I am getting fed up with these. Has anyone been to the show? How do so many undeserved dances get a standing ovation. Are there stage managers telling people what to do?

I agree with you

I went to a show last year. They have a stage manager who encourages you to stand up and clap and cheer and keeps the energy going between dances. If you're sitting near the front and DON'T get up, they ask you to move to the back. If you refuse then, you're taken out the back and given a kicking by some goons.

What they're really strict on is Craig. If you don't boo during his comments they can get quite brutal - a large man with a shaved head and teardrop tattoos took a quite unreasonable amount of pleasure in breaking my little finger.

Also of note is how they drum up favour for certain contestants. While having a pee during a break in filming, I was idly chatting with the bloke at the next urinal - "Don't like that Lisa Riley much", he said. I agreed, and didn't think much about it. When I got home I found my then-girlfriend had been necklaced, and "LISA RILEY IS FUN" had been spray painted on the walls.

Still, it's a good night out. Would heartily recommend it. Because I have to.

I was in the Halloween audience last year. The stage managers didn't force the audience members to do standing ovations - we were simply told that they would appreciate it if we were to feel moved to give dances 'spontaneous' standing ovations.

To be fair to the BBC, these are free tickets and the audience is very much part of the show. As such, it kind of behoves them (us) to join in and do what is required to add to the atmosphere, even if that includes 'spontaneous' standing ovations. Ditto clapping along with the music over the opening credits, cheering every lift from the dancers accompanying the guest act (which I hated doing, since I think it's rude to interrupt the singer) and generally entering into the spirit of the show. We were reminded that the cameras might be on us at any point, so please to remember that and act accordingly.

It's a bit of a Faustian pact, but we felt lucky (and privileged) to be there, so were happy to play along with it all. It's an entertainment show, you know...

ETA: I've also been in the audience for Dancing On Ice, where we were asked much more forcefully to give standing ovations to EVERY act, and to boo Jason Gardner (not hard to follow that instruction). The BBC is a lot more subtle in its encouragement.

There's one kind thoughtful FM on here who has a thread going giving out advice on buying tickets. She covers all your questions OP but can't remember the lady's name - she's been to the show.

didn't think there were that many tonight. Thought Ben was the first then Natalie, Rachel (?), Ashley, Abbey and Susanna.

There definitely were a few missing, didn't notice if Mark got one though.

He said so matter-of-factly at least you lived to tell the tale.

patrick should have got one.

My daughter went to a Christmas Special; it was a cold, wet day and she and her friend were at the front of the queue and waited hours outside and were eventually put in the back row behind the judges. The audience were instructed quite specifically,to give standing ovations to certain couples.

In other words treating adults like children . They know the majority of people will behave like sheep and there are very few who have the courage to stand up to such persuasion/intimidation .

No it's not treating adults like children, it's treating them as people who are taking part, and as audience members in a studio setting you are effectively taking part. I can say this as someone who was present at the same Halloween show last year as Peeve.

Look you spend a long enough day there so if not prepared to go with the flow then why bother ? And no that doesn't necessarily mean sheep like behaviour - for example from the show last year I don't think anyone was expecting much from Michael Vaughan's quickstep, but he danced a belter and deserved the standing ovation - in short there is room for spontaneity.
Conversely had I not wanted to stand up for a dance I had no problem keeping my backside firmly rooted to the seat.

And intimidation - really ? It's hardly the BBC light-entertainment Stasi.

Yes! He was blooming brilliant and yet nada. I was actually shouting at the telly STAND UP! But then the telly can't stand up. So I stood up and applauded

Oh Oicho Throw - best post EVER! <3

What gets me is Brucie's reaction to the numerous "standing ovations" and his cries of "LOOK, LOOK, LOOK" as if it was a rare occurence.
Is he really so dim or forgetful??
Anyway we know the event is stage managed by the Beeb's army of asst stage managers(gofers) and the all to eager to please people who want future tickets.

There's no argument.

If it isn't spontaneous and is the result of even the slightest encouragement by a floor manager, it's got to be "forced."

I don't get that argument at all. Just because the tickets are free, you are expected to just go along with the flow regardless of your own opinion ?
I've never been, but I just wouldn't like that at all. As a viewer, I like to believe that the audience reaction is spontaneous. If we know the audience are being told when to laugh, when to boo, when to clap and stand up, it detracts from the show in my opinion.

To be fair, all similar shows have floor managers attempting to "navigate" (a BBC word) the audience.
However, it's not like it used to be.
As a young teenager, I used to attend the recording of a few radio variety shows. The strongest encouragement we ever got was, the floor manager after explaining the running sequences of the show, saying rather apologetically; "and if you could manage to laugh at the jokes, it would be appreciated."

I dislike the stupid clapping too

I'm not sure why the BBC want to encourage the audience to leap to their feet for any old stomping about or clap monotonously and jarringly over the top of the music. It might be fun for the few that are there but it spoils it for the people watching at home.

Half the audience have no musicality, insisting on clapping on the "wrong" beat of a bar.

I'm sure no floor manager weids a whip to make sure anyone who doesn't want to stands up.

Have you never been to the theatre or a pantomime or ever been part of an audience geting involved with what's happening on stage?

I went last night, you are simply told 'feel free to give a standing ovation if you feel someone deserves it'. Obviously once a few people stand up that tends to have a knock on effect. You don't have to stand up and there was one occasion where everyone around me stood up but I didn't.....

Any television show has a warm up guy who's job is to whip the crowd up a bit - they don't want you all sat there like Victorian school teachers. Ultimately I cheered when I wanted to, booed when I wanted to, gave a standing ovation when I wanted to etc... If someone bored me or didn't move me they got a polite clap!!

Don't you just love DS?

Nothing like an outrageous suggestion to attempt to add weight to a weak point.

As I said earlier, even the most moderate pleading by a floor manager, can result in the reaction being considered forced.

"Rehearsed spontaneity" is so obvious.

...........and Amen to that.
Its fab-u-lous too.

And don't forget the!... LOOK,LOOK,LOOK what you have done!.... :yawn:

Many people live in an insular world.