Most of the time, yes, but not when you seem to know an awful lot about their private lives too when you're friends. I don't know if they're all great friends, but Craig and John seem to know each other very well and seem to have that gay, camp, taking the p*ss out of each other and putting each other down constantly relationship.

It's too close, a professional respect and like is fine, knowing all the dirty linen about someone and having a big gob, probably not!

I think "connection with dance" was used by the BBC as a justification for going with Brucie right back at the start. After all, Brucie was already a decade or so past his sell-by even then.

Does the American guy on DWTS have a "connection with dance"? I don't think I've read one complaint about his style of presenting.

I think I'd prefer a presenter with no connection with dance. I think, as with Brucie, there's the temptation to either pre-empt or argue with the judges where the presenter feels their opinion has some validity. I know we do it all the time on here, but it doesn't help the flow of the show if time is taken up with squabbling.

Well Bruno and Len commute back and forth to LA couldn't they just bring Tom with them

They won't. They are jellus hatahs.

Can I unappreciate the unwelcome discovery that every hot tap in the house has frozen up!

oooooh. That's pants. Last Christmas when a stupid amount of snow was belched on us from up high, it caused the power cables supplying the house to fuse, therefore we had no power for the first 3 days of Christmas week. Unfortunately the circuit on our boiler blew too and no plumber would come out to us for 3 frigging weeks.

Yes - I've said Frigging.

Because it was f*cking cold.

Sorry to hear about taps...

Tom Bergeron on Dancing with the Stars has no connection with dance, and is just about the best you could get - and for me proves that what is more important than actual dance experience is a quick wit. He dosen't put himself forward and he doesn't try to take over but he is awesome (in a purely unbiased way )

I think, when Strictly first appeared Bruce was quite a coup to host and I think it was the established 'Mr Saturday Night' persona that was wanted and the dancing stuff just an added bonus - Brucie or otherwise . A pro/celeb ballroom dancing competition for charity could have sunk quite as easilly as it swam and Bruce was a bit of kudos and a 'name'.

Personally, I would go for a host who quietly hosts and has a quick wit and sense of the ridiculous but can't dance over someone who can dance but lacks the humour. A Graham Norton or Julian Clary would fit well for me, but I'm sure there must be others that could potentially work as well.

Or, we could have a Strictly franchise Swaperama - wanted one Tom. Willing to swap one Bruno and one Len.

Yikes at the frozen pipes. Hope it's not leaky.

Appreciate my carer this morning clearing my path, therefore making it possible for me to get to my car, therefore making it theoretically possible that I can get away tomorrow to Southampton for Christmas.

Unappreciate the forecast for 20cm of snow overnight...

Oh I wish! Except Len would never do that. Tom would just show him up for the grumpy old ignoramus he truly is

I'd love to know why anyone believes that old Brucie has a 'connection to dance'. He never could dance - even in his youth - and he still can't

I don't believe that dance connection is necessary. And anyway, I can't think of anyone who dances being able to present well enough to handle SCD. It's really not their thing. It's a whole art in itself - presenting.

Oh is that what that shuffling he does at the beginnning is? It's dancing!

He can't sing either and it's never stopped him in that area either. What exactly was Bruce good at?

Hope you make it safely. I'm heading there myself on Friday - via train, if they can be arsed to run!

Naff telly shows for even naffer audiences. I think he was regarded as a comedian, but saw himself as much more. He has always had a massive ego and could never understand why he was shifted off prime time TV.

Clinging on like a limpet he is. Did you see the documentary on him? Horrible man!

It's bad enough having to watch him on Strictly so no I didn't see it. There are lots of those old-time stars that I have a real problem with, they have egos the size of a small planet when they were just in the right place at the right time.

They didn't invent a cure for cancer, they didn't make the world a more humane place, they were just around at the right time in the 1950s when black and white tv started.

They do very little for charity unless it involves doing something like playing golf with their mates or it makes them look good but don't actually put themselves out in any way.

For all you can say about younger stars like Billy Connolly or David Beckham, they do an awful lot for those not as privileged as they are.

I'm going to try to get from Kent to Wolverhampton on Thursday. Hopefully it won't be too bad, I live really close to M2 and in-laws live really close to M6, so not a lot of driving off the motorway.

Now that is a good argument against using him. Funny how I barely remember the details any SCD show once it's over, let alone any ITT shows.

If JB is such a drama queen he'll get up too many noses (SCD crew and the pros), and that's before they even let him loose on the GBP.

Shame. He's so easy on the eye - and so many presenters just aren't. I don't want another gormless 'cor blimey' cheeky chappie, shouty yoof prat or an Alan Borefest Titchmarch type.

I'd love Eddie Izzard, but he never do it. I suspect that I secretly want to ruffle the feathers of the die hard ballroom crowd because I find so many of them very Nimby and sanctimonious

Fair enough, then let's look outside the initial John Barrowman / Graham Norton / Anton Du Beke list.


Looking here, I see there are 642 entries to choose from...

Blimey, I'm going there after Christmas too.

Clearly we're a clique

Marrying charity cases, you mean?

Yup. Totally agree with you. I despise them too - all teeth, ego, golf and chauvinistic jokes - and ex showgirl wives

At least Billy C was once a very funny man, and you're dead right about the charity thing.

*chuckles*

I think it best not to tell them what we get up to there. Our hatahs do not need to know, do they? Just the DOTS.

Otherwise next thing we know there'll be an attic convoy following us down there to try and find dirt to dish

And if showgirls wanted to work on their shows they had to provide 'fringe benefits' from what I've heard.

I find it really hard to think of a presenter, I want a Dermot O'Leary type, someone charming, unthreatening, vaguely cute, professional.

I don't want some camp. over-the-top, all about me presenter. I don't want cheesy jokes, bad links, I just want it played straight with respect for the hard work of the contestants and someone who can chat cleverly with the judges. Someone who can make it less cliche-ridded than it is at the moment.

I don't want any ex-contestants either, I don't want Gethin or Gabby, it's bad enough have an ex-contestant judge.

I think Frank Skinner or Brian Conley would be good. They've done live tv, they can think on their feet. Frank, especially is sardonic and witty, without being rude but I just don't know if he's right for Strictly.

Hehehehee. You're such a geek. Clever though. You do realise that some of the people on there are actually dead?

I vote for Alistair Appleton

Yes, wit and a quick mind is key. Gethin has no personality. I like Brian Conley - who is very funny - but hes a bit gor blimey missus for me.

Frank Skinner is just too ugly