Why do you assume that "dancing" and "entertainment" are mutually exclusive?

Speaking for myself, that is not the distinction. There is only so much clowning, or shuffling about lumpishly a contestant can do before it becomes deadly boring - the opposite of "entertaining".

It's everlasting, unquestioning fan "loyalty" that sometimes causes frustration.
Last edited by Duckfeet : 01-11-2015 at 18:18

It's always been an entertainment show.

Just Google Chris Parker from the first series of Strictly. He came 2nd after running round with a cape - entertainingly I must admit. They even had him in the Live Tour a few years later.

Exactly , same formula since day one and still people bleat on about it

Absolutely.

Who (even those who are principally there to watch decent dancing) really gives that much of a toss whether Ainsley goes before Carol or Jeremy goes before Jamelia or Kirsty goes before... well anyone (but that may just be me )?

Iwan, Anthony, Daniel, Ainsley and now Carol, Jeremy, Kirsty and Jamelia. They're all fairly garbage at the old dancing stuff. It really doesn't matter what order they leave in. If they start outlasting those who can produce a good routine, you might have a point. But it's a point that has been made since the dawn of Strictly and isn't going to change any. So a duffer reaches the final? You'll survive. And so will the show. Probably.

I lived in Worcestershire in the seventies, so routed for the Midlands;we had a great formation team.


(I always thought I aspired to become middle-class)

^^^^^ This. Also if it were a true dance competition, viewers would not be qualified to judge it anyway. How many viewers know what a good feather step looks like or what to look for in a bota fogo. No exactly! So has to be an entertainment show.

And as a fairly geeky dance purist, I still like Jeremy, Carol, Kirsty et al.

It's an entertainment show built around celebs learning to dance. We, the viewers, have been given the opportunity to vote for our chosen celebs for which ever reasons we want to, be it prior knowledge of the celeb, dance ability, likability etc. all are valid reasons for voting.

It is both .

The show needs a competitive element to keep viewers interested . Without a competition, to find the best dancer, the show would have sunk into oblivion many years ago .

Rinse and repeat!
I look forward to the 2016 version of this thread
See you next year!

Every pore of it oozes cheesy light entertainment show. It's more a popularity contest than a dancing competition but there are usually some good dances along the way

It's definitely a competition but only nominally to find the best dancer. It's all about finding the most appealing personality or gimmick. I would say fewer than half of the winners have been the best dancer.

The management of the show haven't got a clue how to run the show properly, I think there needs to be big changes from the top down.

It's both.

And, being British, we appreciate effort and improvement and modesty.

So what would you change?

I suspect he would change everything that most of us find appealing.

For us to have a new executive producer, not so sure on the one we've got currently although she has brought in some very good new pros. Also I wish the judges hands weren't as tied to have favouritism to the duffers, len is the worst offender where this is concerned and I wouldn't be at all upset if he went.

I look forward to you keeping your sarcastic comments to yourself who do you think you are the Forum Police. There are new people on this forum every year who may want to give they are opinion you were new on here at one time perhaps you should remember that.

An entertainment show that takes the form of a dance competition

That's how I see it too.

I think it is a DANCE based entertainment show. As it starts, I don't mind comedy contestants (ie Jeremy) but towards the end, it should be the best dancers.

But none of them, yes even the wardrobe and the hobbit, were remotely in the bottom half of dance ability in their year. And in the aforementioned cases, there were (vaguely) extenuating circumstances.

It's a competition to find which of the very good/pretty decent dancers appeal most to the public across the board.

Watch Jeremy win now .

I would make sure that the costumes match the dance styles, the same for the music and choreography.

I'd make sure that the camera angles are better so we can see the footwork.

I'd give a five strikes and you're out next series policy to the judges unless they apologise.

He won't.

Why, when some start off better than others, as long as they improve the 'comedy' dancers should be given the chance to stay and possibly win. I would love Jeremy to win.

True, but I don't think a duffer has reached say the last 4 , mainly due to the judges eliminating the poorer dancers in the dance off .

We can all disagree about whether the best dancer wins but the public choose their winner, or should I say a majority .