I'd be wary of Vernon Kay. I think he is hilarious and have liked him since he started out on some modelling programme. But he seems too immature. I think I'm the only one who likes Bruces cheesy jokes, but i could do without them in favour of more "constructive" comments from the judges.

I don't think I would mind who presented it so long as it wasn't Ainslie harriot, Dale Winton or Julian Clary. And I really hate this older man younger woman presenting thing that seems compulsory on British TV.

I think it should be an older female with a young male, just for a change. I like the idea of Vernon Kay, and how about Angela Rippon? i think it would be great to have the opposite of the older male/younger female cliche. And I bet Angela's still got the moves.

Good idea - Angela provides the pedigree and legitimacy and Vernon is the youth and charm... I like it. I don't reckon Tess would tho

Haha, I'm not really her biggest fan anyway... Maybe she could have some more babies instead?

There y'are then... Vernon gets more kids everyone's happy

Brucie is still the best man for the job, as far as i'm concerned.

Yes, he dithers and doddles a lot. Yes, his jokes are woeful. Yes, he interrupts the judges a little too much. So what! That’s all part of the appeal. There are many factors as to why i have been so unexpectedly taken with Strictly Come Dancing and Brucie is most definitely one of them. Its a glorious, glorious feel good show. However, what makes it extra appealing is that it is all a little bit shambolic, a little bit camp and a little bit self-effacing.

Bruce remains the ultimate living embodiment of small screen traditional 'showbiz' this country has to offer. He brings a commanding air of seniority in the glitz and glamour business to proceedings. His jokes are crap - and such is the point. God folks, lighten up! He barely dedicates more that 20 seconds to each gag or link. Hardly worth people complaining that they have to "fast forward" his interludes. Jeez. His general confusion is quite entertaining as well. Managing to fluff the autocue at the most tense of moments (like when the results are being read out) is unwittingly a stroke of genius. What we have in Brucie is a man who presents the show with such genuine enthusiasm, charisma and stature that it becomes the jaunty 'event' that it might so easily fail to be. Most of the people i've spoken to see Brucie as half the appeal of the show.

Strictly Come Dancing must NOT become a serious dance competition. Its serious to those who take part, perhaps. However, very few people will be watching and judging the dances on technicalities. They are simply enjoying the frivolity of it all. Therefore bringing in a more serious master of ceremonies such as Anton, perhaps, would be a real mis-step (excuse the pun).

Likewise, Vernon is certainly not up to the job. He is a likeable guy but as a presenter he is third rate. He is more suited to ITV fodder than SCD.

The only man i can see to replace him with a similar level of suitability would be Terry Wogan. He has the status, the charm and the prodding humour to carry it off.

He's lovely too, I met him when he was presenting CD:UK (I got to go behind the scenes for my 16th B-Day....he gave me a kiss to and told me to guess his age. Lovely lovely man).

Anyway I don't agree with the comment about Vernon being 'ITV' fodder. I personally think his Radio 1 stuff is great and his stuff on T4 is enjoyable too.

In his Brucie was the King and I think he should quit whilst he still got some cred left.

Yes, but as a prime time major TV show presenter he doesn't cut it. That Chris Evans show he did for Channel 4 was dreadful (as was he in it) and, more recently, the awful Hit Me Baby One More Time for ITV proved that he is competent at best.

I like the guy, but no way would SCD benefit in any way whatsoever with Vernon on the scene.

I aslo suspect that Brucie will call it quits after this series. The show is operating to an increasingly gruelling schedule and i'm not convince he will feel he is up to it another 12 months on. If thats the case, the show will have lost a lot of its charm.

Not Angela Rippon. One of the worst tempered people on TV. And Vernon looks, well, 'unusual'. Wogan used to present Come Dancing, as, I think, Michael Aspel did for a while.

I don't think the show would lose much without Bruce; at least it would run on time and we could hear from all of the judges...

......you should have heard the way he reacted to the warm up guy.
I'm not a fan of his doing SCD but have to admit his one liners off camera were far funnier than the stuff he was readibng from the autocue.

Justin Lee Collins would be the perfect person to replace Bruce.

Graham Norton, can't stand him normally,but I thought he made a great job of Strictly Dance Fever. I also think that Brucie was one of the best game show hosts in the business, now he is just embarrassing imo Terry Wogan is a possibility.

