I thought that Natalie's absence might give the others a chance to shine but really it just emphasised the fact that this series really isn't up to much.

Claudia was brilliant though. Give her a full time job already.

Exactly......has the dancing ever been so mediocre after 7 weeks before....I don't think so.

I think Susanna's got every chance - she's a better dancer than Chris Hollins was and with the power of the Breakfast TV vote behind her I suspect she's the one to beat.

I enjoyed most of it this week - not so much Mark's Rumba (but to be honest I never really enjoy the Rumba) and Ben's Jive (I don't get the Ben love) but other than that pretty good dances and the right person went out, so what's not to like?

To be honest, I think if you looked at the Top 10 weeks of most series, then removed the obvious "best dancer" (of your choice) you'd get a standard similar to the one we saw on Saturday. I think Natalie fans are overplaying their hand a bit.

I was antsy about this series based on the cast, but between Patrick having a comeback and the elimination order being fairly pleasing, I'm really starting to enjoy it. If we lose Ben soon (I appreciate this isn't going to happen) it might even crack my top 3 or 4.

Really enjoyed it. Mostly on account of Patrick and Anya, but also, for the first time, I understood why people enjoy Susanne and Kevin. Their spin-spin-spin was gorgeous. I was sorry Mark was off again, and I really didn't want to lose Dave, but Abbey and Ashley were both great and Sophie's air of indifference/menace made an interesting mood for her AT. Was a great show. I did miss Natalie but I don't especially look out for her, so it wasn't too big a loss for me.

Just as an example, if you took out Denise from last year's top 10, you get this :

Kimberley's Viennese Waltz - 34
Dani's Tango - 34
Louis' Waltz - 33
Lisa's Foxtrot - 32
Victoria's Quickstep - 30
Nicky's Foxtrot - 30
Richard's Charleston - 29
Fern's Salsa - 27
Michael's Salsa - 26

Even with two of the finalists doing one of their best dances and the absence of a Comedy Contestant, it's hardly a rip-roaring festival of DAHNCE is it?

Much as I don't want to sound like a troll, I have to agree. They seemed determined to spell doom and gloom with Natalie's absence. I supposed I would be put out if my favourites are not in the show anymore, but to say the show was terrible or even just mediocre without Natalie when we saw vast improvements from Patrick (less to no wobbly occasional flat-footedness and bend knees in ballroom), Ashley (chin up almost throughout the dance, except right at the end before they 'faint' on the judges' desk) and Susanna (left shoulder kept in check in the main dance with ballroom hold), it appeared they were just determined NOT to like or enjoy the show.

After watching it back I would say it was a good show because Ashley, Susanna and Patrick all did some great dances but for me the show did lose something because Natalie didnt dance.

Of course! Natalie IS the best dancer in this year's cohort.

I think about people who have lost their favourites in the early weeks, gone Never To Return, and most of them have just accepted it and are enjoying the show. There's a kind of freedom in losing your favourite in some ways because it makes you see things in a less partisan way.

But of course, no one wants that 'freedom'. At least, fingers crossed, Natalie will come back again.

It's not just about the quality of dancing, how interesting you find the cast of characters is also a major factor. Ashley, Patrick, Susanna and Abbey all did well enough but I'm largely indifferent to all of them. I love Mark but he was never going to dance the best Rumba in the world and Iveta made things worse with a spectacularly misjudged theme. I like Sophie but her AT was 10 seconds of impressive posing followed by 1.30 of alternating between looking disdainful of being so close to Brendan Cole (quite enjoyed that bit too if I'm honest) and struggling to keep her balance.

I feel exactly the same. This series is a bit of a dud. The dancing isn't good enough to make up for the lack of interesting celebrities and the celebrities aren't compelling enough to compensate for the mostly average dancing. I try and convince myself I care about the likes of Abbey and Patrick, but, um... :yawn: If Natalie's out, it'd be a chore to watch simply because I wouldn't care about anyone left in the competition.

Natalie isnt out she has been given the all clear and will be in training today

Really highlights how bad the worst are this year and how over marked so many others are.

I enjoyed Saturday night because several couples really seemed to have improved.

The right 2 were in the dance off too so smiles all round

Thanks for the heads-up, great news. As much as Natalie's health should always come first, I'd be so disappointed if she left before I'd seen either a Tango or Paso from her. I imagine she's going to be wonderful at the more dramatic dances.

i also enjoyed saturday, it felt like everyone has stepped up a bit, barring the usuals, and i enjoyed most of the dances. i'm suprised at those who feel there is nothing worth watching if natalie isn't there, as i think one or two are starting to give her a run for her money - mainly patrick, but abbey and susannah also putting in some good performances.

I thought it was a better show than the last two at least!

This is a very good year mainly because we have so many who are pretty much equal in dance ability and anyone of them could win .

I detest the Halloween fiasco and have never watched the live Halloween shows apart from a few clips on line. This week the standard was excellent with some fabulous dances from Susanna, Abbey, Ashley and Patrick .

I switched off after I knew Natalie was not dancing.

The rest of the Celebs are just mediocre and the marking is just ridiculous. The worst year of Celebs for me.

But, you switched off, presumbly you didn't watch the show then? So how do you know the rest were mediocre???

Completely agree. Show was so much better this week, really enjoyed it. Even Sophie's AT. Still perplexed at Marks Rumba though, it was atrocious. And as much as I really like Ben as a bloke, his dancing is painful to watch.

While anything would be better than last year's snoozefest, this year really is one of the best yet