I really think a breakdown of the public's voting figures should be published each week.

It would help dispel the 'fixed' voting rumours. It would also show exactly how the public are voting and who they like and don't like.

I'm actually surprised the figures don't have to be made public. Especially after the issues with competitions etc a few years ago.

They'll never do that on the basis that the least popular may feel upset about how few people like them and it harm their career. Many attempts have been made under the freedom of information act to obtain the scores, but have failed.

I'm not sure us knowing would really make any difference though to be honest. It's not a proper contest, just an entertainment show.

You can't start a thread like this at this time in the morning! It's on my bingo card and it's far too early to start drinking.

The judges scores and comments are less about an accurate critique of the dance than they are about massaging fragile show-biz egos - hence the higher than deserved marks that some performances receive.
That's also why the voting figures will never be released. Could send poor lickle didums crying to his/her agent and suing the Beeb for damaging their career.

Yes agree. There was a show a few years back (can't remember the title) the format was a celebrity sang a duet with a well established singer and got judged accordingly, first by the panel and then by the public. The show was hosted by Tess Daly and Vernon Kay. The actress who won the whole show was a pretty abysmal singer but burst into total genuine tears following the panel's comments. They just don't get the concept of 'if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen'.

ITV published the public votes for Dancing on Ice and do so for I'm a Celebrity after the show has finished (% of vote not actual votes) and the celebrities accept it. The Strictly celebs are of the same calibre and want to be on the show so I don't buy they would not accept the same terms Simon Webb for example was in the jungle and his votes are there for all to see.

It is all done to the BBC who for some reason don't want us to see how we voted!

Yes, because we haven't had a good conspiracy theory on here for ... Ooh, at least a day or so!

I can understand the voting percentages not being published during the run to avoid any hurt feelings and possible reactions to them which would lead to more voting manipulation by the public, but I have never understood why they don't release them after the series has ended like ITV do with all their phone vote contests.

It's often quite interesting to find a celeb/ contestant being popular for weeks, then suddenly losing it (eg Christopher Maloney and Eoghan Quigg on X Factor), or to see someone gaining in popularity each week, and to see how popular/ unpopular certain contestants were with the public (eg Matt Lapinskas on Dancing on Ice - loved by the judges, loathed by the public)

I'd love to see the strictly votes to see just how much the winning margins are some weeks.

ITV have to publish voting figures because there was a scandal a few years ago where they were found to have been ignoring the results of the public vote and putting whoever they liked in the bottom two, and these days they have to show everything's above board. As the BBC haven't done this, they don't have to reveal the figures.

Commercial channels make profits on telephone voting, whereas the BBC do not. Ergo, nothing to declare.

BBC voting figures are subject to the official secrets act. They could tell you them, but then they would have to kill you!

itv have always published voting figs for the reality shows they do ater the series end from the first week to final - but they dont issue week on week but would be good to see strictly figs after the series - the bbc dont issue figs for any shows

Given the short amount of time the voting lines are open, it was just 20 minutes last night, they probably don't want to show how few people vote.

It twouldn't help to dispel anything. All that would happen is that the conspiracy theorists would make accusations that the released voting figures have been manipulated.

The peak time for voting is always 20-25 minutes after the phone lines open. Anything more than that is just trying to eke out more money from the public, and the Strictly phone vote doesn't make any money for the BBC anyway.

Are you sure about that? Voting isn't free by telephone (ask the bill payer's permission etc etc!!) They used to donate a % of the call price to Children in Need, so surely there was no excuse then for not publishing voting %. The celebs are well paid for appearing in the show, so should take it on the chin if they are not getting the votes.

As it is no longer for CIN, I don't see why the percentages can't be published after the series like DOI's. We don't need to know the actual numbers (bet they are really low in the first few weeks) just the percentages.

The money from voting goes to covering the cost of running the premium rate numbers. I believe the CiN money had to be severed in the aftermath of various phone-in scandals, but don't quote me on that.

they should be put up at the end of the series I think

True. I think they should publish the figures at the end.

The BBC doesn't make ANY money from phone voting - any costs are to pay for the phone voting system. BBC actively encourages viewers to vote on line - for free.


Strictly's success depends on them attractling celebrities who are well known in their field. This is so Strictly can get viewers from different backgrounds - people who like sport, or boy-bands, or older singers, or current affairs, or radio and so on.

These celebrities wouldn't risk coming on the show if voting figures were published - as it would show up who wasn't so popular. This might affect their future careers as managements wouldn't be so keen on booking less popular people.

Doing well on Strictly - not necessarily winning - can really boost someone's career.


X-Factor has 'unknowns' on the show, so they've nothing to lose.

I'm a Celebrity tends to attract C List celebrities, or those at the end of their career - and a few who just do it for the fun. I'm a Celebrity is also a lot less work than Strictly and pays a lot more!. Celebrity Big Brother is similar - though those these days it seems to attract moe Z List celebrities

So most people who do I'm a Celebrity or Celebrity Big Brother don't have much to lose from published voting figures - if you are not so popular in the first place, it doesn't damage your career if the show proves you are not very popular!

I am not interested in voting figures for the whole series but just for the final. It is really annoying that we will never know who got more votes Denise or Kimberley, Georgia or Kellie etc. I know it's great they can both were runner up's but I do wander and also the percentage the winner won by which all shows do. I can normally figure out how the voting has gone by comparing the judges votes to the bottom 2 for that week which easily shows up who got the least votes and who got consistent votes to the judges vote if that makes sense!

Anyway ''we pay licence feel innit'' so surrender to our demands

Some people live for conspiracy theories- facts only occasionally make a difference.