Speak for yourself, I like him.

You beat me to it!

Anton is a great ballroom dancer, his latin isn't as bad as people say and he makes people laugh.

BTW where's Terry? This site is so much more boring without him.

I like Anton and think he has created a great role on the show for himself. He is brilliant with the non-contenders and always accepts being partnered with them in good grace which is more than can be said for some. I would lose Brendan (and a few others) before I would Anton. SCD would be a poorer show without him.

Well said . When he gets the chance he is a great teacher and choreographer , but he can only work with what he is given , and he tends to get given the also-rans .
He makes me smile .

I know this may seem hard to believe for some people but he is really popular ; that's why.

^ I'm one of those. I really like him. I also really like Brendan. They both give substance to the show.

I like Anton. He's part of the Strictly furniture and helps to make it fun. If they are going to have older contestants, then why not older dancers too?

I agree with this. They are the two everyone (the GBP) seem to know best. Most people I speak to also like Pasha.



Was he that bad,,I really can't remember?

Oh and I would also like to add that this myth that he's a master at ballroom needs to stop imo. He's vastly overrated in that area. Aljaz and Trent are Way better ballroom dancers than him.

Also Brendan's ballroom is really underrated imo.

I agree. Idk why the Mods moved all his threads into 1 mega thread. Maybe that's why he isn't posting anymore .

I know some people might disagree but he brought a certain flair to the forum.
Sigh. ....all the old posters keep leaving. .....every year.

I think Anton is great. He is the pro who brings the "entertainment" to this dance-based entertainment show. Therefore, he and his brand is quite integral.

Add to this the fact that he is, as others have said, a link back to the birth of Strictly, the OPs question is pretty much answered.

BIB, I don't agree with this at all. The true reason Anton gets the rubbish celebrities is because:

- He is the most patient of the pros and adopts a gentle, encouraging approach to teaching. Imagine if Widdy had been put with Brendan or James at the time - an absolute mis-match made in Hell!

- It has become part of Strictly tradition like it or not. C'mon all you old time Strictly fans, you can pretty much ALWAYS predict Anton's potential partner before the official announcements are made - and we all probably do by looking for the obvious "donkey". This tradition has evolved over time and became much more obvious since the event of Widdy. Let's consider at the evidence:

Series 1 - Lesley Garrett - 3rd out of 8
I, personally, did not watch this series but he finished very respectably. I understand that Lesley was not a bad mover

Series 2 - Esther Rantzen - 8th out of 10
I saw part of this series and Esther's performance could feasibly be held responsible for the beginning of the "comedy" contestant being paired with Anton".

Series 3 - Patsy Palmer - 5th out of 12
In her series, Patsy could have been seen as a contender - certainly not the worst of the bunch. She remains Anton's youngest contestant to date. Again, a top half finish was a good showing for Anton.

Series 4 - Jan Ravens - 9th out of 14
This is the first series in which I watched Anton fully. In her year, Jan was the closest to a joke contestant even though others left before her. The debacle with Ravens exit gave Anton a lot of publicity - all of the wrong kind - but all good for the show itself

Series 5 - Kate Garraway - 9th out of 14
The first of Anton's contestants who way outstayed their welcome. On paper, I wouldn't have said Kate was the obvious comedy contestant with Willie Thorne, Dominic Littlewood and Kenny Logan on the same bill. Amongst the women only, I wouldn't have been able to pick one.

Then Garraway hit the floor!

They only got as far as they did purely out of devilment on the part of the viewers.. The "Anton must always get the donkey" angle was set in stone from here on in.

The most important thing here though is this: Garraway had a whale of a time on the show, despite knowing from early on that she had zero chance of winning it. Fiona Phillips, Georgina Bouzova, Sunetra Sarker and Lulu (among many others) would have looked back on the experience much more fondly if, despite being rubbish, they had been paired with Anton.

Series 6 - Gillian Taylforth - 15th out of 16th
Amazingly, Anton's joint worst showing to date (see jerry Hall). Gillian looked like quite a good contestant for him (though she was the second-oldest female after Cherie Lunghi) and I, personally, felt that she was judged very harshly. However, though I would have booted Jodie Kidd instead of Taylforth, I do think it was Anton's very basic choreography which let them down. Taylforth later went on, close to tears, to explain on ITT that she also had an bad knee injury to contend with at the time so their early exit was marred in many ways - IMO.

Series 7 - Laila Rouass - 4th out of 16
Anton bounced back with his second-youngest contestant and finished in the first quarter. However, this partnership was embroiled in very well-documented controversy.

