The BBC have shot themselves in the foot.A great show ruined by BBC hackers.They took a great format that was working and destroyed viewer confidence...

Not since the Blue Peter fake phone in has there been such a disaster at the BEEB.

Why have viewers vote for their choice then give Arlene and co the say on who stays and who goes?

Why record the results show on a Saturday night then hold it over until the Sunday ?

The judges now rule the show and the viewers are being treated to another phone in rip off...Brucie urges us to vote to save our favourites only for us to be told the judges
decision is final...Even the once fair minded Len has hinted we have seen the pretenders now here are the contenders.

The judges vote is to restore order after the public voting last year where the two strongest dancers didn't make the last two and strong people lincluding Carole and Spoony went much too early. The voting has always thrown up some underdogs who should have gone and some good people who don't get rewarded but until last year they didn't lose so many good people early or end up with two weak finalists. it also gives them a chance to resist the usual pro-male, pro under-dog , anti-judge, pro sportsmen and anti ethnic minority voting bias. The judges in 2006 ended up looking ridiculous as they marked to try and counter the voting (which backfired) and the show ended up with a final two who were only any good at half the dances. Rather than have another series with incredible results that had little to do with dancing, bizarre marking as the judges responded and results that ignored the judges and made them look ridiculous, I imagine someone in the BBC decided on the change or the judges demanded it. (We know all of this because two of the judges have told us when asked by Claudia)

The second show is y there to fill more airtime with little extra cost. If people like the show they are now getting more of it - the price is its largely filler and the suspense has gone.

Hear hear - wholeheartedly, and furiously, agree!

I broadly agree with this as I feel sometimes the GBP's sympathy vote/rooting for the underdog can ruin a good competition and some of the best performers in these sorts of shows leave too early. My biggest "problem" is with the sunday show. They should have introduced the judges final vote this season without pushing the results show to sunday, and waited to see how this worked before making any further changes.

I agree, this is the worst ever and its all because of the new format, its ruined it for me.
Judges getting more power too, its all wrong I am not liking it at all.
bring back the old format, the much better one. or this will be the end.

Weren't many people last year complaining on these very forums about the silly voting decisions from the public phone vote? Were they not calling for the judges to have more power? Weren't many shocked that Ola and Spoony went out when it was plain that they should have stayed (and perhaps should not even have been in the bottom two)? Weren't people complaining that the public voted for their favourites regardless of ability or promise? That the public voted for the underdog when it was clear that the underdog should have gone? Well, this, to some extent, addresses that (although it is not perfect).

I am more bothered about the change to the recorded sunday show.. That is an awful decision in my opinion. The key to these type of shows is that they must be live. If the BBC HAVE to move it to a Sunday then do it live.It just feels like an anti climax now.

I am in two minds about the change in the judging system. So long as, as they did in the Maria and Joseph shows, allow the viewers to decide on the final show I can accept it as being a positive thing..

The BBC are shooting themselves in the foot by having the results show on Sunday.

The resluts were posted here by 11pm either through a leak from the production staff or a member of the audience. And if the result is unexpected, as it was last night, it's going to be impossible to contain the leaks.

How stupid of the BBC. Don't they realise the majority of households now have access to the net. The end result can only be less people voting and therefore less money for CIN.

The format changes next week. They should swallow their pride and sort it out!!

for me the biggest thing is the results show on the sunday and judges getting final decision. it sucks.
I have never and will never want the judges to have more power, worst strictly ever and mainly for those two reasons, I am actually not bothered now will watch x factor and tape scd from now on coz I dont care. It sucks.
BBC sort it out or I think its the last series

I totally agree about the results show on the Sunday. It was more exciting to learn the results live on the same evening. Next day is a bit of an anti-climax.

And of course the results will leak every week which means many fans have to avoid the internet for almost the whole of Sunday!

Also the judges (well Len actually) having the final decision when the point of the show is that the viewers decide is a bit of a con. I know it's to avoid the case of popularity winning over dancing skills but the judges have favourites too

They need to remove the names and phone numbers from the screen when the dancers are actually dancing. It's quite intrusive when people want to see the dancing. Surely putting the numbers up at the end of the dance would be enough.

Is this the first time the phone lines have been open from the start of the show? I thought in previous years the phone lines were open from the last dance.

