Oh yes, I quite agree it's all about light and shade. As I said, she's fulfilling a role required of her. It annoys me that sometimes she and Craig can barely open their mouths to make a comment without the audience starting to boo.

I still don't like her though.

I have no problem with anyone being harsh of somones dancing and giving their honest judgement on a dance/dancers performace, but what I think is wrong is when it becomes personal, which is something Arlene often does. She isn't alone, but she seems to do it more often.

Your not liking her keeps you keen, tuning in every week? Remember Mick McManus?

Far from it. If I had to list the reasons I tuned in she would be very last on the list. In fact I doubt she'd make the list at all.
No.

Mick Manus was a wrestler on ITV World of Sport who made a fortune out of being a dirty rule bender. The audience hated him so much he became a far bigger superstar than the many meritorious champions Mcik repeatedly beat by rule bending out of sight of the referee.

Any wrestling bill with Mick in it became a sellout. All his bouts were marked by endless shouts and intervention from the adrenalin-filled audience. Those were the days.....

My problem with Arlene is that she isn't FAIR, she shows her dislike for the personality in every comment she makes about them. If she likes a person, it's praise galore, if someone she doesn't like has a good performance, she simply homes in on the one thing they did wrong, in a bid to show their flaws. At least with Craig, you know that he genuinely dislikes everyone- until they prove him wrong.

Thanks. The name was vaguely familiar but I couldn't remember who he was. Wasn't there a stand-up comedian with a similar name?

Did you notice at one point during the first show he was looking at his watch as if he had somewhere else he'd rather be?

She can't be objective. Plus like the raw sex comment (excuse me while I throw up) she is desperate for a bit of attention. It's sad really but bloody irritating at the same time. I don't know why any of the celebs or dancers should expect to stand there and be insulted it's not even entertaining and she's not exactly witty.

My first thought when she said "I might be unkind but I'm not cruel" last night was her "sex appeal of a gnat" comment to Matt last year. She might have thought the dance lacked chemistry but there are ways of saying that which don't humiliate someone on live TV. IMO she is cruel at times.

I'm not a fan!

Hi Stella, you are obviously a nice gal.

Isn't this the Anne Robinson draw? There is fertile material in here for a Psychology PhD thesis.

And do not women fall for rotters rather upstanding nice guys?

And your point is...?

Anyway...back to the point of Arlene - I agree with so much on here that I can't really quote it all! But yes, I really don't think Arlene IS fair - I actually think that Craig is, more then her, as he tends to critique the dancers. That comment to Kate saying that non of the GMTV presenters had rhythm seemed weird - as the footage of them dancing before she hurt herself showed her dancing rather well. It was just a lame connection that Arlene saw and thought 'Oh, two GMTV presenters...what tenous link can I make to seem clever...well they both sit down for a living...(seems a bit ironic as she's a judge and spends her saturday evenings sitting on her arse!)

PLEASE stop it Arlene Phillips - your ruining my evening!

I like Arlene on the panel, remember she is the only woman panellist. Some of her comments though are bazarre. My fav dancers on Sat were Gabby and James, thought they were excellent and watched it three times, yet Arlene criticised Gabby's footwork " like coals to Newcastle via Leeds" eh what is that all about?

The point is that those who are furious with Arlene like her to some extent -- they wonder why she has to spoil her good side by flaunting her "bad" side. You have to care to get angry. When caring is exhausted there is indifference but no complaint, then the final parting, the TV switchoff.

Women will have to explain why they prefer rotters. Perhaps rotters are a challenge, perhaps a woman wants to prove her warmth can transform a rotter. A male saint is no challenge, perhaps making a woman feel redundant.

Sorry, off on my wild guesses and generalisations again. Yes I am a rotter, hee hee.

I don't mean to be rude but I honestly don't have a clue what your talking about - I read your other comment a couple above...are you reading the same forum?

I actually don't think its anything to do with the fact she's a woman - I think she's just terrible. I'm not a huge fan of Len's when he's on other stuff (i.e The Wright Stuff which I saw once when he was on and he's really right wing!) and I think arlene is quite nice in interview when she's just one to one - but i like Len on this programme because he's nicer and more articulate - and Craig is harsher but more accurate - Arlene is just weird!

Arlene was being a right vicious c*w to Kate and Anton. The Fiona Phillips comment was uncalled for.

Leeds is only about 30 miles west of the GNER train journey from London to Newcastle, but to get to Leeds you would have to laboriously change trains at Doncaster or York. The quickstep is so quick and light it calls for economy of effort, perhaps Arlene was saying Gabby's feet were going from A to B via C?

