The Widdy is an enigma!

Detest her politics, love her personality and wish she was still a serving MP. She'd sort out the current dull but devious government. In fact maybe she should go back into politics again and attack those who criticise her with her Rhumba!

OK her dancing isn't quite dancing and its important to remember modern day SCD is more about showing how anyone can enjoy dance. Even those with ample breasticles and deeply scary faces.

Go for it Ann! Hope she wins.

Why do people that have no interest in dancing watch a show about people learning to dance

Because apparently, in the real world, its not a show about people learning to dance, its a show that involves having a good laugh at an elderly lady with large chesticles not trying to dance

Lol! You accuse this part of the DS forum of being out of touch with the 'real world', yet you cite newspapers as your measuring stick of this 'real world'? LMAO – that is the funniest thing I've heard all day! Thanks for the giggles

Me too!


No matter why - it's the fact that they do, and that they vote in vast numbers (or at least multi-vote vastly), which gives them undue influence over the nature of the programme. I wonder if it was when the phone votes contributed to Children in Need that the death knell was sounded

I didn't start watching SCD until a few seasons ago because I'm not into TV trash and I had assumed that's what it was. Was a "grotesque" deliberately included among the contestants before JS? I know they had poor dancers, like Fiona Phillips, but predictable no-hopers?

parthena

I don't believe they can, in the real world dance is not the reserve of the plastic perfectionist Celebs, as was said earlier,

" Dance is for everyone"

Okay first, I LOVE Tang lol. I wish I'd thought of that as my screenname at the time lol

As for the utterly obvious no-hopers, I can't think of anyone they signed up knowing they would be this awful. Even JS I don't think they knew would be so bad and they have signed some people like him before - Jimmy Tarbuck in series 4 - but that's about it.

Judge Dread, what are you complaining about ?

The nation has done no such thing - I am part of that nation you speak of and far from taking her to my heart I would willingly demonstrate the accuracy of my right foot and kick her into touch.

I find it strange that you put "dancing" and "entertainment" as opposites, as if dancing can't be entertaining or that entertainment can't be dancing.

...or something? Nail and head.

...nothing to do with dancing? Have you been watching the show?

I and the real world parted company some time ago except for the soundbites. It's a harsh cruel world out there. This forum isn't always comfortable and I retreat back into my bubble till temper cooled and equilibrium regained but it's by no means evil incarnate with dancing spikes at dawn, and it does not possess the viciousness of other forums and boards, though hot under the collar lets steam out in geyser vents... which we are allowed to do because it's a forum to air views and opinions across the spectrum.

The real world exists with motives and tactics, strategies, agendas and end-games. The story will keep on running long after the glitter ball is raised, with people having got what they wanted from appearing on the prime time television show Strictly Come Dancing.

One of the reasons for this forum is for people who are passionate about Strictly and if collars get too tight it is not for the lack of a "real world" touchstone it's for the above mentioned because contrary to opinions, we aren't stupid.

Don't you guys realise yet? IT'S NOT A DANCE CONTEST!

It's an entertainment show. And Ann has used the first rule of show-biz - "Keep the audience wanting more" - by revealing that her next two dances are the Samba and Rumba. Her loyal followers are now on the edges of their collective seats waiting for next week. And the week after.

Good dancing is entertainment.

Bad dancing is not.

Yes shouting is bound to make us all agree with you. I don't find bad dancing or indeed bad anything, entertaining, I just find it yaknow crap

Christ, I wish.

Besides, the correct insult is "dance purists", apparently.

I've snipped the rest of your post, because it's rubbish.

Hear Hear

And that would be great, apart from the slight problem that she's boycotting 50% of the dances because she's simply decided not to bother with them.

And, apparently, that's OK.

2010 could be the year the top tv reality contest shows (well apart from Britian's Got Talent) lose their credibility. It's not impossible for Ann Widdecombe to win this year's SCD and it's not impossible for Wagner (the cheesy karaoke type Brazilian) to win the X Factor. If they win I think it will be the public taking the proverbial piss out of these reality shows. It will be quite funny to see this happen.

Far more than 50% - tango doesn't count as ballroom in the world of Ann, so I doubt Argentine does either. That leaves her 4 dances - waltz, Viennese Waltz, foxtrot and quickstep. If we're being generous we can guess she'll take American Smooth seriously (although Lord knows she'd be the only one).

Compare that with the standard 5 Latin, plus tango and Argentine Tango, and salsa. And Charleston. And the showdance. And Evil Moira Ross' Possible Swing Round. We're at about 70%. Not that that's much "better" than Patsy's doing, but at least she's being more subtle about it.

It would be really interesting if the beeb could tell us exactly how many votes they get for each show. As the voting time is quite limited, I wouldn't think it would be that many.

However many it is, shall we say half the voters vote for entertainment, and the other half for the dancing.

The entertainment voters are probably mostly going to Ann.

The dancing voters between Kara, Scott, Matt & Pamela.

In between these groups you have Patsy & Gavin who have both improved immensely & possibly appeal to both groups, and Felicity.

Whichever way you add it up, the votes for the "dancers" are spread a lot more thinly than the votes for the "entertainer", which means until the 'dancers' are really reduced in number - Ann will stay.

Well aparenlty Ann has decided that Dance is not for her

She wont do latin , she wont show any leg , she wont do romance

As far as I can see she wont dance

thats like deciding you will make a fruit cake without any fruit , eggs or sugar , it really just a dollop of wet flour at this point

Is she all over the newspapers? Can't say I've noticed, but then I only buy quality newspapers *sniff*. I like reality shows (well, not X Factor or Big Brother, but most of the others) but I don't want to read opinionated twaddle about Strictly in the press - I've got DS for that.

I'm also in favour of programmes that show ANYONE can do whatever the contestants are asked to do. I loved Dancing with Wheels for that very reason. But Anne Widdecombe is taking the p1ss out of the show, refusing to show any flesh (for which the nation is truly thankful), do any kind of Latin dance (for which Anton is probably thankful) or take on board any constructive criticism. If you want a definition of the word 'arrogant', look no further than the Rt Hon Anne Widdecombe.

I'm amazed how many people have this ridiculous misconception.
The greatest Entertainment on SCD is Great Dancing like that produced by Kara and Scott. The two are not mutually exclusive.

The show has Dancing in the title so I think we are entitled to see dancing and SCD has produced some fabulous Entertaining dances since it started.

The first series of SCD contributed to Sport Relief, then series two, three and four contributed to Children in Need. Hence series one and two happened in the same year.



There was Chris Parker in series one, the poor boy could not dance a step and Julian Clary in series two who could not dance but gave it a damn good try.