Jane and Chris clearly hated him too.

It's only an internet message board luv.

It doesn't mean that they have to be devoid of a personality.

But far to many people think it's like some sort of quiz or game show, where the hosts have a more active role.

It doesn't require that sort of person.

Thinking logically....

..they probably won't want someone too young, they'll want someone with some experience presenting, they'll probably want a male, they'll probably want someone to tell bad jokes/take the piss out of the panel (so maybe a comedian).

Looking at the people currently working for the BBC....Rob Brydon might fit the bill.

How I detest condescending people calling another person luv! I'm not your luv, love or any other spelling of the word.

Why oh why oh why do some of you keep banging on about it should probably be a male? Why should it be? Jut because it has been doesn't mean it has to be from now on. It should be the best PERSON for the job.

As for Rob Brydon - he's as bad or worse than Fforsyth for wanting to be in the limelight. Just look at him on QI - if he doesn't think he's getting enough air time he does one of his rambling, boring stories and shuts up anyone who interrupts saying "I've got this."

I didn't say should be..I said it probably will be. Largely because when most of these shows have two presenters they like to have one male and one female. That's just the way they tend to work.

...and like it or loathe it I personally think the show will actively try and replicate the Bruce factor. They'll want bad jokes for people to cringe at, they'll want someone to make comments/jokes at the judges expense..and they'll want someone capable of doing that and getting away with it.

I'm not saying Rob Brydon would even want to do it....but I could see him being precisely the type they'd go for. It could be worse..it could be Michael Mcintyre.

I'd like Claudia to take over but if she's unwilling or the Beebs want to go down the traditional route of male/female co-host then I'd love Paul O'Grady to get the job.

He has a great show biz background, is very quick witted and can fill if things go wrong on live Tv. That's something I think Tess would struggle with.

Why, oh why, are people suggesting Paul O'Grady? I agree that in theory he would be a great host, far better than almost everyone else that's been suggested so far. In practice, however, his health is unlikely to allow it. Show day is a long and strenuous day and Paul O'Grady has had how many heart and angina attacks? He's just been on the telly talking about his latest one. Much as I'd enjoy watching him host Strictly, it's really not worth his health.

He also has a long contract with ITV so is not available

He is not in an exclusive contract. He did a documentary on the working class for BBC One last year and he also did a sitcom pilot for the BBC a few months ago.
He also presents on R2 of course.

Now we know why he's leaving Newsnight !!!

That's a "me too" from me.

I think Bruce is irreplaceable without a massive change in the atmosphere of the show. I liked Strictly as it was, a lively, comedic, almost p1ss take of the olde worlde style of ballroom dancing as shown on Come Dancing. Brucie had it all, the experience, he was a consummate vaudeville artiste, presenter and all round entertainer, most of the people around now with similar all round abilities and experience tend to be elderly.

I think those who think that without his jokes to link the items they're going to get more dancing are going to be disappointed, I can see more of the dismal "OH NO, THIS CAN GO SO WRONG IF I MAKE ONE SMALL MISTAKE THERMONUCLEAR WAR MIGHT BREAK OUT!!!!!!111" VTs being filmed to fill in the time.

I'm already down to fast forwarding all but about half an hour of the show, and I suspect that from my point of view, now Brucie's gone, it's going to get even shorter.

No-one expects to get more dancing. We want to hear ALL of the judges comments, not just those they can fit in around the host wittering on inanely as Fforsyth used to do. And if you think he told jokes, there's no answer to that.

I didn't see the show in that vein at all. On the contrary, the competitive world of Ballroom Dancing is precisely where all the original Pros came from - up until the last couple of years, when Burn The Floor and So You Think You Can Dance USA seems to have replaced Blackpool. Bruce especially had a respect for quality Ballroom dancing - it was one of the qualities I liked about him - the fact that he expressed his joy upon seeing a lovely performance, and praised the dancers - amateur and pro. The whole show is about Dancing, and this continued with Tess & Claudia in Bruce's absent weeks, where the atmosphere didn't change significantly, as you state, save for running more smoothly, minus Bruce's autocue failures and interminably unfunny (mostly) stories. But then people see what they want to see in a TV show, and opinions vary widely. IMO where the comedy came in, and any piss take, was up in the balcony with Claudia teasing the Judges.

The only shows last year where any judges comments were missed were the ones hosted by Tess.

No they weren't. You have a selective memory.

Considering he (fairly) extensively recaps each show, I tend to think it's more likely you with the selective memory.

Either way it happens so rarely now as to not be noticable as "a thing". I suspect more because three of the judges have been doing this for a decade now and have got better at keeping to time, rather than anything the host is doing.

Depending on how much you're able to trust The Mirror, it looks like Tess and Claudia are soon to be confirmed as the new presenting duo...
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/s...ake-tv-3493251

That works for me I would like to see this happen.

I agree. It definitely works for me. The shows were much slicker and smoother when Tess and Claudia took over. Less faffing about when they did it.

But I do hope they don't try to make Tess tell Fforsyth-type so-called "jokes". They're not needed and wouldn't suit her as was evident when she told "jokes" that Fforsyth had supplied her with (she said he had) when she stood in for him. They weren't funny when he told them and he was supposed to be a comedian (as well as an expert in all forms of dance and a fantastic singer!!!!!!!!!!!).

That would be the same Mirror that got hold of stolen out-takes from the BBC archive, so they could stir up trouble for The BBC, Top Gear and Clarkson.

Depends where they stole this information from, as to whether it is reliable. !!

Or so Terry M22 kept on telling us! Just shows how wrong a man can be.

Having Tess running the show can only be good for the show, the dancers, the Judges and above all the viewers.

They probably got it from an enhanced audio tape of BBC employees talking 200 meters away.

Well, the experts told them that they're at least 75% certain that is what they were talking about anyway.