Is Strictly going to go the same way as Auction, Makeover and Property programmes and bore us with overkill?

IMO 16 couples is too many, and the show run is two or three weeks too long. If it is to sustain interest over the years, then it needs to leave you wanting more at the end of the series.

What do others think?

You mean they're going to auction off the dancers and give the judges a makeover?

I'll give you a fiver for Tess. I need a new shop dummy.

Any advance on a fiver? Going, going....sold to the bloke in the brown hoodie loitering at the back

I don't think it's a great comparison. Strictly is one example (the best IMO) of the celebreality talent contest genre...and you seem to be comparing it to several quite different genres of RTV in their entirety.

I think it is pushing it to extend the series to 14-15 weeks and there are adverse knock-on effects...but the format remains very sound. The qualifying rounds are a bit pointless and phoney but ultimately it doesn't really detract all that much.

I think the success of the show last night will only encourage them. Let's just hope it doesn't get any bigger!

I'm with dancealong on this. I think it's just got a bit too big, 4 weeks of boys only and girls only was too much and I've found it difficult to engage with the various couples because there are too many of them.

Also, when they finally got it down to 12 couples, the programme was an hour and a half long. By the time I'd seen the last dance I'd forgotten the first.

It's just like Big Brother, you stop caring about individuals when there are still 8 people left in the final week and you can't remember the names of the 80 or so who were evicted ahead of them.

I do think 16 is stretching the seams without ruining the format, but I do agree that 12 or 14 would have been more sensible.

The bigger the better as far as I'm concerned

well they have 18million going spare to spend now of course.

I've posted this rather simple and reasonable idea in other threads - if the series is judged to be to long with 16 couples, then why not just miss the first four programmes. that way you start when there's only 12 couples (as it used to be) and you miss the boy/girl/boy/girl knockout as well (just how it used to be).

The bonus being that those who actually like the show with 16 couples can still carry on enjoying it, whilst those that prefer the 12 couples can enjoy it as well.

Too many couples....I would LOVE IT if they all danced a latin and a ballroom over the first two weeks and then someone left rather then boy, girl, boy, girl.

Less Len, Tess and Bruce.

Results on Saturday night.

Less Len, Tess and Bruce.

No MORE cliches....Brendan flirting etc.

Less Len, Tess and Bruce.

Overvalued!! The noise (that funny whining) and maintenance costs would kill you!

JJ

Of course this is a logical solution, but if you like the show (which I do) then it would take a huge amount of restraint not to watch it if it was there. I just feel that 'familiarity breeds comtempt' - and that would be a pity.

I accept the point made that this show is different from the ones I cited, but the above cliche can apply to anything from a favourite food to a partner.

It's like having a block of chocolate in the cupboard, you know that you shouldn't, but you know that you want to ....

No, they haven't, yet anyway (ignoring that any programmes lost have to be replaced with something else anyway)

Nobody in television understands the concept of "less is more" these days. I'd say you were absolutely right but I doubt the powers that be would admit it. Producers work on the principle that if some of a thing is good then twice as much, for twice as long must be twice as good. They seem to think that they've got to chuck programmes, plots and personalities in our face over and over again because we're either too thick or too lazy to get the point otherwise. It's somewhat insulting...

Any advance on 16 celebs and pros, could be 18 or 20 next year

I like the extra couples - if only if it means there are more results programs which means more pro dances! And some of the group dances they did in the first few weeks were amazing - some for the wrong reasons!!!

Exactly!!