You beat me too it!! He would be fabulous! And has said he would like to return to SCD - Claudia r u reading this???

The man is just sooooo lovely, and has SCD experience already. The world needs to see him - the newcomers to SCD don't know what they're missing!!

JLC JLC JLC JLC JLC JLC JLC JLC!!!

Nat
xxx

I thought Graham Norton was disappointingly wooden on Strictly Dance Fever. He seriously needed to lighten up at times and his 'going through the motions' (as people seem to wish Brucie would do more effectively) was frequently tedious. Norton was ideal for that show. He didn't do himself justice until nearer the end of the series.

I wasn't too pleased to hear that Strictly Dance Fever was to return next year. The BBC are coming very close to flogging this dancing lark to death.

As for JLC. BBC2 magazine show - yes, main BBC1 show - you have to be kidding!

Collins was very good on BBC3, but he's not a BBC1 prime time host. Get a grip. You need someone who'll be tolerated by the broad demographic.

Did any of you see Bruce when he got a women to come out from the audience to dance with him!
That was probably one of the most cringeworthy things I've seen in SCD so far! It was so bad I had to switch over until it had finished!

Trem Two is spot on in my opinion

I like Vernon Kay very much but he simply hasn't got the personality to hold a major Saturday night TV show. Most of the younger presenters don't because they have such little entertainment experience under their belts.

Bruce did a good job tonight and I think it was a great show. SCD continues to knock the X-Factor for six. It's humane!

I can well believe that Bruce's off-the-cuff comments before the show went on air were funnier than some of his autocue remarks. That's his skill and he needs to be given the time and space to do it.

Bruce may well call it a day as he approaches his 78th birthday next year although I can see him holding out to 80 and rather hope he will!

As Trem Two says, don't take it all so seriously.

Did someone mentioned Terry Wogan as a possible future replacement for Bruce Forsythe?

For the love of God - nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!! He is so incredibly ill at ease and embarrassed on live tv (anyone remember the Wogan Show and the permanent petrified look in his eyes?)

Get Les Dennis to host it. After his performance on Ricky Gervais's Extras, he deserves a break....

How about Claudia for the main show and JLC getting back on the sofa for ITT? I would love to see him back, he was so much fun and was the main reason I was obsessed with SCD from week 1. I'm with minihoy, the man's a legend and should be back on SCD. I always call Len 'The Len Goodman Dancer' in honour of our Justin, his nicknames were great. Anton Du Beke 'Not CBE'. *sigh* I'll stop talking about him now, i'm making myself depressed. Maybe we could have Claudia and JLC as new on-screen husband and wife? Although i don't think they'd get much interviewing done, they'd be too busy messing around!

I like Brucie to a certain degree, in fact I used to hate him when I was a kid, but I've grown to like him. However I agree with the poster who said about that woman dancing - totally stupid and cringeworthy.

He's reading of the auto cue is also so noticeable and downright bad!

Tess - I really like her - she should get some more t.v. programmes!

Couldn't tell you - ran all his links on again!
There was one hairy moment when Mr Mindy had control of the remote and was too slow, but it was quickly rectified!

I don't think Wogan would be right for it - he couldn't do the serious bits - but it's wrong to say he can't cope with live tv. The chat show was a struggle on a nightly basis with dull guests, but he's done loads of other live shows very well, and he used to host Come Dancing, so the brusque dismissal is more than a tad unfair.

I agree, I think he's always done well on Children in Need, usually let down by the obsequious Gabby Roslyn. He's hilarious doing the commentary for Eurovision too, I think he'd add a great deal of camp value to SCD. His gentle Irish brogue, maybe with Natasha's dulcet poshness... Could be good!

Was Come Dancing live? If so, then yes he would be good for SCD, but if not - sorry, we will have to agree to disagree.... his live shows were awful and it wasnt always due to his guests being dull.

Live shows are difficult to do and not everyone is at ease doing them. Another celeb that gets sweaty, nervous and has that jittery, panicked look in his eyes a la Wogan is Julian Clary (on the Lottery show for instance).

Wogan is superb commentating on Eurovision, but that is similar to his radio show - with which he is extremely at ease.

Whoever gets the job - should Brucie retire - will find it difficult, as live TV must be horribly nervewracking.

I thought Bruce was fine tonight.