This is a total disaster. Why on earth do the BBC have to tinker with a format that was working! For me it's just about ruined the experience as I won't be able to watch on Sundays (I can't believe I've been looking forward to this for a year!!!), but for others also I think the whole show will loose a lot of its momentum and suspense.

What a shame

The thought of SCD turning into the X factor makes me weep!

I agree it is a shame. I like how they've announced the new couples, got everyone excited about it and then tried to quietly announce this big change. Maybe they were hoping we would be too excited by this point to worry.

I'm still looking forward to it but it won't be the same.

I agree, the old format works, I can't understand why they are changing it , it's a really stupid idea, if they want to change things, why not ask the public, the people who pay money to vote on the show. I'm glad I am missing the live shows now

Sorry to sound dense, but what reason was that ?

Really, really hating the idea of a pre-recorded results show on a Sunday ~ what & why????????? As many people have rightly pointed out, there's no way the results will remain a secret. Bet they have it at the same time as Corrie, to try & steal audience percentages from ITV.

And the one-off dance off was hardly popular last year, so they decide to make it a weekly event!?

And to think we pay the s*dding beeb a license fee! First they can Neighbours, and now this.........

I would be optimistic and say they are trying to make it more about dance and less a popularity contest. Unfortunately the cynic in me thinks this is about ratings, and that early on in the show the judges may make one or two controversial decisions which will then be leaked to the press, and ratings will shoot through the roof.

I don't think it will make it more about dance anyway, I predict an upsurge in sympathy voting.

But it will be a popularity contest, or so people say. I couldn't see it myself, but a lot of people say Emma was the judges favourite. When I was there they scored her quite low, so I didn't see how they favoured her in a way they favoured, say a Louisa or Jill. However, if one of the contestants shines, they will make it a popularity contest, because they will be wanting that contestant to make the final

Because of Richard Hammond's crash there was no Autumn series of Top Gear as there should have been and so the SCD repeat filled that slot.

As for the dance off idea - well they certainly kept that one quiet!

Like many I can see pros and cons to this:

Pros: It takes away some of the popularity contest element to it. Bad dancers should no longer stay in for weeks just due to their popularity or the sympathy vote. Also good dancers shouldn't end up going because they are not as well known.

Cons: The judges have got to be unbiased and on past evidence (particularly last year) that wasn't the case.

Ah, I see ~ ta for that.



LOL!


With any luck they won't get many people tuning in on a sunday, and they'll change it back. After all ,there's us hardcore lot on here, but a lot (majority?) of viewers will be people who are more casual viewers, just relaxing in front of the tv on a Saturday night, and it’s possible that they won’t all be scrabbling back to the TV on a Sunday for the results.

It’s Pauline Quirke I feel sorry for ~ what’s going to happen to her wine and curry ritual now??!

No No No No no no no no no no no, puts hands over ears in distress.

BBC - please don't move the results show to Sunday at least not a pre-recorded one, the idea sucks so bad I can't even explain myself.

We love it, don't change it. If you have to move the results show, have the vote on the Sunday too.

The judges already get a say when they are doing the scoring. why should they get another say in the results. I was really looking forward to the show until i read that press release. They have ruined the show for me.

The dance off idea works if (a that's a huge, enormous, godzilla trampling Tokyo sized 'if') the judges are unbiased. We'll just have to wait and see on that one.

The moving the results to Sunday idea seems pointless unless there is a very specific reason for it e.g. they've put in new validation protocols which take longer and therefore it wouldn't be viable to show the results show the same night on the actual vote.

On the brightside though it is allowing for a longer show - up to 45 minutes from the usual 30.

Oh dear , I don't like this at all , not at all .
It's just like Dancing on Ice . Does it mean they are bringing in another judge ?

This means the judges will have the ultimate decision on who reaches the final .

And I don't like the whole " come back tomorrow " idea , it loses the immediacy of the show and the exzciting aspect has always been that it is live .

I agree with everything Dippy and Katie are saying .and many others !

