Doesn't explain why people would be watching sheep walking around a field, or yet another standard medical drama with added Melinda. Both BBC concepts have been done to death before too. It may just be that the audience on a Sunday is just an audience that likes not very good medical dramas, or sheep shearing. DOI has an inbuilt problem in that its more difficult than SCD, and fewer people can do it, and they have not been able to follow SCD this year into a formula of boyband singers and big girl band stars and exiles from big soaps. DOI has fixed its dull judges problem as best it can, and acted on its longevity problem by having fewer people. Apart from finding more people like Ray , Chris, Suzanne or Hayley who can do things with wow factor and are well known to an ITV audience, there's not much more it can do safely. Better routines and more wow factor would help - but you need to cast the right people, sort out the voting so they don't go while some clown stays, and you still have the problem that if people are counting sheep on the other channel they won't know that you have a great show anyway.

I hate the gimmicks like the duel and the leveller. It was better when there were required elements every week and gave us something to compare with each competitor.

There is no charisma with Phil and Christine and the constant changing of the professionals is annoying.

I think that perhaps a bit of humour brought strictly back to life. The difficult series was not helped by celebrities which weren't very entertaining. Dancing on ice also can take itself a bit seriously. Maybe a bit more personality from the skaters and banter would help it again and draw tje audience in. It perhaps needs lighter presenting too with more comedy presenting. Sometimes the fact that keith lemon is just a bit silly on the comic relief dance show for a one week perks it up a bit. I think that maybe some type of humour is needed on dancing on ice. The contestants also need to be top notch as strictly discovered. But the biggest mistake is now accomadating the show around the midwife missile. Itv need to move it to a different day and the audience would follow and build with it over the final weeks but the bbc drama series is too similar to the dancing on ice audience I think and is pulling them away from a ageing format.

I gather this year's viewers are down on last year's.

In both SCD and DOI here are people that viewers don't like, and the ones that cause most discussion are Bruce and Jason. Viewers are prepared to record SCD and then fast forward through Bruce, who has nothing to do with the commenting (well he shouldn't have but does have to add his two pennuth) and judging. So missing out what he has to say doesn't affect the show that much. Jason is integral to the judging so fast forwarding through his comments really ruins things.

I can happily watch SCD that way, but, as I can't stand Jason, I can't with DOI so they've lost me as a viewer and, I suspect, many others for the same reason. I watched last year for the first time in several because I really liked Louie's calm and constructive critiques without trying to bring the attention on to himself, unlike Jason.

For me, the downside is very much Christine Bleakley and Karen irritates me as much as Jason does, albeit from a different angle. Rather see her back on her stool, if at all.
Just my thoughts

I think this is one of the biggest problems for me. They have no chemistry whatsoever, it was glaringly obvious last series but ITV chose to ignore it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Christine but shes not right for DOI. There are plenty of other female presenters out there not just Christine. What about Emma Willis? She should be given a chance at prime time. Kate Thornton who is very good on the live Strictly tour, Amanda Byram who also does the Strictly tour, Cat Deeley, Jennie Falconner, even bloody Mylene Klass would be an improvement on Christine!

You made some good points, but then you went and ruined your credibility by describing Louis as calm and not trying to bring attention to himself.

On top of the suggestions given, I think they need to find a way to have some kind of spin-off show, so we can get to know the professional skaters better, get to know the celebs who are in soaps you don't watch better, and get some more behind the scenes news to support the main show. Even if it were a half hour, pre-recorded effort on Saturday late afternoon. So long as it doesn't involve Kerry Katona or Jeff Brazier. Their DOI section on This Morning is painful.

Add me to this - Strictly 2012 was promising on paper but it didn't capture my imagination. For me none of the Strictly contenders grabbed me & consequently I had little interest in it for the last few weeks - same as series 5 of DOI. With DOI this year I'm really enjoying Beth & Gareth. He's not my favourite but Matt is good & I don't dislike him the way so many on here do. I'm enjoying Luke's progression as well and Cheggers is endearing to watch.

