Yes, another one wanting the same thing! I'd happily roll back to series 5. If that makes me an old fogey/a fluffy/ or a dance purist so be it! Not ashamed to admit I miss the class of the old days! (Sid, it's Fiona btw!)


Dignity to the panel would be a welcome thing! They have become a sideshow in themselves, competing to see who can be the most outrageous or contraversial! Don't want much, just a bit of honesty about the dances they hav actually watched!

Suits me. I know Arlene is small and tacky but so am I when I get excited.

agree ! provided that the dances they are watching are actual proper dances! not the showy shit we often get now.

I miss the class of the old days too - feels a bit too trashy at times now.

LOVE it!

go on then - bounce and get all excited - I want to SEE this!

I think there is a broad agreement among some long-term SCD viewers who post on DS that the show has rather gone downmarket, and that there doesn't appear to be the same attention to detail as there perhaps used to be.

The changes that have been made, however much we may all grumble about aspects that irk us on here, have been hugely successful with the wider viewing public - and so I would be genuinely surprised if Arlene was brought back. It would be like a tacit admission that the programme was in trouble and needed taking back to what it used to be - and, as far as the ratings go, the show is not in trouble. At all.

And sorry to burst some bubbles, but Arlene was not the paragon of honesty and perception that she appears to be painted. All the lusting and alliteration aside, she was unprofessional and displayed blatant favoritism. She seemed to think her own favourites deserved to win, and she could insult the public's preferred contestants and mark them down to help further her own. That has nothing to do with her oft-mentioned history as a choreographer - it shows arrogance and a lack of humility. The same kind of arrogance and lack of humility Simon Cowell is currently displaying as he rubbishes acts the public voted for on BGT ... which is all set to come and bit him on the bum. The public don't like being told who to vote for.

I'd agree wholeheartedly that the judges' comments in last series seldom matched what we actually saw. My biggest beef with SCD8 is that it was more obviously staged than ever before. But Arlene coming back would not alter that. If she did return, she'd have to play the game - just like Alesha did.

Just as an extra thought......... Despite all the changes and so called improvements in the last two series. The year that SCD beat X factor at the NTA's was after series 5! Maybe the GBP don't like the changes that much ........

Also I think the ratings improvement is due to TV scheduling moving the two programmes apart in timings. Just a thought!

The show would be going backwards by bringing Arlene back. I don't know why she's even being considered.

If it's true, good

Surely they're not serious?

Len Meets Arlene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nS409Mr_n18

At least Alesha had done some ballroom - enough to win the series. I am quite sure that Arlene, like Craig and Bruno, had never been near a ballroom before she got the job of "judge", and had to hastily learn a few ballroom terms to make it more convincing.

No - Karen Hardy or Shirley Ballas for me.

Just as long as it isn't another zeleb.

I wouldn't want to see her return now! Watching her and listening to her comments on SYTYCD was bad enough and that show was apparenly closer to what her dancing career consisted of than the Latin/Ballroom dancing of Strictly.

I felt sorry for her when she just sacked and replaced with Alesha in the manner and for the reason that it was but, no, I've moved on from seeing her on Strictly and think she should do so too. Why would she go back to a show that sacked her like that anyway.

No, I'd rather Shirey Ballas or another ex Latin/Ballroom Pro was the next lead. Strictly should take the lead from DOI.

[quote=Miriam_R;56268946]I wouldn't want to see her return now! Watching her and listening to her comments on SYTYCD was bad enough and that show was apparenly closer to what her dancing career consisted of than the Latin/Ballroom dancing of Strictly.

I felt sorry for her when she just sacked and replaced with Alesha in the manner and for the reason that it was but, no, I've moved on from seeing her on Strictly and think she should do so too. Why would she go back to a show that sacked her like that anyway.

No, I'd rather Shirey Ballas or another ex Latin/Ballroom Pro was the next lead. Strictly should take the lead from DOI.[/QUOTE]

That may not be the best advice given that DOI is, by its standards, struggling at the moment.
The problem is that SCD has morphed into big entertainment in the last few seasons and I have always thought this judge decision would be much harder than some people on here appear to think. Someone like Karen Hardy or another dance pro would seem like a shoe-in, but that will not make anything more than a ripple of newsworthyness. A "Latin judge" again would appear the right thing to do, but again no news there as few people outside dance will know who they are. Arlene would just be plain wrong even if it would make the papers briefly.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of it SCD is in a relentless catfight with X Factor and I reckon the Beeb hierarchy will be chewing over this decision for a while yet.

