So Jason Gardiner's unbelievable conduct towards Todd Carty has earned him a ticking-off from ITV bosses, plus complaints from viewers. And rightly so.

Thirty years ago, it was an unwritten rule of television that judges on competition shows would always treat participants - be they celebrities or members of the public - with respect. Getting personal or resorting to offensive comments, as we saw from Gardiner last night, would have been enough to end that judge's TV career, as TV chef Fanny Cradock found to her cost back in 1976. For those who don't know, Cradock's downfall was set in stone with her encounter with Devon housewife Gwen Troake, winner of a catering competition. Cradock picked to pieces every aspect of Mrs Troake's menu on national TV, leaving Mrs Troake in tears and Cradock never presenting another TV show.

Fast forward 33 years, however, and that sort of respect has gone out the window. Fanny Cradock would now be rewarded with "golden handcuffs" contracts and bigger pay cheques for her actions. No TV competition is complete without a judge who'll do a hatchet job on the participants, be that Simon Cowell (his treatment of Emma Chawner on The X Factor really churned my stomach), Craig Revel Horwood or Jason Gardiner. Could it be to do with the fact that the last ten years have seen an influx of young "meeja" graduates to the television industry, many of whom are now in senior positions? A lot of these pram-faced executives may well have been bullied at school and are now using their power to get back at the world - think about it.

I am genuinely alarmed at the amount of support on DS for Jason Gardiner's actions in relation to Todd Carty. The issue here is not Todd's skating abilities (it's understandable why comparisons are being made to John Sergeant; Todd himself warned people not to expect an Olympic performance) but Gardiner serves little purpose on the judging panel if all he does is continually downmark contestants and not offer any CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. This is why Ruthie Henshall does not get as much vilification; despite her tough marking, she does at least want to help and is always respectful.

Todd Carty made his name in a series which spent many years showing the psychological effects of playground bullying. Something which, sadly, is an even bigger problem in schools today; what message does it send out to children when they see figures like Anne Robinson, Cowell and Gardiner on their TV screens verbally assassinating people?

ITV1 maintains its dubious reputation as "the channel for bullies" with its continued employment of Jeremy Kyle, Cowell and Gardiner. But Todd's stoicism will win him far more friends than Gardiner; for him it's all a bit of fun and he doesn't care how far he'll get in Dancing On Ice. And he looks set to survive future votes, as a public statement against Gardiner's bullying.

Sorry but I had to get that off my chest.

You're absolutely right.

Again, judges seem to have forgotten that it is meant to be family entertainment. Harsh constructive criticism, whilst somtimes difficult for the skaters to face, is part of the show. However, I think Jason just said it for effect. He is frequently no longer the judge giving the lowest scores, so probably wanted to raise his profile.

What a sad, pathetic attempt to do so!

It's 2009 now. TV has changed. The vewing public has a massive influence on how TV is now. If they don't like it, they switch over.

Have a cup of tea and two Neurofen

I have to say that I'm only twenty three and I find behaviour like that terrible. I happen to think that respect is not something to be earned but the starting point for everyone. It doesn't make good TV to see Jason rip someone to pieces. I watch for the dancing and the skating, not because of what some fame hungry judge says. To be honest the only judge's opinion I like to listen to is Robin's. Top man.

Simon Cowell is often blamed for starting this culture of nastiness on telly. To be honest, I think Cowell's brand of straight talking is probably justified, given the nature of his shows; he is looking for someone who can cut it in a viciously unforgiving business and doesn't need anyone who has neither the talent, looks or personality (both in terms of charisma and obedience) to make it under his auspices. Telling some girl she really can't sing when she really can't is going to make her cry for a while, but it'll save her several years of wasting her time trying to be a star without any hope of success.

However, celebrity reality show judges who make cutting comments are really just doing it to raise their own profiles and nobody else's. Fair enough if, like Craig Revel Horwood or Richard Park, they mix their cattiness up with a bit of constructive help for the poor soul in question, but there are some who are just plain cruel for the sake of it - and I'm sorry to say Jason probably was in that category last night.

In an age where the whole spectrum of human behaviour can be shown on TV and nobody has to be a robot, we should expect shows that bring out the worse side of human nature, a luxury that didn't exist for Fanny C. Still, there's a place for viciousness and denigration, and telling someone they skate like they've crapped themselves probably isn't it.

cheers, I feel much better now

The problem I have is that I like all of it except Jason Gardiner's self-aggrandizing verbal diarrhoea. What should I do?

Gardiner's website is typical of his opinionated style. He jokes that he was "born a mouth and a body grew around it".

That wouldn't have been the body part I thought he'd grown himself around.

Nice one!

Jason goes from one extreme to the other. He only tends to like the ones who can dance. He loves people like Ray, Suzanne, Bonnie, Lisa etc who's body lines are perfect and who move flawlessly. Those are the contestants that he's constantly praising and telling us to vote for them. Then the rest he does his best to make sure the public knows how much he dislikes them. Jason should beware though. Greg was fabulous last year and got to the semi's. All I can say is keep your chin up Todd.

When you are an attention seeking nobody, crass and outrageous behaviour is the usual way of rapidly satisfying your own deep filled lust for the spotlight.

Unfortunately the brain was rejected at birth.

Indeed. How many of us would have the foggiest idea who Jason Gardiner was if it weren't for this programme?

Tony Hatch was doing it years ago on New Faces!

