Nor did I this year. The colour schemes obviously worked better with the red poppy than they did last year when they really clashed with some of the costumes - Ali's sticks in my mind in particular.

Colour scheme? Is there a colour scheme?.......I hadn't noticed that

In my opinion you cant get enough of poppies. The second world war is becoming a memory for fewer and fewer people as time passes - so it is important that next generation remember. Programs like SCD and X factor are to be commended - especially given the ongoing conflicts.

Very well said, i thought they looked lovely

I meant for individual routines, not the shows as a whole particularly. Last year, there were varying shades of blue and green and the poppies stood out something awful.

This thread actually had me take a look back to last year's poppies and they were enormous, which explains some of the distraction.

Have a look at this routine to see what I mean. Poor Ian

I agree with this. When I was growing up it was only really Remembrance Sunday that we made a specific point of wearing poppies, or on the actual 11th. Other than that, a poppy on an outer coat in the few days leading up to the day seems appropriate - assuming you don't lose it because they don't let you have pins any more!

Of course it is up to the individual, but the wearing of poppies risks carrying as much meaning as wearing a cross does these days. If you see a woman wearing a necklace with a cross, do you think she's religious or do you think it's a fashion accessory? IMO, wearing poppies is about remembrance, which is a serious business, which SCD is not.

The wearing of poppies whilst doing show dancing is ridiculous to me. I think it's right the presenters and judges wear one (if they choose), but not the dancers, except perhaps on next Sunday's show as that is actual remembrance Sunday.

I too thought that the wearing of poppies on the dance costumes looked odd. I belive that the handing out of poppies to wear at different events -as previous posts have mentioned - defeats the purpose, surely the main aim of poppies is to raise money for the british legion if you wear them because they have been given to you seems a pretty insincere gesture to me

Nail on head!

I personally think the poppies are inportant because of what they symbolise, and I wear mine on the couple of weeks leading up to Rememberance Sunday as a mark of my respect for the army past and present. I love to see them on people on tv whatever channel its on as I feel it is showing respect. I don't think people should be forced to wear them though, it should be your choice.

I did however adore the sparkly poppies that the guests on fridays ITT had on - I wish I knew where to get one of those - Short of buying lots of red glitter lol

just ordered a pin from here.. lovely brolly too.. but no sparkly ones.

http://www.poppyshop.org.uk/Default....ld=ProductName

Yes, you have to choose to wear them, not be forced into it. I thought they looked stupid on the dance costumes. Ordinary clothes , yes, show clothes NO!

thanks for the link. Going to get a sparkly one to wear all the year round. Lovely gesture for our brave service personnel.

I believe they are there for a reason, and dont care if they are on costumes they are there as a mark of respect.. which to me, in my opinion is more important than the costumes

But is it a mark of respect to wear a poppy, not because you support the British Legion and want to honour our soldiers, but because if you don't do so, you will be frowned upon and your name will be mud in the tabloid press? How respectful is that?

Wearing a poppy sewn on to a dance costume is hardly a voluntary action if by not doing so you open yourself up to public opprobrium. I have no idea whether all 20 competitors (and judges and presenters) agreed to wear them willingly or begrudgingly, but just look at the row Jon Snow causes every year when he refuses to kowtow to 'poppy fascism'. No dancer would risk their popularity by doing anything other than acquiescing.

Can I suggest that you do some research into the original purpose of the poppy for the British. It was a symbol of the futility of war and there to remind you that war was not and never will be the answer.

Wearing a poppy is a personal choice. You ought to have some respect for that at least.

A rather weak argument. Are you saying that we have no choice - even if we are not British? And that whether we like it or not people like you will condemn us for making a personal choice? Wow.

Too bad if it bothers you. You no longer have an Empire. The world has moved on.

What a great post! *loud applause*

In a previous year on SCD the dancers wanted to wear poppies but there was a health and safety issue with the BBC safety experts, - however the dancers won.

I think wearing a poppy too early in November (even in October!) sends out the wrong message.- Like Christmas coming too early.

EVERYBODY on screen on BBC as newsreader, presenter etc is wearing one, and they are outsized. Why not write to POV to ask how much the BBC donated to the British Legion to cover all the poppies distributed?

Well, I have just watched last night's show again and I can't believe the poppies were every bit as big as they were last year and yet I didnt notice them this time

I think it has to be testament to what a great show we/some of us are being given, in that we arent being distracted by little annoyances.

Well done celebs/dancers/producers/everyone.

But that is not what the Poppy stands for in it's current context. It's for the purpose of rememberance (and of course to raise funds for the legion) Many of us who had a parent who fought in the second world war, and then had to watch that parent suffer for the rest of his life, find some comfort in the fact that we have this ritual to help us remember what they endured. It does'nt really hurt anyone does it? once a year people wear poppies and then we all have to argue over the right and wrongs of it...so so sad.

I generally like to see people wearing poppies but agree with the posters saying their effect is diluted if it goes on too long. I do use the silence on the 11th to commemorate the lost, including my grandfather whose death in WW2 had consequences for my family which have been passed down through the generations.

However, I think plastering them on a costume for a comedy dance routine is inappropriate and, perhaps because the poppy does actually mean something to me, I found it distracting. It just doesn't fit - the dances are costumed, character-driven stories. Would even the Daily Mail expect to see poppies in a Dickens adaptation or on a Dalek??

I'm surprised they didn't have a Guy Fawkes Night special. Dancing to songs like Hot Hot Hot and Re-Light My Fire.

I don't think the performers needed to wear them while dancing. The judges are okay with them on and the presenters.

That isn't what Jon Snow said as I understand ; he objects to being told that he has to wear one on air ; they sit in a box in the make up room , so , on with the make up then the poppy and put it back in the box afetr you're done .
He said he wears one privately, as he put it .

It is on the SCD website that the policy is poppies may be worn this year from 6/11 to 14/11 IF they want .

I am ambivalent on this ; I do like to see them being worn but to insist rather goes against the whole idea of our freedom to live as we do being won in two world wars .

I do feel the the phrase " poppy Fascism " is dreadful; I see what is meant but it reduces the word to the ordinary; no one who chooses not to wear a poppy will be treated as they would have been for disobeying an edict under a Fascist regime.

And that surely is why we wear the poppies in the end , yes , as a symbol of remembrance but also a a symbol of our debt of gratitude .

There hangs my dislike - the Poppy Shop do not sell sparkly ones (probably for a very good reason), so where are they coming from, or are they just a fashion accessory thereby devaluing the symbol?

Edited for typo.