Making a joke about the Bradford and Bingley was in poor taste I thought, Its a bit close to home for me, lots of people could loose their jobs. He'll be ok though, How much does he get paid to stand there and make crappy jokes?, he also made a remark about a mature lady in the audience last night, saying she looked older than him!!! Charming. At least he hasn't said " It's live, and I wish I was dead" this year.....yet

He flogs everything to death...

Laboured use of the word "satire" last night...

Constant repetition of the I'm not doddery catchphrase (oh yes you are!)

Dredging up all the boring catchphrases from his past - we'll be having "I'm in charge" next week!

Get a new scriptwriter - the current one is carp - oh sorry - it was credited as one B Forsyth at the end of the show last night...

Why they think he is worth more per eppisode than a pro dancer is for the whole series is way beyond me. He should be paying the BBC for allowing him to appear on prime time TV these days.

But if he goes who do you replace him with?

You need someone properly 'old school' for this show. You don't need some new younger presenter jumping in. You need someone with that old time variety feel about them and hosts like that are few and far between.

Exactly. Who do you replace him with? It's got to be someone old-timey and with a real affinity for ballroom. No contemporary presenter comes to mind who could take on the job. Michael Parkinson? Michael Aspel? Dale Winton? Gloria Hunniford? I do wish Brucie would rein it in a bit though, less is more.

He should be replaced with Anton of course! Genuinely funny, much more professional & can dance a little too...

The 'doddery' jokes are wearing a bit thin now - even his jokes about the judges aren't as funny as they used to be. Sadly I think it's time for a change

Why do we need an old school presenter for SCD?

We certainly have lots of talent available to choose from and you just have to compare Brucie and his tiresome catchphrases and look at me jokes with the super slick Tom Bergeron on Dancing with the Stars, to see that the show can be presented very well by a modern presenter who doesn't feel the need to draw attention to himself all the time - and can deal with the antics of Cloris Leachman as well!.

Love him or loathe him Graham Norton is the current king of live TV (with all the ALW search for a star shows) and Terry Wogan has a great track record of live TV as well as a stint on the original Come Dancing. I think Norton would do a fabulous job winding up the judges and looking after the contestants.

I think with Graham Norton on the show would automatically lose about 2 million viewers. Terry Wogan would be a better choice but going on his recent Eurovision attempts he wouldn't be very good either.

The show is about the couples dancing.

I for one tune in to watch them go on their journey and entertain me. Bruce is the one factor that ruins the show for me with his "I'm the star of the show" attitude. He isn't - he's the link man who moves the show along, we don't need his jokes or dancing - just competence.

Check out the foreign equivalents - none of them has Brucie style presenters and are still hugely successful.

My cousin worked with him on Play Your Cards Right and said he is a wonderful, generous and thoughtful person. But even knowing this I find his presenting really irritating and find the FF function on Sky+ a Godsend . . .

I'm going back and forth between the 2 Brucie threads and have just posted that Graham would be perfect for the job on the other one! And for the reasons you've given as well as altready having a wardrobe of sparkly suits, a winning personality and an extremely professional and empathetic approach. He'd be my first choice should they retire Brucie.

It's horses for courses but, I think Anton would be an awful replacement for Bruce. Since reading the threads on this forum championing him I've placed closer attention to him on ITT and I'm sorry but, I just can't see it. When he was doing a segment about what goes on behind the scenes he was laboured and stilted. Given that his segment was edited, I thought he was nowhere near experienced enough to replace someone who has made a lifetime career out of presenting entertainment shows LIVE! If I were to throw my hat in the ring, I would go for Graham Norton, who is far more comfortable dealing with a live audience of millions on prime time TV.

For all those who are calling for the Judges, Bruce and Tess to be replaced I have one thing to say "if it aint broke, why on earth are you asking it to be fixed" Bruce, is an integral part of the show and in turn a big part of its success. He has been there since the very beginning, and makes it look so easy that people are now throwing in the names of amateurs to replace him. Yes, ANYONE can do the job when it's going well, but, how many could have handled the Mark Rampakash "microphonegate" as compentently? Yes Brucie can be a little irritating at times but, I do feel a lot of the "bashing" comes from an over-familiarity with our host.

