect ratings.

I tend to agree with most of this, to be honest. Sure, some of the big fans might turn off, but I doubt the casual viewer will care enough for it to have a major effect on viewing figures.

That would be a novelty - I haven't been pleasantly surprised since Camilla returned to dance with Roger Black on SCD2

Well said! I totally agree with you.

Aw that is so sad!

I argee with much of what you've said about the wrongheadedness of their thinking and the fact they are trying to compete with the X-Factor I think wrongly so. The producers don't understand it's a different audience mostly and you aren't going to attract the X-Factor audience to watch Strictly and likewise the older people are probably not going to be that impressed by the X-Factor. Besides if they are going after younger people then the most obvious thing is to ditch Brucie they are trying to be both for the younger, trendier X-Factor audience and their old family audience and they are falling between two stools.

However there's one point - I have to take you to task for the problem with Strictly is NOT that it's a dance show where people don't vote for dancing but that it's a show about dancing AND celebrities and it's unclear which takes precedence - people vote for journeys, for the comicial bad and/or to spite or wind-up the judges, for whom they fancy, for whom they like, to see someone achieve a dream that isn't necessarily winning i.e to dance their favourite dance or get to perform at Blackpool, because they feel sorry for someone, because they like someone, to see their favourite pro progress and all manner of reasons not related to dancing and sometimes people vote for combinations i.e I like X and X's dancing generally but they had a dance that didn't suit them that night or an attack of nerves which hampered their performance that night whereas someone less engaging and/or talented did a better perfomance on the night. People I think like to see someone learning to dance remove the dance element and it doesn't work - it comes I'm A Celebrity but equally it's the amateurs, some of which you've heard of, learning to dance element which attracts. It's fun seeing a sportsman find he's a twinkle-toes and to be interested in someone you knew nothing about before.

At the end of the day the person who wins Strictly has a winning combination of an engaging personality and at least SOME dancing ability - I don't believe that John Sargeant would have won Strictly and at the end of the day the voting public aren't as stupid as their detractors make them out to be - a complete left-footer has NEVER won Strictly and probably never will. I don't understand why people like my mum are so cross that the likes of Tom Chambers and Chris Hollis win when they aren't bad dancers and win because they obviously are having a great time doing it. It's also worth pointed out it's not a new phenomenom either - Goughie wasn't the best dancer in the year he won.

I'm not saying it is true, just that it might be.


Sorry, but I don't agree with you at all. The voting on SCD has never been only about the dancing - ever. It's not as if someone who can't dance has ever won the show. You paint a very black picture of what is still one of the BBC's flagship shows. It still pulls in 8 million or so viewers - pretty good for a show after 7 series. Anyone reading this board would think the ratings have massively dropped! The show doesn't HAVE to poll a massive number of votes because it is not a financial imperative, as it is on non-BBC shows.

I don't think all of the changes have been bad and I'm still willing to wait and see what the next series is like.