I'd Rather Watch The Olympics Than School Sports

2 of 2

henrywilliams58

04-12-2013

Originally Posted by ESPIONdansant:
“Anything with celebrities on it gets viewers. For a while.

BBC have melded celebs (a fast-dwindling resource) with traditional light-entertainment.

Celebs learn to cook? Been done. Celebs survive in the jungle? Ditto. Celebs sing? Yep. Stick a celeb in it (oh, Top Gear - Star in a Car) and it'll sell.

If Man U and Arsenal and so forth could only be persuaded to field a celeb each week then I think you'd get viewers. Not me. I hate football. But if you had Chelsea v Man U with Natalie in goal for Chelsea and Susanna in goal for Man U? That WOULD be lots of fun. Plenty of goals!

They should SO do that!

We'd get VT of the training. All the teams would have to go on the London Eye and on a ghost-train and all the other daft stuff. They're all foreigners like the SCD pros so we're used to that.

Bloody genius I am.”

Definitely.

Funny thing is that SCD generates more viewers to see Hairy Dave and Ramps dancing than the two of them cooking or playing cricket - i.e. what they are "celebs" for.

So if everybody swaps around jobs to their level of incompetence viewing will shoot up.

Weird.

Spin turn

04-12-2013

Originally Posted by indiana44:
“Out of interest, are the Strictly pros seen as really elite dancers ? ( I seem to recall hasn't Iveta for one been part of a world champion couple ? )

So are top ballroom stars now having to choose at times between such as Strictly and DWTS and some big professiinal competitions ?”

No the current dancers are not elite although Iveta has been relatively successful. They have had some in the past. Notably: Hazel Newberry (the best ever ballroom dancer to appear on Strictly), Paul Killick and Hanna Karttunen, Kylie Jones, Karen Hardy.

I don't think I necessarily want to see a programme dedicated to serious dancing, but I would like to see some serious dancers appearing as guests on Strictly in the professional dance spot (especially since the recent professional dances have been mainly disappointing).

* Becca *

04-12-2013

Originally Posted by martyboy:
“Last weekend was, I believe, the World Latin Final, which was held in Berlin. I believe that was televised live in Germany, and may have been available on Satellite in Eurpoe.

Each country was allowed to enter 2 couples. The highest placed English couple came in 49th position, and the 2nd placed English couple was in 70th position. Perhaps that's why there's not much interest in showing these competitions on British TV.

You can see the World Champions in action here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXUQME8x4Bg

This is the same couple, earlier in the year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY2N96nYxbs

You can obviously play those videos in full screen mode.”

I believe the OP was asking about professional competitions, though - and these are amateur competitors.

Better off watching the WDC Worlds if you want to see REAL dancing.

* Becca *

04-12-2013

Originally Posted by martyboy:
“Serious dance competitions are often televised on the continent, and many are available on YouTube.

There is a 50-minute program of highlights from the 2012 World Latin Final here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj94sqGt9fQ

That program includes an informative commentary, in English. There are also some behind-the-scenes shots, and interviews with some of those taking part (all in English).

Many of these program look really good in HD, and blow the socks off Strictly.

YouTube allows you to download that program, as a HD mp4 file. (There's a 'Download' option just beneath the video). You can then play the program on a laptop, and display the picture on an HD TV. Or alternatively download onto a memory stick, and plug that into the media slot on an HD TV.

I believe that that program was originally shown on German TV.

The Germans get top-class dancers and dancing; we get Bruce Forsythe, Len Goodman, and Mark Benton.”

Again, this is the amateur WDSF Worlds. Serious competitions rarely get broadcast anywhere. Oh! Apart from on EuroSport around Christmas / New Year time - they generally show the Kremlin Cup, World Masters and one other event. And that's the lot.

ESPIONdansant

04-12-2013

Yay! Thanks to Henry W for acknowledging my genius.

Be honest. For all the proficient dancers they get (Natalie, Ricky Whittle etc etc) the real entertainment for a lot of us lies with the Daves and the Bens and the Fionas. Laugh at them? Laugh with them?

I love to see a good dance but don't you ever derive some guilty pleasure from a good cock-up?

I know nowt about footie but even I've heard of Joe Hart. Largely due to his glorious mistakes! You HAVE to have some clunkers. It's the banana skin trip waiting to happen. Delicious.

Will Fiona finally remember a whole routine? What's the daftest thing Dave can do in a paso? How few yards can Ben cover during the course of a dance? Will Anya get tangled up in her dress AGAIN? Will Abbey's/Natalie's hair make a bid for freedom and end up slapping her partner in the face?

I want a good slice of incompetence! Wardrobe malfunction. Comment caught on the mike. Even (EVEN) Brucie completely losing the plot!

lundavra

04-12-2013

Originally Posted by martyboy:
“Don't know, but see further replies...

The press release said that the program would be broadcast live, on Saturday night, commencing 9.15 GMT.

This is the crunch. The German broadcaster who broadcast the World Latin Finals on Saturday was RBB - Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. It's the state-funded broadcaster. These people:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rundfun...in-Brandenburg

I guess that's the German equivalent of the BBC.”

They have a different broadcasting structure to the UK, perhaps more the equivalent of BBC Northern Ireland. They might have several channels so perhaps not on their main channel.

olivej

06-12-2013

Originally Posted by martyboy:
“Does British National Champion really mean much?

As stated above, at last weekend's Latin World Championship, the best British couples came in 49th and 70th positions. Most of the best dancers come from Eastern Europe. That may be why so many of the pros on Strictly originate from there.

Darren's partner, Lilia, came from Russia. And Ola Jordan comes from Poland.”

to D&L yes, Im sure it means a heck of a lot

JohnCurry

07-12-2013

Originally Posted by henrywilliams58:
“That was a dated presentation as seen from now. I can't remember whether Come Dancing was gifted amateur or professional. Perhaps there were no professional dance competitions at the time - as per The Olympics and tennis.

But why not have a professionals only dance contest?

Why not broadcast the existing professional dance competitions as they do with professional sports?

I can't see there being much television interest for a competition involving mixed teams of professional footballers (or cricketers) and celebrities.

I am sure they have done their market research. But why is this format applied to dancing but not football or tennis?

I can only think it is because few viewers know what top quality standard is in dancing but they know it in football and tennis.”

The last time a national championship was filmed for television was the UK Championships from Bournemouth in the early 90s. I put a lot of the action onto YouTube:

UK Championships 1992 Pro Modern final Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuN4GUQlI6g

UK Championships 1992 Pro Modern final Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyM306qxc6I

UK Championships 1994 Pro Latin final Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD-ZUy-SxzM

UK Championships 1994 Pro Latin final Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1HYfeUnLog

* Becca *

07-12-2013

Brilliant stuff - as Richard Porter would say himself, when dancing was dancing!

henrywilliams58

07-12-2013

Thanks for the links John.

2 of 2