I think SCD had quite a good series last year, but they really need to tone some things down a bit. To their credit, they did do this later in the series after some complaints, but at the start of the series, the VTs were just horrendous and the Halloween special was the worst it's ever been. I'm a little bit worried that with the biggest shake-up for years, the show may lose some of its familiarity. I know we had something similar before Series 8, which was successful. But then we had 3 new pros, not 5 like this year.

So what do you all think?

I quite like the themes, but I agree the VTs were simply horrible last year...
Sometimes i wish they'd do more of the same dances in one show, plus a pro dance of the same, just so you could compare choreography and technique a bit more. I expect the view is that would be boring and most viewers want variety.

For the love of all that is holy NO COMEDY VT - please, I beg you BBC, they are not funny, they are not entertaining and they generally make me want to cry
Last edited by Agent Krycek : 24-08-2013 at 13:37

I think the VT's are the biggest of the changes that should be made. They need to go back to basics. Let us see them training, so we can see they struggles. It helps us appreciate it when they do well. I miss the simple, stripped down, training VT's.

I quite like the videos. And the variety of the dances in each show though would leave AT & Charleston to later.
Pro and group dances are good as fillers.
I'd like Jill Halfpenny's idea followed up she suggested that some of the previous contestants come back and do dances they didn't get chance to do or dances that weren't in the show when they did it I think she said something about Charleston or Argentine Tango.
Maybe they should start prepping for Brucies retirement.

I totally agree. I don't mind the theme week's either; I especially liked the Movie Night and Halloween Week was good in Series 8.

I agree about the dances as well; it's nice to have some familiarity about the show.

Don't have a problem with theme weeks, although they may need to think of some new ones to keep the songs fresh.

However the VTs need sorting out, and have done for some time. When I complained they gave some bulls**t excuse that they needed to cater for younger audiences as well as the purists, but surely they don't think the VTs with wooden acting are enough to convince a bunch of teenagers to sit through 90 minutes of ballroom dancing?

Anyway, lose the VTs and the rest of the show is fine by me.

Also- I'd like to see the celebs that make the final dance ALL the dances- maybe with an extra pro and thus an extra week they'll have chance to do that.

Yes, I think Strictly was good last series; we had a good cast but we need to see the VTs showing training footage, and the Halloween night must be toned down.

I'd like to see them move away from Halloween or Film night and maybe do some other themes?

Totally agree.

They did do a few VT's that were OK last year, but several years ago they used to do very good edits of training.
I thought this one from last year was very well put together - we need more like this.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0110gvs

Ditch the comedy VTs, ditch the props (made worse by the Theme Weeks), return to the more traditional elements in both Ballroom and Latin.

And finally, ensure that only the better couples dance the AT by moving it to the quarter-finals or semis, and that the harder dances are not danced in the first few weeks (gives the celebs a fighting chance, and is better entertainment for the viewers)

One essential improvement:
TELL US WHO COMES 2ND AND 3RD.

I will never forgive them for that mess last year.

I also want the structure of the series improved so that the couples who reach the final have danced every dance. This didn't happen in series 8 or 9 (each couple missed one dance), but was worse last year when they stuck 'fusion' in. This meant Louis won without having danced Quickstep, Rumba or Argentine Tango.

Fusion was fun, but not at the expense of proper dances.

Agreed - they need to go back to the original format of having two specific dances each week, one for the males and one for the females (makes it easier for us to compare each couple's efforts as well).

Louis was one of the only dancers from last year who DID attempt in some way every dance. I think Dani was the only other to do this so I'd say given the amount of new dances etc that they both did well to cover them all!

I like the Fusion and really hope they keep it

Does ten seconds of Showdance, put against completely unsuitable music, count has having attempted the Argentine Tango? Rumba and Quickstep I can understand, and I know that Flavia wanted to put an AT segment into it, but it seemed very... crammed in.

It still had an element of it in it IMO regardless of how little.... and was a masterpiece

No Charleston, please.

And also, I think the finalists missing out on dancing one of the styles was more due to the producers determination to shoe-horn a 4th person into the final meaning they all missed out on one of the dances they were supposed to be doing to accomodate the 4th person. Flavia and Louis were originally dancing their AT in the final but when a dance was cut, they couldn't do it any more.

I personally think the fusion should be two dances that haven't been done before and a 3 person final, and that way ALL of the styles can be danced while keeping the fusion.

3 in the final!
No more Halloween week!
And I think they need to tell Bruce to be quiet when the judges are actually doing their job! For the past few years now Bruce keeps giving his opinion in between comments or at the end or even before and it drives me INSANE!

I have to agree on no more Halloween week and simple VTs. But also perhaps themes around a particular dance, like salsa week.

Given the time of year Strictly airs, a Halloween themed show is inevitable - it's one of the biggest events of the calander: ask anyone with kids.

The VTs need a better balance between training and comedy - too much training and it could alienate those who just want a light entertainment show, too little and it alienates those who want it to be more dance focused.

The presenter should talk less so that all panelists get a chance to give feedback.

Mawkish gushing (by Brucie) over standing ovations should be kept to a minimum.

The audience should be allowed to be themselves and not whipped into a moronic frenzy by warm-ups or whatever they're called. It seems to be getting too close to pantomime as each year passes.

Halloween this year is a Thursday, lets give it a miss this year as its midweek.

Just seen the tickets e mail from the BBC
Blackpool goes ahead this year mid November but no Wembley show this year.

That's a good move in my opinion. I thought the Wembley show last year was flat to be honest. It should go to Blackpool every year.

The VT's should be toned down, Bruce need's to be quite when judges are talking and Bruce need's to do less autocue reading because he is struggling with them. I admit he is still pretty good at ad libbing and the spur of the moment stuff.

But basically the show is fine, This has to be bruce's last though doesn't it? he's getting worse and worse at the actually "Presenting bit".

As ever the most important bit is the line up. If it's good the show will do well.

Ken

- VTs showing the actual training
- Sack that one terrible female singer
- Fewer props; focus back on the dancing please, as that's what the show is (or should be) about
- More British dancers (I'm saying this as a non-Brit)
- No more re-using of songs, there are so many yet unused songs out there!
- Results show back to Saturday.