Have to be happy with 3 wins on the trot for Strictly Come Dancing regardless of the diminishing margin this week.

I notice next week they both start at 6:30pm - which should be interesting, and the following week we are not up against X Factor AT ALL, rather we have the arse end of the second Harry Potter film to contend with. May be a bit of a struggle that week, actually.

I predict that SCD will stay ahead of the rigged factor next week The results programme will again be very close, but I think that SCD could move into a small lead on that too....

It's really disappointing that there is no repeat. I watch and record SCD lest disaster befalls me and I miss a split second of Du Beke body view. The annoying this that it's also only on for 2 months of the year and we then have to go cold turkey for the next 10. Even the most rubbishy gameshows are repeated somewhere on Digital TV yet they don't repeat SCD. Also it would be fab to have a DVD of the series to keep us going through the dark times.

Todays news that Louis Walsh has "quit" The X Factor could spell trouble for Strictly Come Dancing's ratings this Saturday night.
With both shows starting at 6.30pm and the amount of press attention this X Factor revelation has brought, front page of The Sun in the UK and here in Ireland, I predict an unfortunate slip for Strictly is on the cards.

Is this a publicity stunt?

What do you think?

Everything on Xfactor is a publicity stunt, that's why i stopped watching. They have talented people on there, but three big egotistical knobhead judges! Give me Craig, Arlene, Len and bruno any day. At least they know what they are talking about and none of them can eliminate dancers for personal reasons.

This couldn't be a more obvious publicity stunt if the headline had a huge neon flashing sign over it that said 'Look! A pubilicity stunt!' and came complete with a badge saying 'I'm a publicity stunt, ask me how!'

Maybe SCD should hit back with a publicity stunt of its own?

Perhaps something like Lilia's dress accidentally coming undone during the performance

(ooops bad me)

Do you think the ratings for Strictly will be down because of this "quit sensation"? That is what ITV want.

I thought he was quitting after this series?

He might be gone for good, he might leave at the end of the series, either way viewers will flock to ITV1 at 6.30 on Saturday!

Strictly faces a tough battle.

i know where my loyalties are!

I've got a horrible feeling you're right, a lot of people are going to want to know whether he's there on Sat. If he is they may turn to SCD, if he's not, this could carry over to next week..I just have a feeling that too much about the X Factor is 'heightened' for entertainment purposes. At least SCD is honest entertainment

it's such a shame they are on at the same time, otherwise SCD would get many more viewers, but of course they want the competition

Well you know after the Maria debacle last week I was convinced SCD would be trounced in the ratings, but we managed to hold on. I know that this week we are head to head but I suspect the ratings will only be dented a little, and we'll rebound the following week when people finally get sick of being messed around and manipulated by the XF publicity machine.

I hope so anyway

Not only will Strictly face The X Factor at 6.30pm but its against I'm a Celebrity toowith the inherited X Factor results audience! Strictly will have the Casualty inherited audience though.

I think that the fact that Louis Walsh is now going back to the programme, that may have dented the number of people eager to watch. I agree IACGMOH will give them a good lead in. However, I think that this many weeks in, a number of people have been turned off XF by all the shenanigans devaluing any integrity it have once purported to have, and many people realise they can quite comfortable watch one of the repeats and yet watch SCD live.

It's certainly interesting

Tonights the night, will Strictly Come Dancing hold steady or will that tabloid favorite The X Factor strive ahead?

Come on Strictly, Bruce and Tess!

Can I add a note of doom, SCD will lose out this week, cos the less well informed will be desperate to see what Louis says for himself, which is wrong, hope fully even most fans of both shows on DS will stick with SCD for the majority of the evening.....

I too fear that the cynical publicity stunts of X-Factor's manipulative men in high places will pay off for them this week. There are enough gullable people out there to fall for this week's silly media-orchestrated events to boost the ratings fairly significantly. Then again, you do have to be pretty gullable in the first place to find ANY meaning whatsoever in the X-Factor series.

Having said all that, there would be no victory thus far more satisfying than a win tonight for SCD, should it happen!

I feel that Strictly proved the most entertaining on the night, having watched all of Strictly and also seeing the The X Factor results show.

Hopefull someone will bring the overnights to us at some stage today.

you have to remember also that SCD have been winning the ratings on the show they started first on what with them going head to head this is really the first week to judge it

Whilst i recognise that the starting time may be a factor in the swaying of audiences i reject the notion that somehow this makes it an unfair comparison. That totally misses the point of a ratings battle. Regardless of who starts first, at some point the viewers have a choice of which show they want to watch - the 'winning' show is the one which compells viewers to either stay with them or switch over to watch them. I doesn't matter about video taping or watchign repeats either. Its all about the night and the choices viewers make there and then.

i think X Factor are running scared. changing the start time next week

I gave up on X Factor after the first few programmes of this series. Why? The judges. The programme has tilted to favour the judges and their opinions rather than focus on the acts. And all I can hear is Sharon's voice. I've never felt encouraged to start singing where the X Factor is concerned, but I always smile with Strictly and it makes me want to take up dancing.

Still waiting for the overnights, anyone got them?