I have one too

Same as rita1

Exactly the same? There goes my theory about individual replies then!

rita - thanks for posting your reply, and it was indeed a very detailed response by the BBC, so your actual email must've been written in great depth, well done for taking the time.

Like others, I fear their research was done by talking to casual viewers only, you only have to read the DM article comments underneath by people who were happy with the changes. It's always the way, inorder to attract an even greater audience, they risk upsetting the established viewers who love the show.

It is us who frequently ask for a change of Judges so I don't know where this assertion that their view is paramount comes from?

Well done for pursuing it too with a follow up, and please keep us up to date. I note there was no mention of whether or not the programme is going to be pre-recorded? But even if it is, they'll *pretend* it's live.

Really, I would be delighted with these changes IF the Results Show was live, but if not, it seems a complete nonsense, and in any case it's reducing the training time by one day, and when the Christmas Special comes around, with so many dances to learn in one week - 5 in the last 2 series, one for the CS and the rest for the Final - that's a very daunting prospect for the contestants.

ITMA, I had to re-read the word "plebs" in your *reply* before I twigged it was a fake! LOL!!!!

BTW a Guardian article this morning is talking about DOI moving to Sundays too, apparently, *spreading the TV viewing of popular shows into a weekend family experience* is the new black!

lol - think so - here


Dear Miss Jackson

Thank you for your e-mail regarding 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

I understand that you are unhappy that the format of the show has changed and the results show will now be broadcast on a Sunday. If I can explain the rationale behind the changes, putting the results on a Sunday means we
can extend the show to include more of what we feel the audience wants. This includes more dancing and also footage from behind the scenes. There is as much of an appetite for light entertainment and family viewing on
Sundays as there is on Saturdays.

'Strictly Come Dancing' is a family show but quite often people go out after the main programme on Saturdays or children go to bed so they miss the results due to the transmission time. We feel moving the results to Sundays and extending the show means that all the family can catch up with what happens. We also know there is a real appetite for more 'Strictly Come Dancing' so extending the results means we can include more of what we feel the audience wants such as more dancing and behind the scenes footage.

The viewers and judges vote is still vital to keep your favourite contestant in the competition. But following audience research we found that viewers appreciate the expert knowledge of the judges and like them to make decisions about who stays and goes. We have decided to try something new and following the viewers and judges vote to determine which two couples are in the bottom, the judges will make the final decision based purely on the repeat performance in the results show.

We must add that the viewers vote is really important as it will determine who is in the bottom two so they must vote to keep their favourites out of the danger zone. But it will then be up to the judges to save one of the bottom two couples.

I would like to assure you that we have registered your comments on our audience log. This is the internal report of audience feedback which we compile daily for all programme makers and commissioning executives within the BBC, and also their senior management. It ensures that your points, and all other comments we receive, are circulated and considered across the BBC.

Thank you once again for contacting us.

Regards

Richard Carey
BBC Information

Well it seems after all we're all getting the same standard reply. All the same, the amount of times they have to send this reply out will register with them we hope. I've quoted the reply I sent below, and will keep you posted should I receive a response to that too.


Quote:
Dear Mr. Carey,

Thank you for your response to my complaint. I hope that you are right
about there being an appetite for more Strictly Come Dancing. I once told
my mother I liked her apple tart - and had it served every day for weeks. I
now can't stand apple tart!! Personally I think this move might well be the
beginning of the end for the series, which would be a shame. The BBC has
already damaged this unique show by flooding our screens with cheap copies
of the voting-off format all summer long (the Joseph series being a
wonderful exception to this). Too much of anything is not good for you,
you know!

I am sure that you and the decision-makers in the BBC read the comments on
Points of View and also the DS forums. If not, please do so. You will see
that the majority view swings against these changes - and rather heavily so.
You are in effect destroying what has become a Saturday night tradition that
people have looked forward to all year.

Saturday is dancing night, a whole evening of good entertainment and the
suspense of waiting for the results. SCD has a particular immediacy and
momentum that will be lost when the results show is moved to Sundays.
Sundays are in effect "getting ready for Monday" nights when most will have
lost the enthusiasm that was there on Saturday.

I agree that it would be nice to see more behind-the-scenes footage, but
this would be better included in "It Takes Two" in place of the endless
parade of celebrities having nothing to do with the show, but simply wanting
to plug their latest disc/show/film or whatever. We were all getting fed up
with this last year. As for more dancing - well as I said before you can
have too much of a good thing.

