i dont know if this has been brought up...which it probabaly has but im too lazy to look...

its such an unfair competition and not fair on the competitive dancers to have older celebs...

can a post 60 year old celeb really win??

i know, its just a bit of entertainment bla bla bla... but i do like competitions to be fair...

So what should they do? No have older celebs on? Or have all the celebs at 60+?

Your title of 'Not to sound ageist' just shows that you are being, and any solution to your 'problem' would be even more so.

Well, quite a few of the younger celebs are awful too. None of the older contestants make it very far though.

Well Lesley Garrett made it to the semi of series 1 at 49....

It's not supposed to be a fair competition. It's males vs females, youthful vs middle-aged, slim vs overweight, experienced vs inexperienced, busy vs 'resting', personality vs talent.......etc. It's a game opera not a sporting event.

It's just a bit of frothy, soapy entertainment underpinned by a dance contest...a contest where the winner is determined by the vagaries of a public vote and 4 judges hamming it up unashamedly and being inconsistent (granted that's partly understandable given the scoring system).

i think the age limit should be 60...

surely its more ageist to laugh at john sergeant doing the salsa...

actually i dont really mind, but they always seem to dress it up as "really competitive" between the dancers and the celebs etc...

I think Cherie Lunghi could do really well this year.

Dancing with the Stars has an 82-year-old woman this season

Cloris Leachman - who won an Oscar for the Last Picture Show way back when. Oh and they've got a 61-year-old female soap star who looks to be in great shape. Priscilla Presley at 62 was in good shape as well and made it 5 weeks. (I think it was her hideous plastic surgery not her age that did her in though - she danced pretty well)

So John's a relative baby. Still, I can't see any of them making it for long. It's a young person's show.

I think the older celebs know what they are getting themselves into when they sign up. So not really sure how it's unfair.

I am older than John Sargeant and I think he is too old - and the wrong shape - for it to be a fair contest. So in effect his partner is at a disadvantage.

That's true, Quizmike - after all it is only meant to be 'entertainment' and not the Olympics or something! My daughter and I were watching the show yesterday and she said she would like to see someone older and less athletic win (which kind of surprised me as she is only 20). I said 'yeah but it's not gonna happen is it?'. Because basically unless that person really is young or really, really fit they're just not going to have the stamina to do all that gruelling training for four months straight. I really like John Sergeant as a presenter and newsman but I admit to being more interested in the ones who are young and 'pretty'.

I quite like the idea of that the more senior have a go. John isn't expecting to go far obviously - his reasons for doing it were given by himself as it "being about time I did something ridiculous". I think as long as he has fun and is entertaining then no harm is done. Willie Thorne said he wanted to waltz and jive and managed to achieve one of those aims. I think the only people I would object to is someone like Tarby who had health problems which meant the training would be too much.

I agree that mostly the latin tends to do for the oldies but John Barnes was 60 odd and if he could have sorted out his posture problems in the ballroom he could have been a contender. He was certainly fit enough and good enough at wiggling his hips to give much younger men a run for their money - his latin was better than Kenny's who was a generation younger. I still think Cherie might surprise some people as might Gillian.

Obviously not that fit if you thought he was 60-odd.

It always annoys me when we as viewers can see that the older ones with limited dancing experience have worked realy hard to learn their routine and then come out and perform only to get roundly slated for their efforts by the panel (especially Craig and Arlene) whereas a stage school graduate with considerable experience comes out and can do no wrong.

You can't really compare the likes of David Dickinson, Dennis Taylor, Esther Rantzen, Jimmy Tarbuck or Willie Thorne to the nubile young things. It goes without saying that the younger ones are fitter, more supple, are more likely to have done some dancing, so of course they are going to be able to burn the floor in comparison to an older complete novice. Lesley G was the notable exception to the "older" camp as she was very very good - but her musicality definitely helped her (as it did with Aled in series 2)

In the early weeks the panel should be more encouraging to the newbies and possibly handicap the more experienced ones to even up the playing field.

That said - looking at the field this year, I have to agree that John is probably the hot favourite to go first, followed by Phil Daniels. It depends on how good his waltz is.... remember Willie was well up the leader board with his

John Barnes is 44!

Thanks katie I was about to correct that about John Barnes. 60????? Where on earth did that come from. There seems to be a perception that anyone over 40 is ancient and shouldn't be taking part.

What everyone seems to be forgetting is that as it's a competition, people will be knocked out from round one. Since the BBC obviously don't want the "fit" contestants (in both senses of the word!) to be knocked out straightaway, they are presumably putting some older contestants in knowing that they'll be going home anytime up to week 5 - then it becomes a real competition. I don't see anything wrong in this as it gives us a chance to see what everyone can do and who is likely to last the pace. This year it seems to be more about stamina than anything else as 14 weeks is a long time to train every day unless you're used to it. This probably means that the sports people will excel where some of the actors who might be good at dancing, won't. Much as I say every year that this is a dance competition, sadly it isn't really.

Totally agree - it's unlikely that the older contestants are going to win (though they might....) - but as you say, Craig and Arlene are unnecessarily harsh to them early on - both v nasty to Gloria Hunniford and Dennis Taylor, who were both pretty game for their age... why not be a bit more positive... reflect what they've done in their mark, certainly, but not just bitch and sneer in your comments.

Ok, I stand corrected - still mid-40's is hardly spring chicken and I speak as someone who isn't that young myself.

Most of the pros are in their 30's or over.

Me too - and she must be in her mid to late 50's. So even though the young and fit have the obvious edge, it should be possible for a reasonably fit 'senior' who has some dancing experience and artistry to do well.

Ballroom is not a problem. The oldies may have trouble with the pace of the latin like the Jive but thats up to the pro to have a routine to suit their partner.

There's an aerobics trainer in Tenerife in her 80s who could seriously run these youngsters into the ground. She is and looks amazing for her age and holds two full on hour long classes each day.

The disadvantage for the older celebs is lack of popularity, lack of fitness and co-ordination. As you age you tend to become less 'agile'. Oh and of course the lack of 'he/she's fit' appeal.

I mean it's not really to do with dance ability, is it. In the early stages. Otherwise - Kate Garroway?

And it also gets more people interested in, and involved with ballroom/latin american dancing.

I've known a couple of gentleman in their 50's and 60's who put youngers to shame too. One of them lugged heavy objects around all day that people younger than him couldn't manage and the other one is a elderly neighbour of my parents who managed to do a flip to get through the ballroom window into my parents house when they were away and me and my brother both in our twenties were way too unfilt to manage.

Isn't it sad that the date on a person's birth certificate defines some people's image of them? NEWSFLASH! We don't all crumble into a heap the day we reach 40, 50 or even 60!

None of the contestants are teenagers and the older ones look like a pretty fit bunch to me (possibly with the exception of John, bless him). I hope they all do very well and I for one will be cheering them on!