I think the problem is, that following the antics of the panel on SCD, he has been briefed to be contentious and contraversial. Unfortunately he isn't very bright, clever or articulate and can only be downright offensive. It seems to be the fashion these days, that judges have to be bigger than the show. Such a shame because back in the 50's and 60's they were polite and gave constructive criticism suitable to be viewed by the whole family. I feel so sorry for Tod's kids who have to go to school today and face the ridicule

Not to mention Gilbert Harding on What's My Line in the 1950's

Yet again people are pulling up their skirts and hiding their eyes in shock.................sure!

Jason's description re Todd was accurate last night, and all this "mock shock" every single year on DS is just becoming boring.

Some people won't be happy until the world is utterly anodyne. This is celebs on an entertainment show: they all know what the show is like and will have all heard much worse. It is a bit pathetic to keep whining on about this.

I've been waiting for the Hatchet Man to enter this debate. There certainly were some very well-publicised instances of Mr Hatch having to be escorted out of the ATV studios via the back door to avoid confrontations with those he'd upset; but if you look back probably the most uncalled for thing he did was to mention that a child singer was losing her audience appeal because she was becoming a teenager, accompanied by reactionary shot of said girl's face.

What Simon Cowell does with his hopefuls these days is a world away. The way he treated teenager Emma Chawner and her family; all of them morbidly obese to the point where they "waddled" rather than walked (I feel I'm little better than Cowell having to use such descriptions) and Emma herself who so obviously didn't have any singing ability; was repulsive. As the family walked into the judging room, the sig tune to The Flumps was played. The family would have signed away their right to prevent broadcast of Emma's audition before getting anywhere near the audition queue. And this is what made it so depressing; here was a girl who clearly had limited intelligence yet was so desperate to raise her own self-esteem she honestly believed she stood a chance at going on The X Factor.

Simon Cowell has no scruples whatsoever about how he treats his contestants; he's a man of incredible wealth and legal muscle who uses that to get whatever (or whoever) he wants. He knows he'll come out smelling of roses every Christmas because that year's performing puppet will make him a nice little earner. Yet, if the papers are to be believed, Cowell comes over as a child-like coward; cowering in his luxury hotel bathroom and screaming down the phone to security when confronted by disgruntled X-Factor hopefuls.

I thought he gave a contestant zero points once, as well. Remember some sort of media outcry about it - but only hazily obviously as I was very young

and Nina Myskow as well on the new New Faces. I meant more in terms of today's reality TV, but it goes to show that those kind of people are always remembered for their evil.

Oh, I'm not shocked and I wouldn't want everything to be pink and fluffy either. I just prefer judges to do a bit of judging and try to improve things for their victims, rather than spouting bile to keep themselves in the spotlight. As you'd have worked out, had you bothered to read before chipping in.

Assuming that a call for a little less self-indulgence and a little more constructive help is a desire for everything to be 'nice' is equally pathetic on your part.

One of the characteristics of the English (or Brits if you prefer) I had to get used to when I first came over here was their habit of hiding their real feelings about everything.

'How nice' they'd say, with a bright cheesy smile, and then they'd run off and slate you, TV, politicians, bad restaurants and Lord know what else behind your/their backs.

They'll rarely confront their object of hate. They'd rather tear them to shreds anonymously, behind the net curtains.

I like Cowell, Revell-Horwod, Jason and his ilk for their brutal honesty. It's refreshing. You know where you stand. Show business is tough and merciless. If you can handle it don't do it.

And if you can't handle reality TV and mouthy judges don't watch. Thing is, the public love it and most of us find it funny.

I never watch BB or I'm A Sleb. I find them moronic and tasteless. I don't whinge about them either.

I have a choice. I switch over. Save your energy and your ire for things that matter.

Think about it? I think you're thinking far too much. I highly doubt any more thought is put into it than "this is entertaining, let's put it in the show", no hidden, deeper meanings. And if there was, it would lie with Jason, not tv execs I'm sure.

Also I don't think it's at all true that he offers no constructive criticism. I'm neither a Jason fan or otherwise, but he DOES comment on their skill, dancing, skating, performance, and sometimes quite well I feel. Even with people he dislikes, like Steve Backley last year. It's just it all gets buried in the "nasty" comments, which sometimes are simply harsh truths. He doesn't always get it right, but he's not useless.


More's the pity, though just as many people will keep Todd in for "entertainment factor" regardless of comments. Do people really pick up the phone and think, 'right, I'm putting Todd through to get back at Jason'? I highly doubt it! Admittedly though, bad comments toward someone do help them, but not necessarily as a "statement" against Jason's bullying.

Oh and all this stuff over what he said to Todd, it's hardly new is it? In fact is it even the worst thing? I'm SURE there's been a hell of a lot worse in past years. Didn't Kay Burley get some pretty bad stick? And many others too.

There are situations where yes, people need a good talking to, equally there as situations which aren't so clear cut and require delicate handling. I prefer to define what you refer to us Brits "hiding their real feelings" as showing tact and diplomacy.


To me this matters a great deal, hence why I raised the issue.

Honesty is absolutely fine. Honesty in the 'you look like you've crapped yourself' variety is something I can do without. All Jason had to say was 'you look like you're waddling, not skating'.

When Simon Cowell tells someone they can't sing, I applaud it. When Craig Revel Horwood tells someone their dancing is dull, I applaud it - especially as he goes on to give a list of ways the celeb in question could stop being dull.

But when Jason Gardiner mistakes being rude for being funny and then sits back with a smug smile on his face, I only want to thump him for spending his time thinking about how much good this show's doing HIM.

Bugger the poor people who are supposed to be entertaining him, this is the JG Show as far as he's concerned and the skating - and indeed the celebrities - are an encumbrance he could do without. The media is only interested in what he has to say for 12 weeks of the year, so he feels the need to spend as much time being 'controversial' as possible before sliding back into obscurity again.