I've actually complained to the BBC because I found Len and Bruno to be the least professional and respectful - they talk over the other judges all the time and are extremely rude to their colleagues in general a lot of the time. Harsh comments are part and parcel of the cocktail that makes up strictly, along with overblown hyperbole, overmarking, and praise.

Craig and Arlene both find things to praise in dances, and for a 'technical judge' Len reacts emotionally to an awful lot of dances (Rachel's Jive for instance, it didn't wow me either, but he could have found a technical criticism rather than a general thing like that.)

I find that an awful lot of the time Craig will balance his comments with praise. And honestly, with some of the dancing, I'd have even less nice things to say than Craig.

If you want rainbows and unicorns blown up the arses of your celebrities, you send them on a talkshow, not a competition that is judged. Even if it is light entertainment, the judging is PART of the entertainment.

IMO Craig is the only decent judge who tells it like it is....if he goes, whats the point....

I think James Jordan had a good point when he said this was turning into the John Sergeant show

So what did you complain about. The way the judges talk to the contestants, or the way the judges talk to each other?

BBC top brass are anxiously waiting for the viewing figures in 4 days time. Was the 20% ratings surge due to happy customers, or due to fury followed by indifference and switchoff?

The answer in 4 days.

AXED, maybe just sack them it's less bloody!

Precisely.

I think some on here should work for the tabloids themselves with such adept skills at taking a quote out of context and turning it on it's head...

What Len actually said was that he could not criticise others for their technical failings and then ignore John's due to his age. He shouldn't get an easier ride just because he was older.

While I do think their comments were too much on JS (Not so much what they said, the malice you could feel when they said it) I wouldn't like to see either go as I think they're both better judges than Bruno!

I have a funny feeling that this is sadly played up for the cameras, quite possibly encouraged by the producers. SCD can really do without it, even if some viewers seem to lap it up on other programmes (X-Factor anyone?)


Very true. And sometimes harsh comments are part of life (which is not all soft and fluffy).


Yes, you really have yo listen to all that he says, as he generally does balance a comment with some praise or at least a hint as to what was being done wrong or how it could be improved. I rarely dresses up him comments to make then sweeter. A spade is a spade is a spade.


Probably one of the most sensible things that has been posted in a long time.

I think it's interesting that they now seem to have the Axe swinging above their heads ready to strike at the next false move... I don't think they should be too worried personally, I don't think Axing them is an answer to the problem, people have different opinions and takes on things all the time, are they gonna' axe everyone who doesn't agree with someone else?
I think it's really childish how the Beeb are now apparently gonna' be "watching/keeping an eye" on them until the end of the series...if you believe everything you read in papers anyway

As I see it, any "axe" is held by the Mail, and not the BBC.

With Craig you at least know why he gave the marks he did. Others have a go at him for being negativistic, while they loved the performance, but then mark it 8 or 9. So something was wrong and they did not give the dancer a chance to improve on that. Craig's criticism is obviously harder to take, but at least he gives some pointers how to improve.

That can be put on Saturday nights when families like to watch and be entertained. The boring old dance contest can be relagated as it was years ago to Thursday half eleven.

If we had another two such as Len and Bruno it would be too bland and the scores would always be on the high side.
Craig should be kept to balance these two, not sure about Arlene.
Len and Bruno are OK, BUT they try to keep well in with the public and this produces the overmarking that they are famous for amongst dancing teachers.
If they do remove any judge who would take their place?

Donny Burns!

They should keep Craig but Arlene is dreadful. I can't stand her shrill voice.

"A poor dancer should step aside for a better dancer," said the Righteous Four, WOW.

"A poor judge should step aside for a better judge" -- like 15 times latin World Champion Donny.

Spot on. I never buy any of the tabloids because I know there is a lot of rubbish in there and they are all about their own agendas rather than news, but that doesn't mean that everything is made up. Anonymous sources can often mean that a 'journalist' has just made it up, and that may well be the case here, but it is also perfectly plausible that someone from within the BBC has leaked this story to the Mail to suit their own agenda. It happens all the time in politics. Sources close to the minister often means that the minister has told one of his team to tell the press. Of course believing everything you read in the tabloids is incredibly naive, but saying that everything in them is a lie is equally naive.

I was about to say that !

I say let's have a vote !

Yeah - cos expressing our opinion of the show by voting has always worked so well for us in the past, hasn't it...?

I vote the papers go and find some genuine news.

Very sceptical about this article!

I do think John was a ratings winner in a series which lacked characters, but Arlene and Craig cannot be held solely accountable for a demise in viewing figures.

I never had an issue with their acid-tongued remarks following John's performances, it's the constant campaigning the pair of them did away from the show to try and get John out that troubled me. As judges, that represented a conflict of interest and because they singled John out, it bordered on bullying.

I agree with this, hiawatha.

Craig is my favourite judge simply because he is almost always consistent and his marks match his comments - his criticisms can be nasty but there's almost always some constructive criticism for anyone he considers capable of improvement. I've been liking Bruno this series too, having previously felt him to be a lightweight on the panel, I actually think he's kept the balance this season when the other judges (and some contestants) have been taking it all a little too seriously. He was by far the least wound up and aggressive of the panel about the whole JS saga and he seems to stick just to the judging on a Saturday night - unlike the other 3 who are always spouting to the media and cropping up on ITT. Bruno has also consistently marked a little lower than Len this series and seems less inclined than before to dish out '10's on a whim (remember Kelly and Brendan's AS for example?)

Len's reputation for balance and fairness is for me outweighed by his random rudeness to various contestants and fellow judges. He can be very unpleasant yet likes to portray himself as a mister niceguy. And I find some of his 'humour' pretty excrutiating. Wouldn't be sorry to see him replaced but it ain't going to happen.

Arlene seems like the most expendable of the judges. I think she can be exceptionally crass in some of her comments and she seems to me totally lacking in any sense of humour. An obvious replacement would be Karen Hardy, who I believe is going to be quitting the show after this series (?) I know Karen has a strong 'marmite' factor, but she is a professional judge, very knowledgeable and would also bring a competitor's eye view to the judging process.

I don't know if I am now in the minority (and I don't read the Mail) but I would be quite happy to keep the judges we have now. I don't mind them being critical, negative, sarcastic, grumpy, inconsistent or irritating during the show, because that is what they are employed to do.

What I do object to is the judges appearing on other TV and radio programmes, deliberately trying to influence the popular vote. That is way beyond their remit and shows a contempt for the very audience that has made them TV stars in the first place (or so they would like to think of themselves).

I hope the outpouring of passion on this board over the past weeks might help the judges to come down to earth a bit and realise they they are just one part of an enterprise invoving millions of people - and not even the most important part. They are easily replaced, but we, the audience are not.
Last edited by Bunthorne : 25-11-2008 at 13:46

I think the bbc should offer all the judges a new contract for next year....with a 50% pay cut....well, if they love it, as much as they say they do, they will be willing to do it for less.......

I would be glad to see the back of Arlene