Series 8 - Ann Widdecombe - 6th out of 14
Out & out comedy contestant on paper, out & out comedy contestant in reality. Ann insisted on Anton and, as formidable, as she is, she got her way. There is a reason she refused to dance with anyone else - proving that Anton does serve a purpose on the show.

Series 9 - Nancy Dell'Olio - 11th out of 14
Now that the "tradition" had been well and truly cemented, It was clear to anyone breathing that Anton was going to be paired with either Nancy or Edwina Currie. I think Nancy came out on top because she was more exotic and unpredictable than Edwina.

Series 10 - Jerry Hall - 13th out of 14th
As with Taylforth, Anton was the first male pro out. Again, on paper, Hall did not look like the worst contestant. It seems that she and Lisa Riley "traded places" - all as a result of Hall's abject laziness. I've always wondered how she would have fared with James, Artem or Brendan!

Series 11 - Fiona Fullerton - 9th out of 15
A middling contestant who Anton managed to "drag" kicking and screaming to Blackpool. Pretty much 'broke even' by finishing where more or less expected.

Series 12 - Judy Murray - 9th out of 15
In this series, it was highly predictable that Anton would get either Judy or Jennifer. With Judy, it was a return to Garraway & Widdy with a long-overstayed welcome where viewers were determined to wind up the judges whilst have a good-natured laugh at Anton and his partner's expense.

So, in summary, I say keep Anton. Rather than the majority of others which are mean-spirited, Strictly is a gentle show and Anton's approach fits the bill perfectly. This clearly appeals to the target demographic.

Secondly, just as we need a mix of celebrities we need a mix of pros. Anton is the perfect antidote to the Brendan/Artem types who treat the whole show like a World Championship competition! Anton, at least, keeps the whole thing in perspective and is very good-natured with it.

Apologies for the lengthy post!

I remember the hour long ITT special after John Sargent retired-not-hurt. James had been on and was a tad grumpy and ungracious. Anton was also on and he just said it was an entertainment show - and that basically ever since he was knocked out in series one by a young man who ran around with a cape he'd known the score.

I think that basically sums up his own attitude and why he's popular 'out there'.

In other words, from that moment on, he has treated the show with a little "gentle" contempt, taking the mickey out of all it stands for!

It's worth pointing out an unusually high number of his former partners very visibly maintain friendships with Anton long after their series ended (as per what we see in media photos, attending his shows etc) - Lesley Garrett, Esther Rantzen, Kate Garraway, Ann Widdecombe (who made it a condition of her taking part that he would be her partner - a factor some of us might hold against him, but she was a 'big' signing for the Beeb) and Judy Murray, suggesting the bond of a pleasurable experience is more durable than the success of winning the show.

I don't think it's contempt. He just has a clear understanding than many as to what the show is and his role in it.

No, not all. He takes it for what it is - a dancing based entertainment show.

This being DS I knew there would be a transcript and this is what he said

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showt...t=james+jordan



I think the one person who 'gets' the show and is under no illusion about what it is, is Anton - that comes across to your average Strictly watcher.

Add me to the 'i love Anton' list please!! I think he's absolutely brilliant. I met him a couple of times during his tours with Erin (which are fantastic!!!) and he couldn't have been any nicer to EVERYONE who wanted a picture / autograph / etc. Such a gentleman. Spent so much time with all the fans, nothing was a bother for him. He took his time with everyone, you'd think he had all the time in the world to chat with everyone.
(Erin was lovely too btw!)

If I was ever on strictly (massive IF), I'd request Anton as my partner in a heartbeat.

Strictly needs Anton to do what he does. I am not a fan, but he does manage to wring the best out of whoever he is partnered with.

Pleased to not have discussion thread rehashes with different long winded titles.

I liked him/her.
He/She got dog's abuse and was consistently polite............unlike his detractors.

It was a masterclass in the 't' word.

I hope he/she returns.

Apologies for the above (I hate, hate, hate FMs being discussed) but I made an exemption for T..

Thanks jiroos for your informative post. I learned a lot from it.

(I just felt it was too long to quote.)

So who do we think Anton will get this year? Carol?

daniel

I hope he doesn't get Carol. She needs someone with more oomph who can bring out the best of her.

I really don't like Anton, but I do agree with whoever said that he truly 'gets' Strictly, and fulfills an important role. I did read somewhere that there was a rumour he was being kept on to take over as a presenter, but I hope that's not the case. It would be almost as bad as Brucie.