Finally, I notice you did not deny in your email that the results show will
be recorded on Saturday night. I suppose you realize that the results will
somehow get leaked before they are broadcast on Sunday.

I'm sorry this is such a long email, but did very much want you to undertand
the rationale behind MY thinking, and that of many others, on these uncalled
for changes.

With best regards
Unquote

Rita - do keep us informed if you get a response I so far haven't had a response to my email and I sent mine on Wednesday

Will do Trish.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/strictly...kelly-fix.html

If this link is true then the Strictly stars do not like this new format either, especially as it favours Kelly Brook more then the other contestants.

I like the way they say the judges are "being forced to choose" between the bottom two! Strange wording.

Also when they say this format has worked well in other shows - true, but in other shows it really does matter because the contestants have something to win (or lose). SCD is different, it's just a bit of fun - or supposed to be. That's why it's possible to let the viewers decide who they want to win.

And in the words of a great Scottish sit-com "I smell Sh#'te"

The one and only reason they are doing this is to try and beat X-factor in the ratings.

And in my opinion, they are going to shoot themselves in the foot.

Why on Earth do they think this is a good plan? Now in the early stages of the competition, I could agree with the fact of the judges vote, then we would never again have to suffer the Chris Parker, and Fiona Phillips debacle.

But the whole Sunday thing?? Hate it. Not a good plan and I hope that as the weeks go on and the head honchos at BBC realise this, we will see normal "service" resumed.

And breathe..........
Last edited by stephanieplum : 29-09-2007 at 19:40

I'm now going to make myself look like the densist (sp ) forumer ever ... does anyone actually know what the plan of action is for next week regarding the results show?

whats the email to complain?

Complained. I expect the same reply.

I am disappointed about the move to Sunday evening for the results show - if it was live that would be fine, but if it won't be, it's pants. The results will inevitably be leaked and spoil the 'reveal'.

However I am in favour of the change to the judges making the final decision (as in ITV's Dancing on Ice). There have been some ghastly viewer decisions in the past on SCD - just think Chris Parker - so it is impossible to defend the viewers' views as being any less 'biassed' than the judges. I could never accuse Len of being biassed anyway - and he will have the casting vote if the judges are split.

The vast majority of SCD viewers don't post on here, even though I am a DS longtimer I very rarely do so myself, but it doesn't mean their views are less important than those of the regulars. (That isn't meant to sound nasty, sorry if it does but I can't think of a better way of putting it).

I agree totally with Lippincote. The overwhelming mass of SCD viewers do not post on here, but their views are equally important to the BBC. I have to say I am also in favour of the judges having the final say, as some of the viewers votes have been totally ridiculous in the past, resulting in good dancers, or potentially good dancers being voted off early, often saving others possibly to spite the judges.

Also, although many on here complained vehemently about the judges bias last year, they (posters on here) were equally biased against certain participants, even when they performed well, often not based on dance ability.

I do have a problem with the results on the Sunday though. Apart from the problem of leaks, it somehow detracts for me from the enjoyment of the Saturday evening.

[quote=Lippincote;18390739]I am disappointed about the move to Sunday evening for the results show - if it was live that would be fine, but if it won't be, it's pants. The results will inevitably be leaked and spoil the 'reveal'.

However I am in favour of the change to the judges making the final decision (as in ITV's Dancing on Ice). There have been some ghastly viewer decisions in the past on SCD - just think Chris Parker - so it is impossible to defend the viewers' views as being any less 'biassed' than the judges. I could never accuse Len of being biassed anyway - and he will have the casting vote if the judges are split.

The vast majority of SCD viewers don't post on here, even though I am a DS longtimer I very rarely do so myself, but it doesn't mean their views are less important than those of the regulars. (That isn't meant to sound nasty, sorry if it does but I can't think of a better way of putting it).[/QUOTE]

Of course it doesn't sound nasty, why on earth would it? Nobody on here has suggested their views were more important than those of others, but some of us have chosen to tell the BBC what we thought, and in my case to point out to them that on this particular board, as well as their own Points of View board, the majority opinion is against the changes. We have no idea if we are representative of the GP or not.

I suspect myself that the majority of SCD viewers don't even know yet about the changes and will find out only when it hits them. This at least is the case with my sister who is a keen SCD fan, but had no idea what was happening until I told her yesterday. She is not happy about it at all.

Kargo, I emailed the complaints section on the general BBC website.

