I was watching your show last night and Craig RH was on there trying to tell us, the audience, who we should vote for and why. He mentioned in his reasoning that he wished we would vote James out as it was a dancing competition, and not based on personalities!

Now I am currently arguing this out with someone of CRH's thinking (maybe it is him under an assumed name!), but I would like to put my point across!

SCD is *not* a dancing competition - if it was a) the BBC wouldn't bother with your show, and b) I wouldn't watch it, as it would be completely peripheral to the whole proceedings. SCD is an entertainment show, and if we the public choose to vote for James because he entertains us then that is our perogative!

Your show is there to enable us as viewers to see how the couples are doing and to get to know them and how they are getting on with each other, if it was a pure dancing competition then we would not need that!

The thing that draws me into watching SCD (and voting) as it does for a lot of people I have spoken, is the journey that the celebs go on in their quest to learn to dance, and so someone who is great from the outset (i.e: Jill and (questionably so) Zoe) really does little for me, to inspire me to vote and get me excited about the show.

Take the likes of Natasha, Denise and Lesley, and in this series Darren - those who started off slowly but as the shows went on got better and better and better, that for me is what SCD is about.

It is currently in the news that there are not enough ballroom teachers to satisfy the increase in demand since SCD started, and I am positive this is down to the fact that people have seen the celebs who weren't as good from the outset and seen them grow and become better as the weeks went on. This sort of positive role-model, that says, anyone can go out there, give dancing a go and succeed. If SCD were filled with Jill halfpenny's, Zoe Ball's and Colin Jackson's, then I sincerely doubt there would be such a demand for dance classes, as there is currently.

So I conclude, SCD is not a dance competition, and the day it become such I will switch off. Me as many others, do not watch it to see fabulous dancing, but the progression of someone who isn't so good, turn into a dancer. I love to wath great dancing, don;t get me wrong, and I love the pro demonstrations there are in the results show, but don't turn my fave show in the world into something it was not designed to be!!!

Nat
xxx

Goodness me, I've had the wool pulled over my eyes - I'm completely deluded as to what I've been watching for the last couple of months!

Despite that, Craig more or less took the words from my mouth last night - he goes up in my estimation more and more.

Final point: the dance craze will slow down after Christmas. It's the same as trying to find a free tennis court during Wimbledon.

Well clearly you have - all I am saying it is not imperative to vote for the *best* dancers, as it would be in a dancing competition.

If that is what it was about the public wouldn't get to vote and it would be all down to the judges. (It also wouldn't get a slot on Saturday night, where entertainment shows are the staple!)

Nat
xxx

I see what you're getting at but it still doesn't sit right with me. Of course it's entertainment and it's on in the classic early evening Saturday slot, so it's also designed as a family show.

But surely the entertainment comes primarily from the dancing and the thrill of the competition? The judges, the music, the glamour - everything comes from the dancing.

Therefore my point is that it's the dancing that comes first - all else follows, including the entertainment value.

I too actually thought i tuned in to see couples doing something called 'DANCING'! of course its a dancing compeition!!

Its like saying the x factor is not a singing competition!!!

SCD is not a dancing competition???? Then what it is?

Why do we bother with suffering the tiresome dance routines and all the effort the dancers and the celebs have made. Heck just open the phone lines and let us vote them out based on who is 'ded fitt' or which celeb was in our favourite soap or Casualty.

The public, certainly by now should be voting for the best or certainly the most improved dance couple.

I am not so naive as to think a dance competition would be anywhere near as popular without the celebrity interest, BUT I would hope that a couple of the reasons it is popular is a) it shows just how hard competitive ballroom dancing is and b) showing celebrities muddling doing something they are not expert in.

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick, Minihoy!! The show IS about personalities and the journey of the celebs throughout each series but Craig is RIGHT that it IS essentially a dance competition, which is why the likes of Jill Halfpenny - who was SUPERB, by the way - won last year, and quite deservedly so!! If it wasn't about seeing fantastic dance performances, then the likes of Chris Parks, Quentin, Diarmiud and Julian would win!! Look at the reaction last week to the performances of Colin and Erin? That sort of performance excites the viewers. I loved the fact that Jill was BRILLIANT last year and she kept me watching each week and I was estatic that she won, but she was unique. This year, I've really enjoyed watching Darren and although he didn't start as an obvious "best dancer", his amazing progress together with his wonderful happy, relaxed attitude has won me over and for that I, personally, think he is the best and should win. Overall, the audience DOES want to see the best dancer win and it IS a dancing competition. I don't know how you can say it isn't! The title says it all: "Strictly Come DANCING"!!!!! So you may well be tuned into the wrong show... (Claudia - please DON'T read out Minihoy's post).

Hi Minihoy

Can I copy a post I've put in another thread into yours? - I said I didn't know where to put it!!

I don't quite know where to put this, so here seems as good a place as any!

I love SCD , but just because I do doesn't mean that I can't see faults or things that (in my opinion) should be changed for a new series. Obviously this year there is a problem with the way the judges award marks and so to me that is something that could be addressed for next year. I know it tries to straddle the line between dancing competition and entertainment show, but unless the first is seen to be fair then I think it fails slightly as the latter.

