Fine o.k. I give in but as a final thought should we consider the following:
[LIST=1]
SCD is now an entertainment show and we should be encouraged to forget technique and all that stuff and be entertained in comedic dance (not strictly)
To be entertained in this way I demand more than Widders and we should go to replace Bruce with maybe Jim Davidson and the girls go for pro comedians
We obviously do not need dance judges and the three dance judges go to be replaced by successful previous SCD jokers such as JS and invited judges such as screaming lord such
[LIST]
Or
We consider that as 90% plus of the time we now see/hear contestants they are dancing or practising dance and as the beeb hire in some of the best dance pro!s in the world and as three of the judges are salary earning dance professional the beeb accept they are offering up a predominantly dance entertainment show
If it is to be dance (strictly) then the beeb invite physically able bodied contestants and judges are instructed to mark accordingly and forget the sympathy vote

One final point can anybody inform us as to how many of the 11m plus who watch the show actually phone in a vote
For instance what percentage of the 11m vote for widders[/LIST][/LIST

I would watch either version suggested but find this joke version difficult to take

Important question is how the licence fee payers' money is being spent. .If you are a UK licence payer, then your dosh, post tax, is being used to pay Ann as a contestant. She gets the same as the others per round stayed in. Bet deep down they're not all happy with that.
Question is - can the people who pay the piper call the tune?
Answer - if it's SCD, no they can't.

The beeb are trying to hire celebs who they think will appeal to the audience. Judging the support that Anne receives from the entertainment enthusiasts on here they have obviously made a good choice. Would rather have Wendy Hurrell myself

The original formula made SCD one of the most successful shows for the BBC, one that has been copied around the world.

Why should they abandon a successful formula?

Replace Brucie with Graham Norton, Tess Daly with Claudia Winkleman, leave Bruno and Len in america and get some replacements for both of them. Also to have a moderation team so anarchy dosen't strike and a longer time for voting so the bbc get more money. Possibly into the next day, come on bbc bosses we are not stupid.

Screamig Lord Sutch is dead .......

they have changed it this year and dancing was the victim the pro dancers (with a few exceptions) are poor and after watching from series one I have after Saturday decided not to watch the live show anymore

The dancing has been quite good although the pro's have had some timing issues. It has always been an entertainment show that's why it's on prime time. The JS paso was the best routine I've seen on SCD.

I don't blame you. It's much easier to watch it on Sky plus so you can fast forward through the Brucie bits.

I suspect because Tom and Chris convinced them there were still viewers, and perhaps even more of them, if the winner wasn't that good. As John from Wales pointed out, the show is now aimed at an audience that at some point liked Total Wipeout in the preceeding timeslot. Meanwhile, they have run out of ways to try and get a fair , or even sensible, public vote result (judges comments, Len pleading, making the distinctions starker in their comments, a dance off, manipulating the order of the best dancers to get out the weakest, changing judges....) As how well people can dance is a minor consideration in the vote, they seem to have decided to now put on whoever thinks its still worthwhile turning up. To make it look consistent, and to give the good dancers a chance too, they will let everyone try and be entertaining in any way they can - whether it be cartwheeling or being thrown around like a sack of potatoes.

I think that my problems with the current series would be almost solved if Len and Bruno gave rational marks (surprising to me, Alesha is much better lately when she's not patronising superior talents), and if viewers were allowed only one vote per phone. Yes, lots of us have more than one phone these days, but it would still cut out the massive multi-voting that surely must be responsible for the distorted results.

If I had my way it would be purely a dance competition, but I know that it would attract a much smaller audience so I'm on a loser there.

parthena

Tom and Chris wwere not the best dancers in their series but they were not exactly hopeless, Tom especially.

I think at some point in most series the comdey useless contestant has got voted out but not until 1 or 2 much better ones have gone. So I think the comdey routine only gets you so far - but sometimes "so far" is still quite a long way

totally agree though that the beeb have abandanoned any pretence at it being more about dance than entertainment hence the throw everything but the kitchen sicnk in. What.s more interesting is Len/judges suddenly deciding lifts aren't really allowed half way through the series - frankly bizzare

Anton is probably suffering with back trouble so they needed a good excuse to stop the lifts.