Controversial thought that people want to see the dancing. The BBCs camera work doesn´t seem to think so


Yes and no. Yes it´s the first time but no, lines were previously open from the end of the previous week´s show

Ok, lets for one moment imagine that this is really a dancing competetion. If it was, why should the viewers vote in at all? Why not just have the judges decide on who they want to win (we might not have the programme to be quite fair, because it seems pretty obvious who the judges want to win, just look at Len's "we had the pretenders now we have the contenders remark").

However this is an entertainment show and should ideally attract money for children in need. I voted last year, but I'm not going to vote this year, because I can't make much of a difference anyway. If the public want a underdog to go further, why not? If I want to watch a real dancing competition I watch real professionals dance. I personally prefer watching people like Dominik or John Barnes that don't whinge about the competition and truly enjoy it, to someone who is technically better, but lacks complete sense of humour (such as Gabby Logan yesterday).

Now I go and hide away.

In which case we need three new ballroom dancing judges


I like Dominic and John´s dancing as well. I don´t mind Gabby either. However I don´t like someone who is technical and completely lacks a sense of humour - that´ll be Arlene

Totally with you lach doch mal - its an entertainment show, its not just the dancing steps, its improvement, costumes, music and chemistry between the couples.

The judges, all vote on different things and don't agree between themselves, so why should the GBP. Also, if its to be judged on dancing alone, why open the phonelines before the weekly competetion starts!

Like you I'm not voting this year - there's no point.

even if judges had not made final decision last night Letitia and Stephanie would have been bottom two with public and one of them would have gone

I like Dominic and John´s dancing as well. I don´t mind Gabby either. However I don´t like someone who is technical and completely lacks a sense of humour - that´ll be Arlene[/quote]

Actually I agree there. I'm sure Gabby is or will be alright (she was my obvious choice with regards to humour, because I was put off by the fact that she treated 3 sevens and one eight as a bad mark). What did she expect? Four nines on the first night?

However I maintain that it will be very obvious this year, who the judges will put through and that ruins the enjoyment of the show (at least for me).

I think the problem for me is that this way gives the judges 2 bites of the voting cherry.

They first of all get the opportunity to rank the dancers and then when the public have had their say, to vote again.

If they do want the judges to decide who goes, then the marking part should be done away with and all the celebs should start from the same level in the phone in - and they pick from the publics bottom 2. When all's said and done - why keep someone in who, however good they are, aren't popular with the voters?

It isn't purely a dancing competition - it can't be. Willie is never going to be able to dance as well as Alesha but that doesn't mean his improvement and committment should be disregarded. Voting before the dances have happened means that you aren't being asked purely to vote for a dance - how can it be when you haven't even seen yet.

It seems to be a programme that is trying to straddle 2 stools - a dance competition and a Saturday night light entertainment family for charity show - and at the minute it is failing a wee bit at both!

By the way, you might want to put such a remark in spoilers.

Actually I hadn't thought about this, a very good point. This way they have their say twice and the public almost have no say at all. I think my voting days are over, and I rather donate my money directly.

Totally 100% agree.........

How stupid can the Beeb be???? What is the point of voting or watching a recorded results show??

Once the viewing figures are released the BBC will defend them by saying this shows a move in viewer requirements and does not show viewer discontent...All political clap trap.

Well done Beeb, you really know how to ruin a fantastic show..Remember the maxim....."If it aint broke, dont fix it"


I still think that Vincent and Stephanie were head and shoulders above some of the others...I am not even going to watch the Sunday show to hear the comments of 3 washed up egotistical choreographers.

SCD.....RIP

Am I the only person who's perfectly happy for the results show to be on Sunday and be recorded?

You must be.....get a life...LOL

I think the "Charity" aspect of this isn't that important to the BBC as much as some may think.

They've often used the "charity" aspect in an attempt to squeeze more viewers into the ratings of a programme and a "donation" element is used I think to encourage people to actually vote.
I'd suggest the majority of viewers don't vote, I've watched every series and never voted once, many people I know are the same.

As another point I think the BBC have given a disproportionate amount of attention to CIN at the expense of other equally worthy causes for far too many years.

There's a finite amount of money the public will give to charity and other charities have said, CIN's gain has been their loss. I've my own favourite charities I choose to support and CIN ain't one of them, other than the quid I'll chuck in a bucket when they collect for CIN outside Sainsbury's.

It ain't the only kids charity, so please don't anyone say "But it's for the children!"

Oh yes, I'm the one that should get a life.

Consider this for scenario.

The public is so upset by voting system changes that they deliberately set out to make things difficult for the Judges/BBC. If they persist, I fear that this will continue.

BTW I didn't vote at all.