It will still be a popularity contest in that those with a huge fan base will still get through however badly they dance . Also I don't think the vote will be so high .
What the judges will do is pick between the 2 lowest scoring when the public vote and judge's posiition are combined . It will give a chance for a couple to up their game and do well , if it really is based on JUST the final dance .

Looking back , this system would have meant Aled would have been in the final as Julian would have gone before that point , It woudln't have changed last year as they woudl have saved Emma every time .

If anyone from the BBC reads this, please change your minds about doing this. There are two reasons why this will not work...

1) It will be prerecorded. What other live show has a pre recorded results show? Could you imagine if they recorded the Big Brother eviction on Friday and showed it on Saturday??

The result will get leaked all over the place and nobody will tune in. There's even time to get the results in the Sunday papers for goodness sake.

2) The judges have already had a vote. In other shows where the judges have had the casting vote (X-Factor, Joseph/Maria, Dance X), the judges have had no say on the outcome until that point. However, with this system the judges have influence on whom is in the bottom two AND which one of them goes. That completely marginalises the public contribution.

Why on earth did someone think this was a good idea? Please it wasn't at all broke. It don't need fixing.

Good point. The dance off may have worked better if it was the public who got to vote for who went but of course with the results show pre-recorded and shown on Sunday this isn't now possible.

Yes, that would be similar to the Strictly Christmas Special, no tension, no feeling of immediacy. And yes, the saturday results are bound to be leaked on the internet.

A really stupid move by someone at the BBC who really ought to know better.

This is a ridiculous idea! I agree with Katie-p..it would only work if independent judges judged the dance off...a total farce otherwise!
The extra training footage does sound good, except it might mean time is still available on ITT for z listers to flog latest material!

Looking at the bottom twos all the way through series four, I can't think of an example where the judges would have made a worse decision than the public did.
eg Spoony vs Georgina- I wasn't Spoony's biggest fan but it was sad that it happened to him so at least he would have had another chance
Carol vs Emma- Judges would have chosen Emma, but the way the public voted she went through anyway by default
Emma vs Peter- Judges would have chosen Emma, who was a better dancer than Peter, and who got through on the old system anyway.
Emma vs Matt- Judges would have chosen Emma, which wouldn't have been my choice, but from a dance perspective I think many people would have agreed.

So even though I think this is one of the BBCs worst ideas yet, I don't feel so bad that the judges are going to spoil things with favouritism any more than they may have in the past with dodgy marking.

I don't think I'll waste my money voting though, if I want to give to charity I'll do it directly.

Oh god, it gets worse.....

Interesting point about how the BBC may have had to put extra checks in place for the phone votes, hot on the heels of all the scandal around this type of thing recently ~ that could well be it.

Also, I'll be having a look at who is dancing under the "01" ending telehone number, and seeing how far they get ~ I know I mis-dialled a few times last year and voted for Matt & Lilia when i didn't mean to, and I don't think i was the only one (not that I'm saying they only got through on mis-dialled numbers, before anyone interprets this as a "go"!)

Do we definately know it is being pre-recorded?

In the states they have the results show on a different night (but still live) because of the different time zones otherwise it would be difficult to manage the voting. I've noticed before the American Idol lines are open to 12am.

Actually the "01" couple has got to the final in the last three series! Series one I don't know about but it wouldn't be relevant with only eight couples.

I don't think it makes enough difference though, otherwise Matt would have beaten Mark who was either 13 or 14.

Since it's going to be recorded, I suppose they could always film two different endings and then no-one would know who had actually won apart from the judges until the programme goes out on Sunday night

I'm utterly stunned.

The BBC have taken the best programme they've had for years and wrecked it. Utterly wrecked it.

What was an exciting, must-see programme has now dropped down to a "meh, I might get it off UKNova if I can be bothered".

Well done BBC.

Prats.

The Judges already have a major influence with their scoring now they get to decide who leaves from the bottom two. Bad decision as they are bound to have their favourites so the audience vote is considered less important.

I can't understand why they want to do a dance off every week- it hardly got a good reception last year. It sort of works on DOI because the judges who talk sense outnumber the ones who don't, but I'm really not sure that's true for Strictly!

I think it will turn people off the show if they know that certain people are guaranteed a place in the final.