Wembley is far too big for Strictly. The show loses so much for the TV viewing public, so please join the Bring Back Blackpool campaign - new members very welcome

Blackpool does seem more appropriate than Wembley to mark as the halfway stage of the competition.

I didn't think Blackpool had 'gone away'.
Dont they always have a Wembley for CIN and a Blackpool later on?

Blackpool is much more suitable for SCD.
Wembley is far too big IMO.

Blackpool is much better, there's more of a sense of occasion, and it looks wonderful on tv. Wembley arena is completely wrong as a venue for a dance show.

Yes get rid of Wembley, keep Blackpool.

Yes and stop this Wembley fiasco.

I'll sign up.

SCD isn't coming to Blackpool Tower Ballroom because "it's too far away".
Wembley is physically closer to the usual studio but a million miles away from ballroom dancing.

I couldn't agree more. Wembley is totally wrong for Strictly. Blackpool Tower IS ballroom dancing!

Totally agree (but then I'm a Lancashire lass )

Wembley doesn't work at all imo.

"But it's for the CHILDREN...." was the argument last year. "How can you be so mean?".

Because once again the producers have shown a blatant disregard for what the audience wants, and because it is just WRONG.

The 6500 at Wembly are here to stay.

didn't the BBC say it was too expensive and too difficult to move SCD to Blackpool for one weekend

I find Wembley with it's OTT floor display makes finding the dancers more akin to Where's Wally than Strictly Come Dancing.

Do they get Wembley for free & do they need less staff & crew?

SCD for this weekend is about CIN. Wembley is used to get 6000 fans in to pay for tickets to see the show recorded. In many ways it provides a good link in with a core fan base who want to see the dancers live. OK - it may not translate to tv so well but the concept is straightforward. What they need to do for the tv viewers in my view is the keep the dancers to a plinth so the camera angles are more straightforward. It is when they get them dancing around the vast arena that it really is bad. The set piece nos. with professional dancers can use the whole arena.

As for Blackpool I don't think they will go back up there as it means taking a whole production team away from London at great expense. SCD has to move from their own studio for CIN so a relocation to a venue allowing additional monies to be made for CIN makes sense. The staff employed don't need to be paid hotel fees etc. Huge lorries don't need to trundle to the other side of the country.

Donkeys please.

Wembley is too big and empty.

Oh, and move the whole of the BBC up here too while you're at it

I totally agree with you. I found the projections a distraction and the dancers all seemed so far away. I couldn't concentrate on the footwork apart from Denise and James who seemed to pretty much stay in the same area.

The BBC spent hundreds of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money moving departments to Salford just down the road from Blackpool - couldn't Strictly Blackpool be organised from there?

I agree with all the comments above.

It just doesn't work at Wembley. It's just too big an arena for this type of event! And whoever said the distance thing ... they all have to travel in their various lines of work, so why should this be any different?

I agree and am very will nto be in disappointed to hear they will not be in Blackpool. This show it getting farther and farther away from ballroom dancing.

Licence payers.

Don't they have it at wembley to tempt people to go watch the tour?

Have to agree though it ruins the series.

If they must use Wembley, why don't they simply close down the size of the floor? Board, or carpet, off several feet all the way round, or/& bring in another 3, 4, or 5 rows of seats which will give them more ticket money as well, as making the floor size, while still large, more suitable.