My memory's a bit hazy, but when it was for charity, I think the phone lines were open all week. Now they open for about 40 minutes so I'd be surprised if voting was anywhere near as high.

Yes they were.

Yes, you could vote for your favourite couple for the best part of a week before they actually performed their dance for the judges to mark.

"What was wrong with this picture?"

Here's the email I received in response to my complaint. I suspect it's just a standard letter.

'Thanks for contacting us regarding ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ as broadcast on 27 October.

We understand you feel the programme is dumbing down with the VT sections and you’d prefer to see rehearsal footage.

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in the Saturday night schedule is an exciting event for many of our viewers.

The VT clips as well as the backstage activities have become enjoyable parts of the programme for many viewers but we realise some may disagree. ‘Strictly’ is an entertainment programme as well as a dancing competition but we can assure you that the mood is always meant as light hearted and family orientated.

Nevertheless, we realise you feel strongly and we’re sorry to read of any disappointment.

We would like to assure you that we’ve registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC and also their senior management. It ensures that your points are made available across the BBC.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

Michelle Wiggins

BBC Complaints

www.bbc.co.uk/complaints

NB This is sent from an outgoing account only which is not monitored. You cannot reply to this email address but if necessary please contact us via our webform quoting any case number we provided.'

Yes, that's much the same as I got back. But we have now had lots of people on this forum complaining via the email link, and we'll all have written slightly different emails TO the BBC, so they will now know for sure that many people are not happy bunnies at all, and have expressed many different views about the dumbing down of the programme. So hopefully some notice will be taken.

The VTs have been happening for a while now, but I think they 've got much worse on the themed nights, because they're so contrived to make the VT, music and the dance fit the theme, even if it totally ruins the dance and the programme in the process! But they're also cropping up on ITT as well, totally ridiculous and insulting to anyone's intelligence, young or old. I'm absolutely sick of them. As a total addict of the programme who loves dance, and the fun and entertainment too, I will still be watching, but with a very heavy heart while the rubbish is on.

Michael tweeted a few pics of him and Natalie at Lords yesterday, I doubt they just went there in their own time for a day out... I would think its a pretty safe bet they were filming there and we will see that on Saturday no doubt. Of course that doesnt automatically "comedy" VT, but I fear the worst

Well let's hope that eventually someone at the Beeb will take heed of what the vast majority are saying.

They will be enjoyed by the considerable number of 'meeja studies' graduates employed by both SCD and It Takes Two to make them.

Lame, embarassing, unfunny - the test card would be better viewing for 1 minute 30 seconds or whatever.

They had a slight purpose during Hallo'een Night as the stage had to be re-set for each routine - props on, props off etc. But every time the hyper Miss Ball says

"in training, we have noticed that you......bark like a dog/cannot stand up straight/eat a lot of food/are never off your phone"

I want to 'look away now'.

Please, one of these days, will celeb and their partner say, straight faced

"was someone PAID to put that garbage together?"

when shown their own 'hilarious' footage?

The list of those involved in the making of ITT is long and curious, but there are FOUR people employed to 'edit the VT footage'.

Anyone else spot a chance for the BBC to save money AND their viewers sanity at the same time?

I wonder what their salaries are?

I've mentioned the "log" before because they are so popular around Christmas time.

This is a typical "we're right, you're wrong and we ain't gonna do anything about it" BBC response.

You're expected to take some comfort from the fact that your e-mail has been added to "deleted messages" Sorry!
I meant "added to the log."
They must be out of their minds if they believe we think anyone at the BBC is interested in reading "the log."

FOUR ????????????? Well goodness only knows how it starts out then, if four people still manage to leave the tripe we are subjected to and can't ditch the whole of it. Oh I forgot, then they'd lose their jobs!

Interestingly, after I received the meaningless reply, I also had another email with a link to the BBC's customer satisfaction quesionnaire, asking what I thought of the way they handled my complaint. I've never had one of these before.

I gave them low scores and said I had no confidence that anyone will actually take action based on my comments. That should get someone worried, even if my original complaint didn't. As the BBC are publicly funded, I assume that they have to be seen to be treating complaints seriously.

I've just had my reply

Thanks for contacting us regarding ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ as broadcast on 27 October.

We understand you feel the programme is dumbing down with the VT sections and you’d prefer to see rehearsal footage.

‘Strictly Come Dancing’ in the Saturday night schedule is an exciting event for many of our viewers.

The VT clips as well as the backstage activities have become enjoyable parts of the programme for many viewers but we realise some may disagree. ‘Strictly’ is an entertainment programme as well as a dancing competition but we can assure you that the mood is always meant as light hearted and family orientated.

Nevertheless, we realise you feel strongly and we’re sorry to read of any disappointment.

We would like to assure you that we’ve registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC and also their senior management. It ensures that your points are made available across the BBC.

Thanks again for taking the time to contact us.

Kind Regards

David Woods

BBC Complaints


Seems to be a bog standard response!

On today's Points of View they read out some complaints about the VTs plus a video complaint from a young lad on the same topic. They didn't read any letters from people who loved them! No official response,

No response, but clearly the BBC has had enough complaints about the ridiculous VTs on Strictly for it to be first item on POV today. So thank you to everyone who complained !! Did you notice that there were very few of them yesterday, and much more footage of training, so I am cautiously optimistic that some notice has been taken - and it didn't affect the viewing figures, in fact they were better than ever ! I did email POV as well as complaining on the BBC link !

Firstly thank you for this thread and your effort in getting people motivated in writing to the BBC about this. I didn't notice this thread prior to me starting the thread about the complaints being shown on Points of View which is hopefully the start of a return to normal training VTs.

Yesterday's show was so much more enjoyable for it and it made it feel like it was truly Strictly again. I was engrossed again during the whole show and this was obviously because it wasn't a theme week either.

Instead of complaining solely about the comedy VTs, I'm going to take a different tact and write to the BBC and praise how last nights show was so much better for the above reasons. Maybe this will spur them on to continue like this - a good bit of positive reinforcement.

I will mention how I was pleased to see the issue raised on PoV and will also link them into this thread. I will let you know when I get a response.

Good idea. Thank you !!

Will the VT's eventually go then? They are dreadful, the new producers should go ahead and axe them.

Let's hope so !!

Get rid of the stupid VTs, stick Brucie in a home, and you could have all the dances in one show in the early weeks, and not have to drag it out over several nights.