First I demand Lilia, then I can rise to the occasion

Am sure you're tingling in anticipation, my dear

Agree with all that Servalan (always want to call you S'ralan LOL)

And most definitely agree that it would be like a tacit admission that it hadn't worked, if she came back - absolutely.

my leaning towards her coming back was simply because I really do hanker after the old days when we had better quality pros & pro dances overall, proper dances and more detail in the judging (which is what I liked her for) - but that's because I'm a curmudgeonly Apprentice Fossil - and you're right, it wouldn't work in any kind of way to go back. Same with old pros - I don't want any of them to come back because the show has of course moved on.

Like you, I have previously said in posts that the show is even more successful and has better ratings than ever so it's clearly pleasing.

I don't really have any bubbles that need bursting since I agree with what you said - I just like to be an old fart who carks on about it lol! to no avail of course - but isn't that the joy of moaning about not having what you like?

It kinda serves the BBC right

They ditched her in a horrible way for Alesha Dixon.
Now Alesha Dixon has walked off and left them in a mess.

Maybe the BBC could come up with a list of four replacements and then have a show called 'SCD Panel Member - the British public decides!' Each of the potential panelists has to score a selection of dances and having appraised what they might bring to the show the GBP then participates in a phone vote to choose the winner.

This would have the added bonus of simultaneously raising the profile of SCD during the pre SCD 2012 lull and endorsing the final choice. Who knows - this might even circumvent the inevitable backlash from all those who wanted someone else.

This is coming from a Rupert Murdoch based paper who hates the BBC. All rumours.

No, much as I respect Arlene for her knowledge of dance, she was just too ill mannered.

I really hope Arlene doesn't return, I wouldn't be able to watch the programme which I adore with her back on the panel unless there's a contestant that I really really really like. Or I'll just recorded everything and fast forward when she starts her bit.

Not too fussed. I didn't mind Arlene and wouldn't mind if she came back either. I suspect she won't though - I mean the Beeb admitting they made a mistake? Never going to happen! I expect the producers have been 'in talks' with several potential candidates no doubt and just canvassing possibilities at this point.

In regards to the ratings, I suspect it's as much to do with the X Factor struggling as anything else. It doesn't necessarily mean people prefer 'new' Strictly to the old Strictly, they just prefer it to the current X Factor. I know they don't clash any more, but I don't know that many people who watch both.

But both Strictly and X Factor had record-breaking ratings in the same year (2010), so the massive increase between Series 7 and 8 can hardly be attributed to people switching from one to the other. Similarly this year both X Factor and Strictly were down (albeit with X Factor posting a far larger decrease than Strictly did).

In spite of being a young whippersnapper, I'm kinda disappointed the rumours were only that.

For me, Strictly Come Dancing really needs to balance the dancing and the entertainment. Otherwise we're left with "Strictly Come..." Which really isn't going to sell as a prime-time show title.

For me, yes, Arlene lurching after the likes of Mark Ramprakash was a bit disconcerting, but also her appreciation of decent dancers such as Alesha, whilst not being afraid to actually rubbish the terrible dancers! (Only other judge apart from Craig to give a 1) And I think the show lacks that. Yes it's all very well being all cuddly and warm and giving celebs and pros alike something to smile at, but if you're not very good at dancing, for God sakes you have to be told. If the choreography isn't up to scratch, you have to be told. If you're as dull as dishwater when you dance, you have to be told (Enter the public on the last one)

So having Arlene back, although laden with difficulties, would have been a decent move for the Beeb, no matter what people say. Having someone with personality and who knows what they're talking about might not be so hard as people seem to think.

Replacing Alesha with a carbon copy is not only demeaning to the show, but also as much as a step back as bringing back Arlene, if the show wants to progress even further to really stick two fingers up at Cowell, it has to find a completely new angle other than a bubbly pretty young ex-contestant. Maybe someone with dancing knowledge who is in other ways a celebrity (someone with more natural presenting credentials, without lacking the expertise) would be a better way forward than another Arlene or another Alesha...

I wouldn't be surprised to see Arlene back after the BBC have been critisised in a report -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012...versity-report

Arlene herself is even included as an older woman who has been badly treated by the BBC.

So reinstating her could be a good first step for the BBC to make amends.

Arlene back will be a disaster