He managed to be insightful and both very honest and yet humane and -most importantly for a show like this- damn funny and well informed. I absolutely loved his comment that "not every last person on tv has to be *Jazz-hands face* " when supporting Sophie in her inalienable right to be subtle and slightly aloof. In fact that should be tattooed on the foreheads of every reality-show contestant and producer.
Make him the presenter.

Completely agree, dippy! I loved him repeating, repeating, repeating 'she's just like that'

I'd be glad to see more of him on ITT. Also (hides from likely onslaught of rotten fruit) Jason Donovan, who was a particularly astute panelist too.

I found him a total jack the lad He wasn't being honest just offensive. He gets away with misogynistic comments and calls it humour. He seems to be channelling 1970s in looks and humour.

If you mean when he called Ola "that", as another poster mentioned, then I disagree- he was using the word to highlight that she's a force of nature; he's a comedian- he uses exaggerated forms of expression. I've seen his comedy elsewhere and I don't get a misogynist vibe off him- just a pragmatist. And it was nice to see someone not being bland.

No he wasn't he was using it as a term to describe her sexually. When Zoe called him on it he decided to say "force of nature" bull. He had the same views on Celeb juice. There's nothing pragmatic about him. He's as funny as Jim Davidson

No. I agree with the OP 100%, he was insightful and said things as they are....which is why they probably won't invite him back!

He was a lot more value than that pouting wierdo who was sat next to him (I don't know who she is so can't remember her name but crikey, where did they dig her up from?? Unless of course there's some deal so she can get her lingerie a mention on national TV, not that the upstanding, moral Beeb would ever do that, would they?).

I guess there will be differing views on his 'that' comment re Ola - I took it as meaning the complete package that comes with Ola as she is a great, strong, driven person. Others may take it as sexual slur I guess.

Mind you, if was the latter it is very minor on this programme where Craig and Bruno can, week after week, make sexually suggestive and offensive remarks about the male celebs....

Would love to see more people like him livening up the show rather than the usual panel of egos or has-beens trying to grab the limelight.

I thought he was excellent. As was the psychic dog.

I found him to be surprisingly informative, funny too. BBC please note, and bring him back. A great addition to the ITT "panel" last night, a point where I usually go and put the kettle on as the "panellists" usually are not that interesting and don't know enough abut dancing to have anything sensible to add.

I don't understand his "insight " . His insight was Abbey was great Ashley was a bit mincey and Sophie is introverted. His insights were full of cliches .... Been on a journey ...John Barrowman was much better with more constructive comments.

Agree! He actually watches the show. He was like a breath of fresh air. I hope no one misunderstood his remark about Ola. By calling her that he meant the personality and vitality which is Ola. On here, some people will pick a point and make it contentious just to cause an argument .

I think Liza doesn't like Rufus, can't imagine what gives that away!! X

He had an interesting slant on the show, but I wish they'd let Aled speak a bit more as a Strictly graduate I think he'd would have had some insightful things to say. Rufus whilst being very fluent was hogging things a bit.

So it's not okay to say something sexist about Ola but it is okay to use an expression used to berate gay men about Ashley?

All I remember of Barrowman is him complaining it was a dance competition and so Dave had to go but then fawning over Ben and saying he should win.

Mostly I find Rufus Hound slightly irritating and tedious, but I have to say I liked what he said about Sophie, it was so true.

Agree with the OP. RH spoke a lot of sense especially about Sophie and it was really refreshing to have a panel member who you could tell watches the show and (as I suspect with that model on yesterday's panel), hadn't just been briefed on what to say.

BTW who was she? One of the most bizarre panel members ever!

"He said what I wanted to hear (and I can conveniently ignore / excuse what I didn't want to hear). Bring him back!"

I think Liza's point is that he was both misogynist and lacking in insight, since his comments were superficial. Where did she say that 'mincy' was acceptable???

Without Marian Keyes' Lilia-girl-crush the Friday panel is dull and pointless (like much of ITT these days) and populated by egotists. I still think Alicia Douvall was the worst panellist ever, though, and Jessica Stevenson little better.

His excuse-making for Sophie's lack of performance skills did sound uncannily like it bounced right out the echo chamber of this forum.

I didn't mind him for a one-off, because it's good to have someone with strong views who expresses them without mincing their words (even Barrowtit was good for getting discussion going, as obviously wrong and illogical as he was). I'd take that over ol' "Who is Artem?" who was sat next to him any day. But good Lord only once a series please. He was such an unfunny blowhard that Aled (who actually seemed to have insight without shouting everything) barely got to speak.

He was brilliant !

Mincing is not about being gay. If you think so then That's highly homophobic it applies to anyone I do not associate mincing with "gay" I'm surprised you do!!

I'm glad someone started this because I came here specifically to do so. However, dippy beat me to it. Bravo!

I thought he was honest without being offensive. Makes a huge difference from the usual gushing and hyperbole. Aled was a timid mouse. Actually the woman (although she looked like a plastic mannequin out of the Ann Summers window) also spoke sense when she got a word in.

More Rufus. I adored his 'Cheryl Cole'. I know nothing about his day job. But I do like him on ITT.

I actually thought Rufus was semi-parodying Brendan/forums like these and that far from making excuses for Sophie he was being subtly critical...well, not so subtle by the time he repeated "she's just like that" for the third time.

Glad I am not alone in thinking he was having a dig (at us/Sophie, if that is what you meant), but I like the guy and it's always great to have panellists on that actually watch the show. Can't wait till he is a contestant on Strictly proper.

I like Aled. Knows the series, talks sense, is reasonable, knows where the celebs are coming from. I'd like more of him please.

He referred to Ola as 'that' and then backtracked when Zoe pulled him up on it. I preferred Aled who had a lot to say for himself without being obnoxious.

I'm afraid I missed it so I can't really comment.

I admittedly couldn't 100% decide whether him bellowing that Sophie "just was" cold and aloof was deliberately insulting or just accidentally so (likewise Susanna being "totemic" for the show's audience) but in the end I think it was a straight defence. Him saying that not everyone is "showbiz" felt like he was trying to mitigate her supposed shortcomings.