I know people are going to moan for me not putting this under the news thread but it is not an article about contestants apparently all four judges are set to return.

http://www.tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv...abulous-four-r

Hard to understand what this is based on since the link doesn't work, but contracts are not usually completed for judges till May/June so I find it difficult to believe anyone knows who is returning yet.

That's the (correct) link

http://www.tellymix.co.uk/reality-tv...ur-return.html

Apparently "Tellymix" got their information from The Sun, so it must be true, mustn't it!

Although the contracts for the pro dancers aren't usually (but not always) completed until around May, the judges contracts are different; sometimes they're for more than one season.

I can imagine someone like Craig, with his theatre work committments, would need to know a long way in advance if he was doing Strictly or not. So anything that applies to him would also apply to the others.

Pro dancers tend to get treated as less of a priority. But this would be the same way actors would prioritised in planning a big drama - you would need the Director, scriptwriter and producers all in place before you started even thinking about casting any actors.

Plus, they can stick it to X-Factor in the media that Strictly do not need to keep chopping and changing the judges

This is the source, as it appears in The Sun...

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...ew-series.html

Oh not another year of Darcey

I'm really disapointed by this. I know people say 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' but IMO the show is showing early signs of breaking. The judging panel is very stale and I think at least one new judge would have been a very welcome change. I do wonder if people will start to tire of their antics this year?

The judges (especially Craig) ruined Strictly for me last year. I've watched from the very first show but won't be watching again. They are making a travesty of the show.

They just fill the judging character slots - the mean one, the kind one, the irascible one and the unpredictable one. If any of the judges left/were replaced it would be like for like so no real change.

It's time for a new judging panel it's been the same one for nearly five years

The best person to email is the controller of the channel and enquire why they're keeping it the same. I think Charlotte Moore who is the big boss of the channel hasn't got any faith in somebody else doing it. It's politics why they've kept it the same. Have been on about it since October, but SCD do need to make a snap chat account so we're in touch with them more and we can see more extensive training as well on it, so BBC need to get on it.

Strictly has a much older viewer demographic than the singing talent shows.

Focus groups will tell the TV Executives that teenage audiences for singing shows want constant change, and that older viewers for Strictly like consistency.

Bearing in mind X-Factor has falling ratings, constantly changing the judging panel is maybe not what teenage viewers actually want.

Not sure about the older viewer demographic - it's generalising a little bit, as there are plenty of really young kids - I'm talking 5/6 yr olds who love the show, while a lot of their grandparents - being the older generation - can't stand it. Nevertheless, it is probably one of the very few shows that can - and does - appeal to anyone in any age group.

X-F, on the otherhand, mostly appeals (although there's bound to be exceptions) to the under 40s.

As for teenagers - those who come to our studio tell us they don't watch Strictly because the dancing is (I quote) "so appallingly awful" and neither do they watch X-F anymore because it is "just so boring."

I think a small shake up wouldn't be the end of the world, not that I have any issues with the current line up, maybe another female on board and a younger male to replace Len.

Well that's a relief, after my beloved Bruno turned up to the studio off his face on Sherbert Dib Dabs and started yelling profanities live on BBC1 teatime I was terrified he was going to get the push...

Everyone wants to change the judges but everyone would make changes that satisfied no-one apart from themselves.

Yep, that's about the size of it.

So it's any combination of

"Oh not another year of Darcey" (acknowledged with thanks to JohnStannard who posted this earlier in the thread)

"Oh not another year of Bruno"

"Oh not another year of Len"

"Oh not another year of Craig"

As the saying goes "you can't please all the people all the time......."

your welcome. Change may not be a bad thing regarding the judging panel. I think since it will be the 5th series in a row its the same some people may get bored slightly this year with the judges line up since I found that what they say from 1 year to the next doesn't change very much

I'd like to see Brouno being replaced by Anton or a younger female maybe a pro or past celebrity who won or made it far. Example Abbey Clancy, Kara Tointon or Helen George

Erm..... we all remember the last time that was tried with Alesha Dixon ......

It's bad enough that we have to put up with judges, such as Darcey, who know nothing about the correct technique of ballroom and Latin, but at least she is a professional dancer.

To have amateurs, such as the 3 you mention (or any other past celeb) who have just learnt a few fairly basic routines is, at best, pointless (remember Alesha?) and at worse, it is an insult to the professional dancers.