Thank you, beautifully put and spot on

No, Darren had a fabulous personality.

I would love to see Mark win the series! Ok Goughy and Mark are both cricketers, both have proven that they can dance and improve consistently week on week. I dont see much more of comparison than that tbo. They both are great movers, but both have "unique" dance styles. I truly hope Mark can go all they way tho, based on dance and not just on looks and charisma.

HAD??? HE still does...he has the cheeky northern charm and personality, thats kept his fanbase solid!! Maybe i'm biased but.... oh well

Sorry, mixing up my tenses, I only say had because he is no lnoger a contestant, but of course he still exists and still has the same personality!

If we are talking dancing Mark is way out front, but if we are talking personality Darren wins by a mile. I don't think Mark has any charisma whatsoever, and I don't really get the swooning fans. He don't do nought for me.

This is where it crosses over from a dancing competition to a personality contest. Last year the personality won over the dance.


<--- goes and puts her money on Peter instead of Mark

I really warmed to Peter when he was on ITT last week. He may have a glowing red nose, but he is beautifully articulate in his words. I really prefer a man with some kind of discernable personality.

I agree, let us hope Dancing wins this time round...no matter who it may be.

I'm sorry I don't see Mark as the new Darren Gough. Apart from the fact that their both cricketers, the similarity ends there. Mark has a lot more dancing ability to begin with. With his what I perceive to be shyness, he is a bit more introverted than Darren. Even all the hoo-hah over his looks he more or less takes it in his stride and just gets on with dancing....and thankfully none of that "real bloke dancing" nonsense either

I'm not a dance expert, but isn't personality part of the deal? That was why Colin didn't win - he just didn't manage to communicate to the folks at home through his dancing the way that Darren did. Probably technically better, but dull.

Mark started off like that, but is improving fast.

I thought Colin lost out because of the puppet dance...

So did I, if all three had done their show dances, and then it had gone to the public vote, I doubt he'd have even beaten Zoe.

Darren obviously had a lot of public support before the puppet dance by Colin or else he wouldn't have got into the final two

Colin had personality by the bucketload AND he could dance well. If there was one thing I did respect Colin for last year it was he let his feet do the talking (no aspirations to be the alpha male of the show, or involved in a romance with his dance partner etc etc) and in that respect he was often loud. I defy anyone not to look at his Quickstep, the underscored Foxtrot....and the triumphant American Smooth and not say he had personality.

If anything I think Mark may been seen as a bit boring and it seems he's a bit uncomfortable with being portrayed a the show sex symbol (he always smiles and looks to the floor whenever the subject is raised?

I agree 100% there. The main reason Colin lost favour with the judges was the silly puppet dance. I understand that this was Erin's decision to use puppets and therefore IF there is any blame to be looked for, maybe we should look at her decision.

There is nothing wrong with being a bit shy. I can understand that Mark is a uncomfortable when the subject about his new found sex-appeal is being raised. The last 20 years he had nothing else to think about but his cricket. Now he's in a reality-show, and people (read women well most women anyway,...LOL) suddenly starting to notice him, as quite an attractive man, and tell him so ( Arlene, Tess, Karen, and the list goes on,...). No wonder really that he doesn't really know (yet!) how to deal with this. But he will,...give him time,...he will!

The people who think that two cricketers in a row shouldn't win - if Patsy Palmer had been the best dancer in the world, and also being an ex-Eastender, would the same have gone for her? After all, Jill won the series before...

And also re: Mark's personality - all I have heard from people at work is that it is refreshing to see someone on TV who has a bit of humility, and isn't completely up their own arse. They also say that they love the way he is fairly shy off the dancefloor (though they all see a personality emerging over the weeks) - and then transforms when he gets on to dance.

I guess everyone has their own opinions, just wanted to share some that I have encountered

I didn't mean it as a criticism Aeryn. Rather I meant the "backstory" that I think the BBC is going for of Mark being a sex symbol. Something that I believe (just my opinion folks) that Mark isn't entirely comfortable with seeing as he seems to be a shy person to begin with

I didn't take it as criticism DL, I'm sorry that you think I did.

No, someone NOT winning because of some stupid assumption about "not having 2 people from the same walk of life win two years in a row" would be "letting the side down.


I agree. I make no bones about being a huge M&K fan, but if they win, I want it to be because he can dance well, and THAT is why I have voted for him.

Dancing ability=votes
Being gorgeous=posting "phwoar" on here a lot

The second would not make me vote if I didn't see the first.
Last edited by sarah-flute : 30-10-2006 at 18:34

I think it was a real shame Colin missed out in the third series. He put on much better performances overall than Darren, who I never really took to at all.

Well said Sarah! I liked Darren Gough, and respect him as a cricketer but I wouldn't have voted for him, because I didn't think he was a good enough dancer. Yes improved greatly during the series, but my vote would have gone to Colin or Zoe who were much better dancers. I would vote for Mark (if I could, but I can't since I live in the Netherlands, and we can't vote from there.) because he's a natural dancer, and he's improving a lot every week. Yes I do think he's a gorgeous man, but if he would have danced like, lets say Darren Gough he wouldn't get my vote, no matter how attractive I think he is.

Who cares ???

The first Mark Ramprakash is good enough for me !

I don't think he's the new Darren Gough because I don't think he's showing significant change or improvement so far. He was a good dancer when he started and he's still a good dancer now. People will vote for him for other reasons but not the ones they did for Darren (blokey bloke dancing, guy who was a average to poor dancer ending up pretty good)