If Anton became the host of SCD, I would stop watching.

Anyone could have handled that one!

In fact there was no need for him to stick his oar in on that occasion AT ALL!

The girl who ran on to sort it out clearly knew EXACTLY what had happened and how to fix it and was hindered in doing her job by Bruce's interference and "dancing" with her as she was trying to get off the set as quickly as possible. Mark was showing everyone the wire and trying to say what had happened and dear old Bruce rushed out and started talking over him.

it was a classic example of where he thought the show was about him, and showed in incompetence

Oh, dear! You really don't like him at all. Fair enough. However, I can remember at the time a LOT of posters saying how professional and funny he was for not leaving us "just waiting" and taking the sting out of the situation. I don't believe for one moment he thinks the show is all about him. I believe he's a professional who thinks that he's there to make things run smoothly and for the most part he does. I can understand people not finding him funny, but to say he's incompetent goes beyond the pale!

I'd rather watch paint dry than Anton taking over

Isn't the 'doddery' nonsense his way of getting back (he thinks) at the newspapers that called him that (Think it was the Express last week). One comment might have been justified, even faintly amusing, but like with everything he does, Bruce doesn't when to stop! His catch phrases died a death years ago, and have now just become cringeworthy.

I know some people who loved him in his heyday still love him, but he really has more than passed his sell-by, and should retire while he can still do so with a modicum of dignity.

Yes, it is. But by referring to it he keeps it on the agenda. It's a huge mistake.

Bizarrely, on the Beeb SCD, under cast, Brucie and Tess are listed as Key Talent
and the Judges are listed as Participant!

I agree.

I disagree with what you say about Anton - but then I would. I've really enjoyed his bits on ITT & last year he was hilarious with Kate. He's very quick off the mark with his comments - far more naturally funny than Bruce. He now presents his own show on BBC2, which may be BBC's way of giving him presenting experience.

To me Bruce is the epitome 'laboured & stilted' & I can't believe how embarassingly mediocre he is given his long TV history. The success of SCD has nothing to do with Bruce, that's for sure.

I quite like Graham Norton so I don't have a problem with him doing it - but he's done quite a bit - it would be nice to see someone new.

I accept some peeps like Bruce & fair enough - but it's incomprehensible to me.

Would Anton really give up dancing to present SCD? Although it has to be said - whilst he is all ballroomy-twinkle-of-toes, i've always felt his Latin lets him down. He did make it to the QF with Lesley G but since then, the only partner I thought he might have success with would have been Patsy palmer... and I forget where they came ... but it was then that I realised his Latin was so weak compared to some of the others.

Anyway - my ma read in the NOTW or The Sun (!) that it would be Terry taking over - perhaps he'd be better placed to do this:
1) Having done it before ... I think I vaguely remember him doing that before
2) As he's really had enough of Eurovision - it might be a little less of a controversial stage... although... with the bizarreness of the GBP voting, perhaps not
Last edited by RFS : 05-10-2008 at 18:34

nah Wogan's cynical sarcasm is just what we need at times.....

I'm afraid he MADE Eurovision for me and a lot of other viewers - I watched the ESC in Holland one year (when Lordi won )- and from the sniggers and laughter from my Dutch pals who were translating for us their presenter was just like our Tel - irreverent and cynical.

Its the political voters who take it all seriously not the rest of us

He is just embarrassing!! He spoils it for me too- and yes my mum also mutes the TV every time he's on, something Im considering. I thought last night he was dreadful, he spoilt Shakepeare, he cracked bad taste jokes which he then tried to pass off as satire and apart from anything else, isnt it about time somebody at the beeb told him and the director THE SHOW IS NOT ABOUT BRUCE!!!! I dont think Wogan would be an better, why do the powers that be think we need OLD BLOOD, lets have some NEW BLOOD!!
I love the dancing, its just a shame about Bruce!!

I agree with your comment about new blood. That's exactly what we need when he decides it's time to hang up his wig.