Isn't it just? Couldn't believe it when they hired those 2 again this year. I can't believe anyone is interested in what Kerry has to say given she was one of the worst contestants to do he show. I found Jeff irritating when he was on the show & would rather not listen to him either.

I heartily agree. Even Jayne and Chris' routines consist mainly of lifts now. It is sooooooooooooo boring. :yawn:

This is a great idea.

Just think back to Jayne and Chris' 'Paso Doble' in 1984.

All dancing and barely a boring lift in sight.

That would be absolutely brilliant. I hope someone on ITV reads this.

Yes, that was wonderful, same with their Rumba from Lillehammer which I absolutely adore. For those who haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19CYCcmA2Y0

Lovely!! Thanks for that, I'd forgotten.

Of course, without the lifts, what would the audience scream at.

Couple of things to say on this.

Much of what's being thought to be wrong, and many of the good ideas about how to put it right, have been touched on on here before. This is not me knocking those postings or the posters, trouble is people have come into the debate at different times etc. I know the idea of set dances etc and other elements of the "proper" skating comps have come up several times, but for whatever reason it's just not happening.


One improvement I've been thinking about that I don't think has been raised before (someone may be able to tell me if I'm wrong!) would be to finalise the contestants a good couple of months sooner and have them in pre-series training for longer. I know this will carry a cost and other issues, but it may be a worthwhile investment. The idea that more recruits should audition and be rejected in favour of a bunch with potential has been mentioned before, and if the idea of a longer training period could be added to that you might end up with a really competitive group who could be challenged more from the word go.

Wow!!! Thanks for posting this, SilverFeather

They also used it prior to that, in 1982 I think for an exhibition. Great for it to be recycled for competition, it deserved that sort of outing. The other thing that strikes me about it now looking back is the amount of time they are mirroring each other in it, that's a technique Chris later used with the Duchesnays (although they fell at the end of the routine I'm thinking of!)

Wooden presenters, panto judges, predictable routines, a ton of filler, and far far too many ads. The few times I do bother to watch these days I fast-forward 80% of the show.

I like the idea of a actual dance eg rhumba but it might be too hard for most of the celebs which is probably why they don't do it already. Someone like Ray could have but th evast majority of celebrities can only do very basic skating.

I am another who has started recording the show (mainly because I have to go out on a Sunday evening) but I prefer to skip everything except for the actual routines and judges comments.

Why dont they go back to having a show every night as in it takes two. That way the viewers can get to know the contestants and more importantly, the professionals. And they make far too much of Jason, they should just let any animosity pan out naturally and not try to force it.
Strictly is far better by a country mile.
Oh and they could get contestants who can skate!

Christine's contract with ITV is up in September, I fully expect Holly to be back next year depending on how The Voice goes. If she isn't back then Emma Willis will probably end up doing it as they work very well together on This Morning.

I think Holly has been a much bigger loss than many realise. She has such huge appeal to all audiences that Christine simply doesn't have, and it could mean many viewers may have become less tolerant of watching the show with whoever watches it in their household. The ratings were fairly static for the first 6 series and plumetted last year. At one point I believe DOI was the biggest of the main reality shows and now its just the second rate one. Its quite shocking how far it has actually fallen.

[quote=Vodka_Drinka;64072826]I think this is one of the biggest problems for me. They have no chemistry whatsoever, it was glaringly obvious last series but ITV chose to ignore it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike Christine but shes not right for DOI. There are plenty of other female presenters out there not just Christine. What about Emma Willis? She should be given a chance at prime time. Kate Thornton who is very good on the live Strictly tour, Amanda Byram who also does the Strictly tour, Cat Deeley, Jennie Falconner, even bloody Mylene Klass would be an improvement on Christine![/QUOTE]


Now that is a step too far IMO

It's a cracker!


Do you know, you've just made the realise something... All these years I have thoroughly enjoyed watching that dance but now I can't help thinking how it could have been improved with the addition of the headbanger at the end. If only they'd realised in 1994...

Stunning, isn't it, a real gem.