I want to check if I'm over-reacting. Always possible. I take things wrongly sometimes.

Did Craig go too far with that comment to Johnny? It seemed to me cruel useless advice. In the same moment he showed disrespect to Johnny Ball and to people who have neurological impairments -- the folk who jerk around and can't control it.

SCD is supposed to be a supportive, happy environment. It's supposed to be what Iveta said the other dancers had made her feel -- a warm and welcoming world. I thought she was lovely by the way. The new girl did more to mend that harm than anyone.

I suppose it's not the first time we've had a small-minded, small-brained, heartless comment from Craig. Hes been praised for wit too often. He's forgotten how to be decent. I do like the guy and enjoy him on the show but this was shameful.

People have often thought Craig has gone too far with some comments, and Len too. Ive generally been in their defence in such cases and said people are being too sensitive or overreacting, or saying it wasnt meant in the context it sounded.

But tonight I did actually have a sharp intake of breath and go 'oooh (not in a good way) when he said that.

I just wonder if he'll issue an apology.

I thought it was an unforgivable comment, I couldn't actually believe that he said it.

I agree - I don't usually have a problem with Craig but his comment tonight was offensive.

Not over-reacting. That was a horrific thing to say

Walnut, I'm the same. You know Craig's the 'villain' and he's playing a role. So you take it all with a pinch of salt. But this was worse.

Johnny did so well not to react badly to it -- not to get heated or emotional. He stood there and took it with dignity.

Thanks Terry and Cornchips and LnMidna too. I think I have over-reacted because I feel quite upset by it. Which is daft! But it's good to hear that others had the same reaction.

I really didn't like this comment, I thought it was in poor taste.

Agree, it was a tasteless comment!

Perhaps Zoe will beat him up on ITT.

Perhaps he will apologise when he hears back what he said.

Craig crossed a line and went down a route that he should not have gone down with that comment. I know it is possible to be offended on behalf of people who aren't offended, but it was in very poor taste for people who suffer from a range of medical conditions and cannot help having shaky/jerky movements. I thought it was a disgraceful comment to make.

I felt rather sad for anyone watching who has a problem, or has a relative or friend with problem that causes any involuntary movements. It doesn't help to encourage the publc to understand and accept.

Its not even so much that we know Craig is a villain so he gets away with it, I generally have always thought his faux-pas comments before have generally been misconstrued and blown out of proportion/taken the wrong way. But this one was just too far, villain or not.

you know I dont find it objectionable
.
people do have neurological conditions and do twitch , it is a fact of life and I think to be offended about it being mentioned is a bit like wanting to keep that fact hidden. Craig said thats what he thought Johnny danced like tonight

I would not have said he was right myself but I knew exactly what he meant, I took it as a medical term

I wonder why he used it, it is not something that would be commonly said, perhaps Craig knows someone with a neurological condition and something Johnny did struck a chord with him.

Honestly if you see someone twitching or having no control of their limbs would you not think they have a neurological condition, and in some context you may even have to ask about it

It sounded like something Jason Gardiner would say. I'm not sure I can get more damning than that.

His kept his reference vague enough. The trouble was it could quite possibly have been true, without Johnny knowing it...

I didn't find it offensive either, in fact I could see what he was getting at. To me he was only trying to explain what he saw by comparing it to something which others might then understand what he getting at.

I think it's dangerous ground to always look for offence... then we stray into territory of being offended on behalf of people who didn't ask to have that decision made for them, IYKWIM

Yes, that's what I thought.

This is because you're already being too open-minded and good for this particular situation. In ordinary life, yes, what you say is right and it might be useful or necessary to know if someone has some kind of neurological impairment; and warm and disarming to ask directly instead of just wondering. But that's not the case here. Craig knows (as far as any of us can tell) that Johnny's awkwardness comes from being 74, not overly limber, and short on practice. So IMO it comes out differently when he says it. He wasn't diagnosing him, he was using a disability as an insult. It's just wrong.

I thought the same when Cameron said in the HoC that Ed Balls, a known stammerer in his past, (honestly, I'm not just fixated on balls ) had Tourettes.

It's Mental Illness Imagery, darlings, they use it all the time at the National Ballet. Fabulous teaching aid.

just spent five minutes to work out IYKWIM means

Does that meant you didn't KWIM?

I immediately thought of Gardiner too, which isn't good, because on the whole I've usually thought Craig knew how to be constructive but Gardiner just made his comments out of not having the ability to be constructive.

Five minutes of darkness and mental anguish, ah but now I get you

I can only say I wasn't offended myself as I took it as a medical term

I do think sometimes being offended on behalf of people who have disabilities is stepping on quite dangerous ground

If you want to know I think Brruno labouring the point that Richard did not dance camply as he expected was more offensive.

To my mind he has labelled Richard and doesn't want and will mark down any dance that doesn't fit in with Brunos wishes for Richard to be camp. You know the poor man does not have to be ON every moment of his life, he is allowed to be more complex and interesting

I didn't watch much of Julian Clary , was he allowed to portray a different side?

I was not looking for offence, the comment hit me like a bolt out of the blue and was upsetting and truly shocking.

There are no excuses whatsoever.