I know that the reason it is for CIN is why the phone lines are open all week - but when you think that this is how Fame Accademy worked too (the ordinary one, not the celeb one) when no charity was involved I think it really is just a BBC thing - and it would be interesting to know how many votes are cast during the week to make this viable or would random polls/competitions during the week make as much if not more for CIN.

Also, it does - espeically in the later stages turn into a popularity contest as well - the only way this could be avoided would be just to have the show on a Saturday night and no ITT at all - which would be sad (in fact it could be said to be a popularity contest from the begining - choosing celebs that already have a voting base)

Annnddd finally (I think ) at this stage in the game all the contestants have invested a lot of time and effort into the programme, so really whichever of them get to the final is fine - just because someone has to try harder for less results does that mean all their effort is negated. If someone can just pick it up does that make their effort worth more?
(Like I said elsewhere I would be sorry if Lilia went out at this point for the second time on the trot but that's more me being soft than ought else!)

And, I'm done!

Thanks
Mindy

Hear,Hear Gazbo!I too was deluded into thinking it was a dancing comp. However reading most of the thread headers on here you soon find out its got very little to do with dancing and more to do with people that don't get out much and are living in fantasy land, or as Patsy said last night On Something . (bless her)

Can someone please explain where I've gone wrong?

I thought SCD was a Light Entertainment TV show for all the family ,pairing up celebs with pro dancers. Each week they had a go at a new dance, judges gave their opinion and the TV viewers, if they wished to, voted for the couple whom, in their opinion, gave the best performance. Isn't this a dance competition
And ergo doesn't Craig know more about dancing than us mere mortals? If it was a personality competition it would be a different format wouldn't it?
So pass on those comments at the top of the thread by all means Claudia, but not in my name please.

Geez...next people will be claiming the X-factor is a bonafide singing competition... .

I think that if the celebs were hoping to become professional dancers at the end (like singers on Pop Idol wanted to be actual recording artists and won a contract) then it would be blatantly unfair if a less talented dancer won. But that's not the case. Some celebs are trying to re-launch their careers, but certainly not as dancers, and there is no dancing contract at the end like in Strictly Dance Fever so there will be no travesty whoever wins.

that is EXACTLY what i was going to say!!!!!!!!!!!
of course it's a dacing competition
if it was a personalities or entertainers competition they would jsut stand there looking pretty and talking!
that is utter rubbish saying it isnt a dancging competition!!!

umm,creeping in....

isn't the whole point about voting is that's it's a democratic process, and people can make up their own minds...

many people vote for politicians based on their manifesto or party politics, others vote on the basis they seem a nice person, or have charisma....

it doesn't matter that some of us use different criteria to vote does it? that's just life....

Okay now I`m really confused !!!

If this is a dance competition why was Zoe in the bottom two Saturday ?

hehe great minds eh!?? lol

Its just a thread saying a show called strictly come dancing isnt about dancing!? is completely nuts!!
Im with them plese dont read this out on itt!!

Don't be confused thinker. It's a dance competition with no public voting criteria apart from 'vote for your favourite'

I disagree - I love SCD, but it is all about the dancing for me (ditto for ITT - the training, [working] relationships between the celebs and their partners, getting excited about costumes etc. is all dancing for me as well).

I like watching all of the couples dance (and am quite sympathetic regarding the ones that aren't as good), but my tolerance for soso dancing gets lower as we approach the final (it just gets boring watching Patsy fail to attack the Latin again and again and again). If James does get into the final (and I wish the judges would stop trying to make that a certainty by telling everyone not to vote for him), then I will be mildy disappointed because (barring a miracle) their dancing won't be as good as the others (although Camilla is nearly always sensational). I'm not really bothered about the "competition" (i.e. who wins), but I would rather watch the better couples...

Very well said - I'm sure we'd all like to see the best dancers in the final of this dancing competition And I believe that's Craig's valid point.

Anyway, James should be delighted he got into the semi-final, that's an achievement in itself and one of which he can be proud!

Oh that`s easier to understand



p.s. think Bruno has the same attitude as the public

Oh, Bruno's all over the place

And my final comment onto this thread is this.....

I truly believe James will go out on saturday, despite the fact he has a lot of fans.......and i don't think anything anyone says or does will change that!

stops vodachick as she walks through the door .......
think Julian and Aled

"Claudia - please read this to the judges - especially Arlene and Craig R-H!!!!"


hey, maybe they'll read this, invite you onto the show, have you judge the christmas special, have Craig & Arlene handwrite public apologies....who knows where it could all end!!!!!


These "Claudia please read...." pleas are getting tedious and desperate. If you want to get a message to the BBC then email or ring them directly.

hmm
technically its kinda a bit of both
in theory it IS a dancing competition - that is the point of it
but it does turn into a who is the best improved or something like that
i just think its a bit of a joke when people get thru when they REALLY REALLY shouldnt like fiona purely because they are liked or for other reasons - people just voted her back because they judges were meam to her - she was way out of her depth and each week her confidence got worse and worse as a result the poor thing!!!!!

ahh yes you prob have a point, however, i think Julian's charm factor outweighed James, and also Julian had improved so much (from awful to only grim!!) - whereas James has plateaud (spelling?) I reckon., and also the camilla chemistry factor is now old hat......