I thought last night's show was flat and borderline dull.

There are a number of obvious reasons - illness, injury, missing dancer - but for me the problem that needs fixing is the hosts. Tess and Claudia are competent and good enough when the show is fresh and when everything is running well, bit neither of them, either singly or paired, is of the right calibre to be hosting the UK's biggest light entertainment show.

SCD is a show of three parts, dancers, judges and hosts. Under the current structure, two parts are going on pretty much as usual but one, the show's hosts, is not functioning as it should which throws the show out of balance. The BBC get away with it when all is well but when there are problems, it becomes glaringly obvious. An experienced host would have felt the temperature last night and stepped up to the plate to add some sparkle, but neither Tess nor Claudia are up to it. Tess was always a competent, experienced number two and Claudia works best in small environments like ITT and the Film Show. Neither should be the frontmen for such a major programme.

Balance is everything for SCD and last night we had lost dancers and the judges were out of sorts with each other. The hosts either didn't feel the atmosphere or, as is more likely, had no clue what to do. Bruce understood how to make shows work when he was at the top of his game, but when he started to lose his powers and grab the limelight, the show also became similarly unbalanced.

As I write this, I doubt there's a cat in hells chance of anything being done as I doubt the BBC would have the nerve to replace female presenters without the PCC brigade falling all over them. They are hoist on a petard of their own making which started with the stupid decision to get rid of Arlene and replace her with a young no-nothing.

But if there's anyone out there who has the nerve and who puts the good of the show before issues of gender correctness, they'll start looking.

It doesn't.

Discuss???

No it needs the old host, shame that's not possible.

But I do agree Tess and Claudia are beyond awful, always have been.

No! Tess and Claudia do a good job. I wouldn't like it if they replace either Tess or Claudia. Both of them get on well with the contestants and the judges.

Don't people get bored of constantly slating Tess and Claudia?

I doesn't need new hosts.

Look what tinkering with hosts did to X Factor.

No need to discuss a 10 million viewer show doesn't need any changes.

Tess needs to go - she really got on my nerves last night, all her answers and chat after the dances was so rehearsed that it sounded so stilted. Even when the judges had so so comments she was all positive etc, she didn't know how to go off her own script.

I like Claudia, she's a bit more spontaneous and makes me laugh...

Tess and Claudia are fine. If we are going to get anything fixed please can it be the terrible music choices and themeing? Please?

Each to their own but I like Tess and Claudia.

Claudia has a really oddball sense of humour that I enjoy because if her jokes fall flat, she just brushes it aside and shrugs. Bruce Forsyth seemed to get irritated if his jokes fell flat.

Plus Tess isn't an OTT personality so I wouldn't expect Tess to "step up", She does a good job presenting the links.

Who would you prefer to see hosting SCD out of curiosity?

They need someone with a flair for ad lib downstairs with the judges, and they need to let Claudia go back to being more off-script upstairs. I miss the days when she fawned over Aljaz. I feel like they've put reins on her because her comedy timing was showing Tess up, and now they're both pretty bland to me.

They should probably stop with the T&C guest spots, too, or get better ones. I'm still reeling from last night's fail with the ventriloquist. It fell completely flat.

Yes I do get bored with slating the gruesome twosome, but then I watch the live show and am reminded just how dreadful they are.

Claudias seemingly constant hyperventilating has always been off putting and it's only getting worse.

And Tess's grin is looking more and more like rigor mortis as the years go on.

I think Will Young would be a good choice. He might prefer presenting the show to dancing in it.

They do what they're needed to do.

Tess is the straight "man" linking the contestants to their dances and to the judges. That's what she's there for.

Claudia is the light hearted one and chats easily with the contestants in the Claudotrium, allowing time for and linking to the scores - that's what she's there for. Her jokes are corny and she knows it. But that's part of the fun.

Neither make the show about them. That's what they're there for.

Yes!!!

I agree 100% with this. Why can't they just run a VT each week with Claudia showing the T&C's bit before cutting back to the studio. They do similar things on other shows.

That ventriloquist just wasn't funny last night, and I suspect a lot of the audience didn't "get" it either. It's pointless bits like this that make the show become tumbleweed. It's got nothing to do with Tess and Claudia. They've just got to go along with whatever daft ideas the producers throw at them.

I used to dislike Claudia, but think she is naturally funny. Beginning to dislike Tess as she always seems forced - personally I would replace her with someone like John Barrowman, Zoe Ball or a new presenter.

As for Darcy Bussell - she is one of the best ballerinas the UK has ever produced, but I really think Karen Hardy or Lydia Kopolova would have been a better choice as they have both judged ballroom dancing competitions. It would give the show a freshness which is lacking.

I agree.

My thoughts exactly

I think it may be a case of "the devil you know."

On the A.J. thread, someone put up the video from 2010 with Matt Baker dancing with Aliona.
Bruce's performance as he greeted them as they came off the floor, was cringeworthy.
All that forced enthusiasm and unnecessary comment.
I mentioned on my, "I'm Worried About Tess" thread how much she is becoming like him. That didn't go down too well, I don't care, but I think it's true.

But we could get someone even worse if she went. That's why I've always defended her when others have criticised her on here.

It really doesn't bother me as I don't watch the show live and at the hint of something I think is a waste of time, I fast-forward.

I'll agree that the show is becoming a bit tired.

They both need to go. Once Bruce left they should've brought in 2 new hosts.

When they try to be funny it's pure cringe.

Claude and Toss are fine as they are - discuss? - ok

One of the problem lies with chronically poor music choices - a smooth to Amarillo!! that is a stomp, there is no dance that fits it.

Some very suspect choreo and music for the laltin dances, SalSambChaDisco anyone/ and the cod ATS are the worst offenders.

The bloody awful camera work - the feet should be shown all the time.

The VTs are beyond stupid, just stick with training vids.

Nope, leave them be. And the show does certainly not need a male host as you said in another thread.

I like them together, sometimes it's very cheesy but Claudia has great comic timing and Tess is a decent straight, if a little wooden, co-host.

Look, I'm not laying the blame for everything as the duo's door. There are masses of other things, not least the VT's that need fixing. Tess and Claudia may be 'fine' but fine isn't good enough. SCD is an ensemble piece, it isn't just about the dancers, nor should it have been all about Bruce. It needs three working parts to make it run on sparkling toes as it should.

Who should do it? Don't know. This is a decision for somebody who knows the business. People with the right skill set include Norton, Bradley Walsh, perhaps Clary, at a push maybe Anton. It should have been Wogan's gig - think how effortlessly he would have got the show out of trouble last night.

The BBC know this, I am sure, but they simply dare not move the dull duo.

Nope. Not in the slightest.

Claudia adds a knowing, oddball humour to it which keeps it light and entertaining. Tess plays the 'straight man', doing the practical job of hosting. Neither presenters make it about themselves and support the show rather trying to take it over. Perfect.

It's much improved since Bruce left. I have nothing against him but he went on a couple of years too long.

Last night over ten million watched SCD only six million watched the dying X Factor.

X Factor has issues, the tinkering with hosts was a bit in the jigsaw.

Tess and Claudia do a great job holding down a two hour live show.

Changing it will annoy the majority of people and may kill the show like XF.

It's great now the focus is on the dancing and talent, and a small amount of comedy. Where XF is bad it's it's unnatural focus on the judges, and hosts and not the talent. Bringing in any host other than Tess or Claudia will risk unbalancing the great show.

It's great to see two female leads, why should they be replaced? Because thee isn't a man presenting? They do a fantastic job.

With Len going there will be a change, we want evolution not revolution.

Agreed.