Strictly has been going down for a few years now. Too many dancers coming in not properly trained in the classical dances but from shows, there more for appearance than dancing & training abilities. Also they seemed to be able to be professional but also have a personality.

In the early days Len would be so strict if the dance did not have the proper steps or illegal moves. He may comment on them now but does not mark down. The marking has become a joke. Ten's used to be exceptions but now they are handed out almost like wine gums. We have seen the judges routines so often, we know how they are going to act now. Maybe they should forget themselves & get back to being professional judges & not parody acts.

To many singers & actors who have spent years at acting school learning dance. No chance for the amater who learns to will like Gough to win. Today he would have no chance.

The show group & professional dances have gone from Saturday. With so many dancers this means the show is to long, gets boring. With more professional & group dances, it breaks it up & you enjoy the skills they show.

It now seems to be a show for the young. Sexy dances, the old dance steps & style disappeared. Props which bring nothing to the show are becoming more important. The ludicrous intros with fake or contrived outings are embarrassing.

All in all, I think this is the worst series of all.

Nothing can ever top series seven for dreadfulness however much you argue against it so, no, sorry.

I wondered when there would be one of these threads

Seconded!!

Yes, isn't this said every year?

Nope the dregs was Season Seven and possibly last year too.

This year I think is great; good mix of dancers. some surprise good ones thrown in and a good level of comedy.

If you want long drawn out and boring - that's the XF - 1 act then an add - repeath sixteen times over.

Nope.

Next stupid question?

I think it has got better and better over the years. Last year was my favourite, and really enjoyed this year.

The standard has improved so much over the years. The likes of Darren Gough, Chris Hollins and Natasha Kaplinsky wouldn't get near the final in these later years.

Can't wait for Saturday night.

'Grumble, grumble...' to which the only response from me is 'yawn, yawn...'

If you want 'proper' ballroom and Latin dancing, then jump in the Tardis and go back to Come Dancing and its dwindling audiences. Strictly is anything but proper and, to be honest, it never has been.

Do you honestly believe that the pro dancers they had on the early series were better than this crowd? Clearly their background was more the competitive ballroom circuit than Burn The Floor, but don't forget that Paul Killick was responsible for Vorderumba so the standards of dancing and training have not exactly gone downhill since then. And Hannah Karttunnen was happy to arse around with Christopher Parker in a Batman cape so, really, was it SO much better in the Good Old Days?

The grumbling about celebrities with a stage school background is nothing new - Jill Halfpenny won series 2, after all. Amusingly enough, series 7, which everyone reviles, had not a single stage school brat in its line-up. Go figure. And the last time a 'dance-trained' celeb won was probably Kara Tointon in series 8 - none of the last three winners could remotely be accused of having had any dance training.

By all means, dislike this series if you want - it's your prerogative - but at least try to back up your opinion with some, you know, facts or summat.

Well, it did have 8 actors in it's cast, so that seems rather unlikely

Browsing their bios, I do see some of the stage schools listed that have been thrown around here.

Funny thing about the current series is the fact that the singers are the ringers and not the actors. If you compare that with Natalie and SEB last year, for instance.

Well I agree with the OP and I feel rather sad about it.

I especially hate the props, scenery and inappropriate music - the producers are turning this into DWTS - well the only thing I like about DWTS is Derek Hough, who is a genius and can actually incorporate a prop well, can actually choreograph a brilliant dance to almost any music and style - other than Derek, DWTS is IMO horrible, quite unable to let the dances entertain, always looking for some new spin, dance a Paso but dressed as a robot, swap partners, compete in groups etc etc. Hate it.

Strictly was perfect five years ago, why are they trying to change a winning formula?


(The VTs are awful too but they give me a chance to post, so I can live with them, I know I won't be missing anything even remotely interesting.)

I have to comment on this, and yes they were better by miles, no comparison in my book. Paul Killick, Hannah Kartunen, John Byrnes and Hazel Newberry. All being World Champions, Hazel being 3 times World Pro Champion. Not to mention the class of the Cutlers, Matthew and Nicole. It doesn't matter how good the Pro is, if they are given someone that has no talent or aptitude for dance, its never gonna happen. They can't wave a magic wand. I really miss the calibre of these Pro's.

One of the most impressive aspects of Strictly for me is its consistency from year to year...and this year seems well up to par so far. There are annoyances but I expect that from a mass appeal TV show.

I'm not a purist when it comes to dance styles so not preoccupied with a routine being totally 'authentic' unless it's a very obvious cheat. I value the 'ringers' as much as anyone...they ensure we have some quality performances even in the first few weeks. In any event, after a month or so of the live shows everyone who's left has at least a couple of months intensive one-on-one ballroom training.