And that was what I was disagreeing with (there were a couple of other comments to the same effect, not just yours). Views on fan forums tend to be very polarised. When one point of view is energetically put forth, anyone who opposes it may feel reluctant to speak because they feel it is too much effort to swim against the tide. So if we can't know if forums give an accurate idea of the viewership's opinion there is no particular reason to use them for 'research'.

I suspect a lot of viewers won't be bothered either way. Whichever way they do it there will always be decisions I disagree with (there were on Joseph) but on balance I would prefer the judges to choose, to avoid being plagued with travesties like Chris Parker and Fiona Phillips.

Dancingles I agree that the viewer vote did sometimes appear to be trying to 'spite the judges' for perceived favoritism/bias.

Splitting out the results show though - I just can't see anyone liking that. Bad move.

Lippincote, I see by my post that I've forgotten how to use quotes on this forum. My apologies - back to school for me

I also think a lot of people won't care one way or the other about the changes - but some will. And some will prefer it as it will allow small children to watch the results show too. But the splitting of the show is what matters most to me too - I think it will just lose its spontaneity, even if it is live which I very much doubt.

For the change in the judging, well we'll just have to wait and see how it pans out. There is already talk about judges' favourites and BBC favourites and the show is still a week away from starting! I'm actually one of those people that enjoyed Chris Parker getting through to the final - I thought it made the whole thing more fun than if the best dancers had got through all along the way. But then, much as I love the show, I don't take it seriously as a dancing competition when the competitors come from such vastly different levels of experience and talent.

At any rate it looks as though we're stuck with the new format for the time being. I've prepared myself by getting a brand-new drive box so I can record the results as I won't be able to watch them "live" on Sunday.

I complained last week and got an auto thank you for your feedback response.

lol, don't worry about the quotes. I completely agree, waiting a day for the results will take all the spontaneity and tension out of it.


I know, and that really riles me. It is all manufactured IMO. Even before it starts there is grumbling about favouritism. But let's be honest - if Kelly is a cr*p dancer, the judges will NOT keep her in for long, Len in particular has far too much integrity. Whereas if it was a viewer vote I COULD see her staying in regardless because the Brendan fan-club would want to keep him in. If judges have 'favourites' then so do viewers, otherwise Chris Parker is an inexplicable phenomenon


I understand what you mean - I don't necessarily only want the 'best dancers' to stay in,. But I do want the most entertaining, best-value to stay in - I loved watching Julian Clary. But Chris Parker... Fiona Phillips... spare me!

I LOVED Julian - cracking entertainment

I completely agree with you, I can't see how having the results on sunday is going to pull many viewers especially if SCD is up against soaps like emmerdale and corrie (We are a nation of soap addicts!). So I'm holding out hope that having the results on sunday is going to be a ratings killer!

It was a very long time ago since Chris Parker was in the finals, and it was series 1 where SCD was brand new and everyone was watching for the fun of it and didn't take the show too seriously (and that goes for the competitors too!). So it's a bit unfair of the BBC to drag up Chris Parker as examples of viewers voting erratically when that situation was donkey's years ago!

I also like watching the most entertaining couples in the programme even if their dancing is not that great, but unfortunetly I can't see us watching both good dancers and entertaining/journeymen dancers with the new judges vote only format. I'm afraid it would have to be one or the other, and I kind of know what the judges criteria will be in picking and it won't be for the entertainment value.

But - it's swings and roundabouts. For every great-value Julian, there is a low-rent Fiona. Did anyone really enjoy watching her? - she was beyond rubbish, she hated the humiliation, it was a total car crash. Chris Parker may have been a long while ago when the show not high profile, but the same 'logic' still applies - viewers vote for perverse reasons - because "he's fit", because they want to stick one to the judges, whatever (I detested CP, did not find him attractive/entertaining). But I agree with you in that I just don't understand why they waited till now to change the voting rules.

The magic of the PVR means I can watch both the results show and Corrie, but they are clearly trying to p1ss on itv's bonfire, and it is annoyingly (and foolishly IMO) scheduled to overlap with the start of Corrie. Really not to most viewers' benefit.

SCD results were on Saturday evening prerecorded too.
But I would rather like to see them on saturday with a nice wine and chips, than on Sunday just after tea

I really dislike this idea

As far as I can see it means the judges get to have their say twice. Why should the views of four people be put above the nation's? We are never going to get rid of the pets with this format

If anything I think this will provoke viewers to vote even harder for the poor contestants/favourites () to ensure that the bottom two is made up entirely of couples the judges don't want to eliminate.

I HATE IT. I don't know why a dance-off is a good idea when nobody liked it last year