Is SCD becoming a victim of its own success?
Are the public getting bored with the same old formula?
Does there need to be a big shake up?
What should the shake up be?

Musing to myself over my breakfast cornflakes a little earlier, I have come to the very very sad conclusion that SCD might be approaching its sell-by date. There are definite symptoms of it being over-ripe:

1. media-stoking / frenzy over non-stories (the JS debacle being a case in point)
2. ludicrous and erratic over-marking by the judges
3. increasingly pantomime behaviour - judges talking over one another, face pulling, (I'd say Brendan's strops, but let's face it nothing new there)
4. endless repeats of the same tired lines recycled year on year
5. Claudia the caricature rather than refreshingly kooky on ITT (has she had a personality transplant from Davina McCall?)
6. Terrible spin offs and general media/tabloid band-wagon jumping - a single? FFS!
7. Plethora of vaguely desperate, career 'celebrities' who are increasingly media savvy about manipulating 'human interest' stories and their persona and more and more who haven't really achieved anything to write home about.
8. Blatant BBC plugging of its own stable of competitors (don't get me wrong, I liked Christine. I would happily have Matthew Cutler's children. But it does seem a little biased for The One Show effectively to plug two competitors for 30 minutes every night at prime time.)
9. The whole SCD tour thing :sleep:
10. The huge popularity of Brian Fortuna and Kristina R. - who have been new and refreshing.
11. The rather sweaty smell of producers / presenters / judges / competitors trying to flog enthusiasm for a slightly limping, if far from dead horse.

Thoughts? No spoilers or whinging about the demise or otherwise of individual celebrities please !

Gawd, yes.

Get rid of Bruce and Tess.
Get rid of Len, Bruno and Arlene.

Less training footage.
A ban on "Love you - love you too - you are the best thing in the world..." shtick.

An informative look at dance. Real pros giving mini-masterclasses. Demonstrate different steps. Not Len and Claudia.

Fewer couples.

ITT is way OTT. Have a Wednesday and a Friday only.
Fewer recaps.
Fewer schoolkids on it.
Less schmaltz.

The list is endless. Unless they get some really interesting people on next time then I shan't be watching.

I feel it is getting tired and the biggest mistake the BBC made this year was increasing the amount of couples. I feel now that it has gone on for too long, considering DWTS started the same week it finished a couple of weeks ago and SCD still has another 2 weeks to run.

I think the BBC should forget about trying to run as long as X Factor reduce the couples stick only to the 5 ballroom and 5 latin dances reduce the run time of the show - they also need to shake up the format a littlle

Come on, its not THAT bad. The problem is (as some of the points made by the OP reflect ) the BBC executives/producers just dont follow the old maxim of " if it ain't broke, dont fix it ". If a programme is wildly successful they just have to keep pushing the envelope. Perhaps it's just time for them to take a step back and remember the original formula that attracted those millions of viewers.

[quote=ESPIONdansant;29313018]Gawd, yes.

Get rid of Bruce and Tess.
Get rid of Len, Bruno and Arlene.

Less training footage.
A ban on "Love you - love you too - you are the best thing in the world..." shtick.

An informative look at dance. Real pros giving mini-masterclasses. Demonstrate different steps. Not Len and Claudia.

Fewer couples.

ITT is way OTT. Have a Wednesday and a Friday only.
Fewer recaps.
Fewer schoolkids on it.
Less schmaltz.

We are of one mind. Love the pros idea. Think they grossly underuse the pros and over use Len the guru (hurl) on ITT.
Much though I baulked at the obvious BBC 'sell to the US by hiring in a US dancer' initially, I think Brian was excellent - incisive, interesting, intelligent, engaging and unfailingly polite. Ian Waite was also a pleasure to watch.

The only other addition I was say would be BAN JOHN BARROWMAN and the rent a face / plug my pantomime mob.

Dropping viewers agree with you:


(from http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/a1376...tly-knock.html, although I don't know how this compares with last year, but surely the figures should be rising at this point regardless)


I agree with your whole list, but especially this bit.

Yes, scrap the "Here I am to promote my new album" crowd. Lame and embarrassing.

Bette Midler and Tom Jones. That'll be you.
Oh, not to forget the Barrowman (pretty boy but ...) and (strangled cat-time) Beyoncé.