I think it is too early to say either good or bad just yet. If I feel a program is going down hill I stop watching it. One man's meat is another mans poison.

the dancing stars of yesteryear are all 10 years older so would, probably, have left by now anyway.

I like the fact that the programme rings the changes-nothing could be less entertaining and sterile than a format which didn't grow and develop. For the dance purists, maybe this is no longer the show for you, but why not embrace the changes and enjoy the show for what it is-entertainment, not an international dance competition.

I think that most of us realise that. For sure its not a competition as the public would not be allowed to vote and we would have a panel with 4 qualified judges. Just for info, its not just young pro;s that dance and teach. The best Pro's that have people queueing for lessons are much older as they have years of experience. These older pro's are also fit as they need to be. Yes it is entertainment, but the fact is, its a show that could be vastly improved. I take it as I see it and am not too much bothered about anything much except the dire music that is not even played in strict tempo.

I'm enjoying this series. Tess and Claudia are doing a great job and there have been some very good dance performances already.

Shaping up to be one of the most wide open series ever with at least 6 dancers who could win this. Brilliant!

I would rather have teeth pulled than live through the Louis & Flavia winning series borefest again.

I agree it's not without fault, but then what TV programme is?

I'm trying to be positive as negativity will get us nowhere. For myself, I must say some of the music choices are bizarre in the extreme and I could quite happily smack the legs of the camera crew at times!!

What would you do to improve it?

I would firstly change Tess, Keep Claudia, I quite like her madness.
Seriously though they need give control back to the professionals. All these pro's know what they are doing and can put on an entertaining show. They are used to doing demonstrations, shows with limited props if necessary. Strictly goes way over the top for me in terms of costumes, gimmicks and props. More time messing about and less time dancing, but maybe for some, thats a blessing. For me, the dressing up in weird costumes, mad make up is totally offputting.
The poor music has to be addressed. Whoever is in charge clearly does not know what they are doing. Music must be in strict tempo and most on SCD, is not. The songs they choose to play is down to personal choice, but it must be in strict tempo. There needs to be a more qualified judge along with Len. They need to crack down on lifts that should not be there, and crack down on the Pro's that continue to flaunt the rules of breaking hold whilst in a ballroom dance.
I know this is entertainment, and I have no problem with that, but like or not, it is supposed to be based on ballroom/latin dancing so we can't really lose those roots.

This! (Also Karen Hardy) So glad someone else on here appreciates the world champion dancers that this show has attracted.

The Burn the Floor alumni may be hot/sexy and attract lots of younger viewers but they don't possess the traditional Ballroom and Latin dance training I believe a professional on Strictly should. (Joanne Clifton is an exception here, of course.)

Over the years we've had some utter joke professionals such as Jared Murillo and Hayley Holt.

Looking at the pro line ups, series 4 looks to be the best in terms of the professionals it attracted. As far as I can see all of them at one point competed in traditional Ballroom and Latin competitions. (I'm not talking about 10 dance).

Looking back, Hanna and Paul, Hazel and John Byrnes were all pretty exceptional signings.

From half way through series 6 (don't forget it actually officially died in series 6) all series 7 and then through to about week 10 in series 8. It picked up immensely after that.

*cough Joanne Clifton cough*

But hey, some people are just stuck in the past.

I didn't know who many of the celebs were this year, and thought I wouldn't like it. But they seem to have got a mixture of the good, the bad and the mediocre to keep things interesting.

So the dancing isn't pure, the music isn't what you'd expect for certain dances, the costumes are considered too revealing/totally unsuitable/completely naff, the judges are grumpy/too harsh/over generous in marks/behave outrageously, the orchestra and singers murder songs/perform brilliantly depending on your point of view but what other programme is as happy and appealing to such a wide age range?

It isn't a proper dance contest - it's a Saturday night entertainment show with audience participation in the voting which makes for a great deal of media and social networking interest. It can appeal to anyone from 5 years old to 100 years old. That's unusual for a TV programme.

Every year someone says it's the worst year ever. Your opinion on that reflects what you want and get from it. All I want is to be able to relax and be entertained and that's what it does for me, especially now we have different presenters.

I am aware that some posters believe the word "professional" means that they are of a certain standard, but all it really means that dance is their chosen job and they get paid for it. A Pro can be any standard, but I am in full agreement with what you say. I miss the better Pro;s being on there and for me, the show is worse for it. The bosses at Strictly can't and won;t see that though.