I liked Gabby's quickstep, though watching just once on my tele hard saw that much detail of footwork. I also liked her working a stone weight off the famously irascible James. If she applies as high a standard to herself as to others I would respect that. The same with Arlene, if she lives up to the same standard as she dishes out.

Mentioning Fiona Phillips is always uncalled for.

Austen, at the risk of digging myself deeper, this is my last spadeful.

Make a list of the 3 persons on TV you truly dislike. I suggest the person you truly and utterly dislike will not be on that list, because whenever that person comes on you would have switched off. Some viewers would switch off the volume or change channels when a particular advert comes on. With Arlene you complain, but do not switch off.

Sorry, probably the hole is deep enough now.

With respect,

Mistermind

I think we don't switch off because we like the programme, not because we like Arlene!

its like she's thinking out loud - i laugh at some of the things she says but i think its more tongue in cheek. It does feel as tho she's trying to outdo len with the oneliners tho.

i found it hard to take to craig esp the first series but he's a totally different person when he's interviewed and seems very nice. He always seems to validate any critisims he has so he obviously doesn't make them for the sake of it.

I think Arlene is great - and I think you take everything too seriously on here. The contestants entered into this show knowing that she and Craig can be very harsh, yet truthful. They still entered into the show.

Arelene tells it as it is. Yes, she can be harsh, but normally she's speaking for the vast majority of the British public, who agree with what she says. It would be boring if all the judges complimented every celebrity, like Len does. Arlene and Craig are there for a reason - to be honest. And lets face it, whatever they say an awful lot of us at home are agreeing absolutely with them.

How boring the panel would be without Arlene and Craig. They're one of the reasons its such a popular programme.

Arlene was just telling the truth about Kate's dancing. With or without an injury Kate is a rubbish dancer - even if she was 100% fit she would still be just as bad. I'm glad Arlene put Kate in her place - she's milked that injury from day 1, and she should have pulled out if she thought it was that bad - but hey, she wanted the publicity.

Hopefully Kate will go next week, and hopefully Arlene will be her normal, honest self. That's one of the reasons we tune in.

"but normally she's speaking for the vast majority of the British public"- um...and you've got evidence of this have you, that she speaks for the vast majority of the British public? Because it sounds like your just trying use that to back up your argument...I mean, unless of course you actually do have evidence that the 'vast majority' of teh British public would admit that Arlene Phillips is a spokeswoman for their opinion...in that case - I apoligise, you don't use those kind of 'statistics' flippantly.

"With or without an injury Kate is a rubbish dancer - even if she was 100% fit she would still be just as bad" - um....how could you possibly know this? I mean, maybe you do...I would hate to simply speculate, maybe you did witness Kate dance an entire dance before her injury.

"That's one of the reasons we tune in" - and is this 'we', the royal we, the 'we' which means you and your family and friends or 'we' as in the 'vast majority of the British public'.

Can I just get one thing clear - what annoys me is not that she just attacked Kate...I don't have any particular feelings towards Kate or Anton - I like Craig and his 'honesty' because I feel he is being honest. What I don't like about Arlene is her 'one liners' - her ridiculous ridculous cringe-making delivery of what seems to be pre-planned sound bites - and her smugness at her own hilarity (and use the word 'hilarity' loosely.

She does occasionaly give good helpful critique - I'm not saying she doesn't - I just find the 'vast majority' of her stuff is cliche after cliche - her pleasure in the alliteration, her delight in anything which resembles a metaphor - and she practically orgaisms if she can use a pre-planned similie, or even...and this is where she really explodes, she can link the lyrics of the song to the dancer's performance. Its pathetic.

I have never liked the way Arlene pokes her finger at people as soon as she starts talking. It is so rude! Is she still doing that?

(I'm going to answer your question as Arlene would')

(*Poking my finger at you*) 'In one word: Yes she is'
(*Rocking back and forward in my chair*)

(Now I have to answer differently depending on your gender)

If your a man: 'That was sexy, spendid, spectacular, you are like a lion prowling the great plains of Africa, regal and sexy (?) - I'm sorry, I just lose all prespective when I hear you talk'



If your a woman: That was pointless, precocious and overly pronounced. You were like a bus lumbering down the street on route to Euston, via Lewisham. You should have been like a Giselle and you were like a heavy potato. In two words: Rubbish.

*Then waves in excitment at her pre-planned punchline* ' Your name is Mcdancing feet - it should have been Mccrappy talk.
*Looks around with enormous smile at her own genius*