I would just like to point out (thanks a lot John from Wales by the way) that just because someone might like Total Wipeout it doesnt make them a moron. I love TW it makes me howl with laughter because of the ridiculous sound effects they put on it and Richard Hammond who I adore. It completely harmless viewing that my whole family enjoy.....I fully accept that a lot of people think its rubbish but I expect they watch a lot of things that I would think are rubbish and I certainly wouldnt abuse them for that.....I am not voting for Ann by the way but if I was it would be no one elses business by my own.

I also think that a fair amount of the public would think people who get really heated about Strictly are morons so I dont think any of us should be pointing fingers at people who happen to like other programmes.

Rant over........scans radio times for mention of next series of Total Wipeout

Strictly can be all things to all people - those who prefer to watch an entertainment show that will make them laugh, will get that entertainment from the likes of Widdy; and if they like that sort of entertainment and vote to keep her in, then that is their right.

On the other hand, those who enjoy to watch the show for the dance side of it, get great pleasure from watching the likes of Matt, Kara etc., and if they vote to keep them in, then that is their right.

We should respect each others preferences; personally I watch for the dancing, but know quite a few people (including a couple of dances!) who find Ann hilarious and vote for her every week.

Wholeheartedly agree.

I personally enjoy both and as they are well paid celebs am not worried or upset when any of them leave.

So is Brucie some would argue (sorry, couldn't resist)

I reckon the way round it is to use non-celebs to partner the pros. If you got the right mix of people then you could still have decent dancing and decent entertainment, without anyone being accused of having an agenda that might be even vaguely influential.

Some have said this would wreck the viewing figures, but given how many people there are who claim they've never heard of most of the SCD celebs anyway, I wonder if that would really be the case

Change it one way you please some, change it another you please the rest...it's a no win either way for the Beeb

It is the mix that keeps it entertaining. A whole show of Ann Widecombes would be very boring. There has to be a mix of good dancers, improvers and the odd comedy turn. The very best dancer may not win, but the show is usually won by a good dancer with personality and a good rapport with their pro partner.

A personal opinion follows:


Very few "normal" non-celebs would be likely to be able to commit the time needed in between their day jobs and home life (especially the weekly trips down to London). That is likely to leave the other group of non-celebs - those who are aching for a new career in the media, those who are looking for self-publicity, and those who are quirky or odd, with what producers see as an interesting back story (more likely to be sensationalist rather than anything else). And we have seen what that can give us with many of the later Big Brother contestants. Normal people need not apply.

My personal reaction would be...

Invariably, the 'good telly' selection process would apply - but that's the way of the world. Those with normal backgrounds are always likely to get filtered out to some degree, unless they have really big personalities.

I like to think that the thought of learning the skill, rather than sitting around on one's backside for days on end, or yowling karaoke in front of Cheryl Cole, would encourage a slightly different cross-section of society to apply to be on the show - and that the producers would hence look for people who weren't in it simply as a profile-raiser.

As for the 'normal people can't commit the hours' thing, then it depends what arrangements you're willing to make to do it. I dare say any number of students, retired people, part-time workers, full-time mums etc. would do what they could to ake the time - even full-time employees could try getting a sabbatical for the duration. It's all about how much a person wants to be on TV innit?

It doesn't need changing; it's reverted back to the previous format that worked perfectly well and is progressing along the same lines it always has. There has always, always been a less able dancer who has received public support while better dancers leave.

veryold, just above there has summed it up perfectly:
"It is the mix that keeps it entertaining. A whole show of Ann Widecombes would be very boring. There has to be a mix of good dancers, improvers and the odd comedy turn. The very best dancer may not win, but the show is usually won by a good dancer with personality and a good rapport with their pro partner."

The sentence in bold applies perfectly to all winners, including Chris (who I believe was near or top of the leaderboard early doors) and Tom (who I believe never dropped out of the top 4 on the leaderboard - unlike all the other contestantsi in with a shout)

hris was never a contender until the foxtrot at Blackpool and can be considered the worst dancer to win

Yes indeed its the mix which makes it entertaining, which is not a new thing to SCD. It has from the start had the no hopers and jokers. My only anger this year is the way it has been manipulated to suit AW. No celeb has ever laid down the conditions which she has . She should not have been allowed to dictate what she will and won't do. When you sign on for a show you should abide by its dictates and if you won't fulfill them then don't take part.