I agree too he's starting to spoil what used to be my favourite show I sometimes have to switch it off because of Len.

I must be the only one who likes Len, I agree though he has been making less technical comments this year.

100% correct, now only the money/image matter and the early days good advice to contestants and viewers have been overtaken by look at me I am a character

Less only because the others have been so overly critical too early in the series.
I absolutely love his sense of humour and clever comments. I also LOVE the banter he triggers when he is critical. It is all entrainment and he is clearly not bothered one little bit by criticism. He uses it to create brilliant interplay with the audience.
He is terrific entertainment which is his job, along with Brucie, except Len provides the most expert opinion on Ballroom Dancing.
Take Brucie and Len out fo the show and it's an empty shell.

Very good question

I like his sense of humour but his scoring is getting more & more like comedy act

When was the last time Len actually danced? Much is made of his credentials (compared to the others at least) but there are many others who could easily replace him.

Len has been running dance competitions for years in the south east.

My two youngest have both picked up trophies from him in the past.

Also don't pick on him as since his appearance on 'Who Do You Think You Are' I have discovered he is my 3rd cousin so "He's Family"

Totally agree.

none of the others (on the show ) qualified enough to judge at British championships - Len IS

Wikipedia is open to any member of the public to write whatever they like, so it should not be taken as the ultimate authority on anything. Besides, it is very vague as to exactly what Len won at the British Championships - was it amateur or professional? latin, modern or ten-dance - or even old-tyme? Len himself has always been very reticent and modest about these details; perhaps, as Winston Churchill might have put it, he has much to be modest about!

I heard once that he won in the Ballroom Exhibition category, which is a mixture of ballroom and stage figures and so not real ballroom at all.

Although he is always presented to the public as Mr Big Expert, I am convinced that he is just a very ordinary elementary dance school teacher, no better qualified than hundreds of others, who got incredibly lucky. In the first years of this show he used to betray his medal test background by nit-picking about footwork but he doesn't do that so much nowadays.

I think he was taken onto this show 5% for his ballroom dancing knowledge and 95% as an entertainer, at which I admit he is very good, at a rather lowbrow level. He could do an excellent impression of Stanley Holloway in My Fair Lady (Get me to the church on time!)

Completely agree, that is very true.


Yes, he definitely thinks that. I always find people who think they are a character quite cringeworthy, and you can tell it's not their real personality.


Ian Waite has been suggested on here before. He'd be great. I would rather see him competing in the show, but as they are obviously not going to let him do that, they could at least make him a judge.

I don't know what he competed at will check with my parents tomorrow but I do know Len can judge at the British in Blackpooll and ONLY past champions can judge it

His qualifications have never been in doubt (except with those unfamiliar with the dance world) but Len is highly respected teacher in his day and judge famous for his dance lectures to dance teachers and for his teaching videos again for dance teachers. He has built up a successful school which his son now runs - Len has always been noted for bringing fun to his lecutres and vids and no doubt was picked for that personality

I do know they interviewed and tried out a few very notable ex champs/judges from the dance world with no luck before finding Len via Erin

Len deals with the technical side of ballroom,so will obviously conflict with the offer judges on occasions.

Many remember Diversity winning BGT and people loving their performance, but in technical terms they were inferior to Flawless who they beat in the same comp.

Len is the only real ballroom dancing expert on the panel and the only one who really knows what he is talking about!

As he said on Len's Lens last night - he tends to look for the good things in performances whilst Craig looks for the bad. Why Craig feels that he has to nitpick every little thing I don't know - particularly in the early stages of the competition. If all Craig can find to criticise is a sticking up thumb - I wish he would just shut up - it really doesn't matter for those who aren't looking for careers as dancers in the future.

His school in Dartford is very well known and successful, and he himself is a highly qualified judge. None of the others are in any way qualified to sit in judgement on technical matters on the panel. The comments Craig gives are based on ballet and general dance, most of which have little or no relevance to ballroom. Darcey avoids giving "balletic" comments because she knows that - she concentrates more on advising on posture and finishing rather than developers etc.

Len does irritate me with his over scoring and tendency to give SEV - ERN for just about everything, but he is still the best judge for me - and surprisingly Bruno is a lot better than he used to be.

Nice one.
Thumbs up to you.