Compared to I am a celebrity get me out of here SCD has had A Listers on it and IACGMOOH Z listers.

Not a vintage year: the band have been great, loved the staging and the lighting, thought the casting was good, most of the pros have been great but .... the costumes were mediocre to terrible and the music choices largely ridiculous.

The biggest problem is that it's getting further and further away from even pretending to be a dance competition with rules about dance content and the like. It's always been a balance between mainstream light entertainment and a proper dance show, but this year that balance has been off for me - if I want journeys and faux emotions and sob stories, there's the X-factor. But I don't - I want the old classy Strictly back, please.

I really agree especially with the second paragraph.

In earlier series I think the balance was just about right, it's a fine line, but about enough attention was paid to the basics and enough nod to razzmatazz and fun to please both blocks of watcher. Unfortunately, the balance really has been tipped too far one way now for me.

I cannot disagree more strongly with the original poster. I think that ths has been the best series ever by a mile.

If that's the case, doesn't the fact that the ratings were higher in previous series prove that it used to be better?

I agree with you both. Goodness knows, I'm not a 'purity of the dahhnce' type, but I do like to know what dance I'm supposed to be watching. Now, instead of individual dances, we have party latin and AS with a bit of pretentious schmaltz posing as rumba in between the sob stories, tears and speechifying.

No,

(1) All ratings and viewers are down this year, SCD bucks the trend.
(2) It's the most popular Saturday night or weekend show, way ahead of the ailing X Factor.
(3) the slip in ratings is made up with an increase in IPlayer.

The two things I really haven't liked are the "comedy" VTs and the music. The music is the biggest issue - the VTs, at least I can watch on Sky Plus and fwd through. I'm not a ballroom expert by any means so I just want music that has some discernable rhythm that matches the dance, so I can see the whole thing as a piece. So often this series the dance and the music seemed to have pretty much no relationship to each other.

I've found it a tad underwhelming (exemplified by last week's semi-final actually). However, that's meant I've liked it for still being great, not adored it for being amazing, so it's still high up in my TV pecking order

I don't think the drop in ratings since its peak in 2010 can be fully accounted for by IPlayer. The fact that its beating X Factor is because that show has gone even further downhill. I just don't think ratings prove the show is fantastic - a lot of people watch out of habit in the hope it will improve or because there is no better alternative.

I wouldn't say way below standard more failed (so far) to live up to expectations given how well some of the couples started.

Oh Lord no neither am I a purity wallah. And it was tacitly understood in the glory days that routines might have a bit of 'add-on' ingredients in the Latin especially to vote grab, though the ballroom was most of time straight up ballroom with in hold straight away and people at least expected to do and attempting the basic patterns around the floor. (Lilia and Erin et al taught their able celebs at least semi pro level ballroom). Now it's a free for all smooth and the Latin is an absolute mush. And for the most part, total crap. It seems disco is now an acknowledged ingredient.

The so call " fall" is marginal and against all other channels and shows SCD has come out very very strong. There has been a steep decline, on shows such as X Factor, Soaps, generally viewing on all channels. SCD has kept up and some weeks actually increased viewers, and yes I Player has an effect, less than say Doctor Who with a massive time shift, ( pun intended) , but the consolidated views are very good.

SCD has gone from strength to strength any channel would look on its ratings sir
Th envy.

The problem is in this country when something is very good, a few moaners try to chip away at it.

In ten years, Eleven series, it has the winning gold touch, it re invents itself each year, and attracts the best celebrities, it's music and pros judges and hosts have been too notch

There is no decline nothing going down when compared with massive falls on shows like Corrie, Emmerdale, Dancing on Ice, .One of the few shows to buck the trend was the Great British Bake off. Few programmes have performed as well as SCD and it will be back next year with an even stronger punch.

Apart from ratings, the activity here on the SCD forums is very active and mostly favourable, papers have more stories re SCD and ditched X Factor content, and at my work the only talk is SCD no longer XF so they have all done very well,

Re the BIB, for the first 8 series - when I think the show was 'very good' I never tried to chip away at it, I loved it.

But we can agree to disagree

It's the best LE show on TV a few moaners do chip away at it, often coming across from the XF forum to wind people up here.

A show that can get 43% audience share against hundreds of channels is doing very well.

And based on talent leading a skill, not humiliation , not vile tasks, not embarrassment.

No they haven't and no they don't....imo

Maybe it's that our respective 'bars' must be at different heights. You can pogo under mine and I'll limbo dance under yours

The vast majority say your wrong, the shows have been....



FAN-TAS-TIC

SCD set the bar on autumn ratings, Even Simon Cowell gave up tweeting his ratings against SCD s

I'm not posting to chip away at it. I'm just giving my view.

I thought this series looked very promising in the first few weeks but the relentless theming, backing dancers, inappropriate music, sob stories and celebs apparently more invested in winning the glitter ball than Chris Hoy has ever been in winning gold medals has killed my initial enthusiasm.

Like all the other stuff I don't watch (soaps, RTV, quiz shows) it's welcome to its ratings but I doubt I'll be part of the audience.

43 audience share on good clean light entertainment ideal for Saturday nights show a heck of a lot of people enjoy it.

There has not been the relentless theming, Around the world, Halloween, and Hollywood and if you wish add Blackpool in 13 weeks, so that's wrong!


The backing dancers, used twice, marmite some love it some crash into them!


The inappropriate music, where?. It's been very good! Are you watching X Factor, ? Sorry no you said music?

No sob stories not been one, no I am ill, my family wants this, nothing.

Finally, celebs apparently more invested ( interested?) in winning the glitter ball than Chris Hoy has ever been in winning gold medals - maybe true!

I've enjoyed Strictly this year - and I think the top dancers are really good.

Would have liked Pixie to have stayed in longer - but there y go.

BIB Rolling your eyes back to you.

You forgot to mention the viewers

Did I say they didn't?

Numbers on their own are meaningless. While you may have enjoyed the shows personally it does not mean that everyone supposedly watching them think they were as good as you do.

FFS, Russell Brand has 8m Twatter followers. Do you honestly believe that every single one of those thinks he's the canine undercarriage. I've said it several times but people will watch SCD out of long term loyalty despite being quite disappointed at the direction the producers have taken it. And car crashes get rubber neckers for heavens sake. Doesn't mean they like what they've seen.

So, I repeat my earlier comment. Our bars must be at different heights. It ticks all your boxes. It doesn't tick all mine but I'll still watch it because there are bits I still like and the alternatives (the ones with falling viewing figures remember) are crap. Being the favoured choice in a group that includes those programs does not mean it is fan-tas-tic in its on right. It's just relatively better while containing significant flaws.

I watch it more for what it was, not for what it is.