About time they replace Camilla, Karen, Erin, Anton du Beke.

Good job they axed Nicola Cutler.

This series for me has got the best celeb line-up yet.

There are three new pro dancers this year, so they have changed it a bit. As for changing the rest, I'm not a particular fan of any of the names you mentioned, but I still don't think it would be a great idea. They all have fans, and that brings in viewers.

Also you sometimes notice with new pros that they take a while before their choreography hits the right balance between being demanding for the celeb and being enjoyable to watch. So it probably does the show a favour that the majority of pros each year have done at least one previous series.

I like the fact that after the celeb names were leaked, we all waited impatiently to hear which pro each celeb had been paired with. This won't have happened if there had been a large scale pro dancer cull, but I'm pleased there are new pros as the show needs to avoid becoming stale. I wouldn't have picked Brian Fortuna so I'm keen to see why TPTB went for him.

I'd hate it if the pros become so famous or notorious that the majority of voters start (or stop) voting for their partnerships regardless of the celeb they're with, with Kate Garraway/Fiona Phillips type celebs winning. Once that starts happening I think a rotating system (like on DWTS) should be introduced and every pro rested after 2 consecutive series.

Agree on that, hopefully we are not there yet though!

You see I'm kinda with Paso with the rotating thing, but I really like the pros and its taken me awhile to like some of them and if they suddenly go I'd have to find some new enthusiasm for the new pros... Thats probably just me but I think in the end even the most ardent of fan will know when its time to stop voting for their fav pro just because you like them and realise their partner isn't good enough to win the competition.

I dunno, I just don't like the thought of finding out next year that all the pros I've grown to love have been totally axed.

I actually voted for Dom up to week four last year, because Lilia is my favourite pro and they were doing ok... couldn't quite bring myself to do it in week five though! He wasn't really the worst that week, but it was time for him to go.

Series one was actually the worst case of a duffer getting to the final, and that was when all the pros were new!

Everyone has their own opinion on this.

I certainly don't agree with you about Nicole. She is probably the most talented dancer of all the female pros and a lovely lovely lady.

Dropping Nicole was a really daft decision, I think most people who care about the show agree on that.

Yes I couldn't believe they'd dropped Nicole, totally wrong decision and I felt bad for her.

I never really voted for Fiona Phillips even though I love Brendan. I voted week one but that was it. If I voted after that I made sure I threw in 5 or six more votes to someone else aswell.

Fiona seemed to me to be about a sympathy vote though, or why would people suddenly have stopped voting the minute she wasn't painfully bad?

I thought Nicole herself didn't want to commit to it as she was getting married round about now .....

No, the BBC dropped her. One FM had the information from her direct, and there was also the NOTW article a few weeks ago.

Quote: I thought Nicole herself didn't want to commit to it as she was getting married round about now .....


No that was a rumour put on Kristina's blog. There has been no confirmation of that from Nicole.

For the majority of the viewing public I don't think the pros and their personalities figure in to it too much, even those who have been there since the start. The focus is still on the celebs.

With something like 2million watching ITT that leaves an awful lot of people who only watch the Saturday night show and therefore get far less of all the behind the scenes business which is what really introduces us to the pros.

glad I'm in a majority - I don't really care much for the celebs - I never know them anyway - until the show, but i do care for the pros, and would hate to loose some mentioned in the original post.

I was hoping they would change some of the judges. I like Craig, but they could loose any two from Len, Arlene or Bruno.

I don't think the show would be the same without Len ( he is almost the backbone of the judges) but yeah I agree a fresh face on the panel would be nice...

I predict that Karen maybe one of the next faces we see on the judging panel in the next series or two???

Have you got a bloody death wish on this forum or something?

Have you got nothing better to do with your time than come on here and slag off five of the most popular dancers on the show? Some people astound me.

I'd like to see Phillip on the main judging panel actually, I enjoyed his redbutton commentary.

I think the BBC are likely to keep Brendan, Camilla, Anton and Erin for as long as they can, I mean they're probably the pros to thank for making SCD as successful as it is.

But he's so boring - and his teeth need fixing too! He's appalling on ITT. Keep him to the red button commentary where we can't see him

Haha, I quite like his opinions though, to me he seems pretty spot on.

If he's no oil painting..neither is Arlene

Why not just give PJ a vote that is added on at the end of the four stooges scores? He doesn't actually need to be on-screen, does he? It might even help to restrain the excesses of the others

Great idea Stu...tend to agree a lot with PJ comments, would like him on the panel too Laura but if not possible a vote would be good and a nice extra addition to the show

I think the freshening up of the pro dancers is also a good idea...meaning what they have done this year... I wouldn't look to bring in any more new pro's next year.

Did anyone see step up to the plate today? I thought Anton was looking very tired, etc?