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Get Arlene back now.

- James, Dundee, 01/12/2009 13:43
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The only way I can now watch SCD is to record it and fast forward through Alesha Dixon. She does not have the knowledge or experience to be a judge. She is too full of her own self importance - she must go.

- Chris Kilgallon, Merseyside, 10/11/2009 19:46
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Get rid of the arrogant airhead Alesha, she has ruined what was once a good show.

- B Glover, Sheffield, YORKSHIRE, 13/10/2009 20:41
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Arlene Phillips was NOT the choreographer of the hapless Pan's People - she was the choreographer of Hot Gossip who were fantastic. Bring back Arlene to Strictly - Alesha may be lovely but she's just not up to it. Agree with other comments about the show falling flat. Very disappointing

- Liz, Brentford, England, 30/09/2009 16:33
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I have always been a fan of SDC but whole heartedly agree that Bruce and Tess should go. I was under the impression that he told viewers last year that this was going to be his last, pity it wasn't!. As for Dixon, she has absolutely no technical knowhow at all and should never have been given the role. Please bring back Arlene as I do not know if I shall bother watching any further episodes.

- Sue Hearne, Doncaster England, 22/09/2009 12:45
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The Beeb need to learn a very "simples" lesson - if it ain't broke don't fix it. The new format is worse than the demise of Arlene. Leave well alone and the ratings will stay good. Why would people tune out because it's the same - humans are creatures of habit.

- Melanie, milton keynes, bucks, 22/09/2009 11:09
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Some people say give her a chance she will learn !!! Have we got to wait for five , ten or howmany years for her to gain the expertise. Bring back Arlene ( if she would ever agree to do it after this farce).

- John, liverpool, 21/09/2009 23:18
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I'm boycotting SCD after the Arlene treatment. I caught the end of it. The whole thing has gone flat. And yes, bring back Steve Rider. How Gary Lineker got to be anchorman is one of the great mysteries of our time. Gormless is the only word.

- Carole Woddis, London, 21/09/2009 16:56
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Get her out of the show ASAP not a judge material !! may be she should get back on the floor.

- Nayeshrao Pitla, London, 21/09/2009 16:55
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Those saying that they are never watching the show again were obviously never fans of the show. No fan watches the show for the judges but for the dancing, the public gets the vote in the end anyway.
I remember last year when everyone was saying that Arlene should go after all her rude and unnecessary comments about JS. I for one thought Alesha did a great job on her first outing and is sure to get better. This is an entertainment show it's not some life altering thing. I wish people were this passionate about things that actually affect lives. Let's stop all this childishness and focus on the whole point of the show which is the dancing. Enough already with the pointless complaints.

- Diana, London, 21/09/2009 16:41
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I thought the whole show was boring, banal and as camp as a row of tents.
two of the judges want to outdo each other as gay icons and brucie quite frankly is embarrassing. The silly old buffoon is clearly ga ga, he was about as funny as bowel cancer and nearly as painful. Half of the "celebrities" are virtual unknowns, certainly Z list at best.
How Ms Hingis got voted out I don't know, Calzaghe and Rav stomped around like a couple of bouncers at chucking out time and Linda Bellingham looked like a lame hippo in a frock.
On the plus side, speaking as a middle aged man, the female dancers are quite fit!

- Kerry, Purley, 21/09/2009 16:25
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Well done to Alesha on her first week as a judge on Strictly! Its her first show for crying out loud and I am sure she will be ultra -brilliant by the end of the series! She may not be able to judge on technical stuff aswell as the others by my god that girl can give an accurate judgement on performance and being a former contestant she knows how difficult it is! Alesha keep doing what you're doing girl! You are fab-u-lous!!!!

- Rita Tsoukka, London, 21/09/2009 16:21
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I don't know what all the fuss is about, really it is not as if the BBC hasn't got 'previous' for placing novices in front of the camaera on a flagship show.

After all I would like 2 know what qualifications Gary Lineker has/had to enable him to become the 'Anchorman' for Major Golf coverage, MOTD and Sports Personality Of the Year.

Oh it must b all those Walkers Crisps ads he makes (which makes him the 'Housewives Favourite'!!

Golden (Wonder) boy, Lineker took ages to loosen up in front of the camera and he still is not a patch on Steve Rider!!

Give Aleesha time and she will improve.

- P-Jay, Northampton, England, 21/09/2009 15:20
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Well done Chris AW for simultaneously patronising and insulting Alesha Dixon.

Horwood is just towing the party line. More than once, when following Dixon commentary, he opened with a cutting remark, a la, "listen to this, because I do know what I am talking about".

So, is she being replaced by Darcy Bussell when the quarter-finals arrive, and if so, is that a tacit recognition by the produecrs that they need a bit more gravitas when things get just a little bit more serious?

- Escobar Alop-Lop, Camden County, 21/09/2009 15:03
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Please, please, please, please, please ... not Patrick Kielty! Maybe best to keep Brucie after all .........

- Paul, London, 21/09/2009 14:07
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Alesha is not there for her pretty face, she's there to judge a dancing competition, i wont watch it anymore boring boring, miss the banter from Arlene and others, BRING BACK ARLENE PLEASE.

- Annie, croydon, 21/09/2009 14:07
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Why on earth should she have this opportunity on the basis of winning one "competition"?? As others have said, there are other so-called fresh faces with ability by the bucket-load who would be far better than this pathetic excuse. Stick to prancing around half-naked, Alesha, it's clearly more your forte than making constructive comments about dance technique.

- Anon, England, 21/09/2009 14:06
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Ms Dixon was buttock-clenchingly awful. We shall no longer watch SCD, especially as the "celebrities" are anything but, they are just people who may vaguely have been heard of by a few.

- Tinkerbelle, London, 21/09/2009 13:45
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Give poor Alesha a break. Everyone has to start somewhere, she worked her way up to win strictly and now think she deserves to be given the chance to build on her judging skills. I used to be a dancer, its not as easy as it looks and its definately a great talent. She knows exactly how the competitors are feeling! Good luck Alesha

- Debbie, London, 21/09/2009 13:20
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If anyone's past it it's Forsyth. Show him and Dixon the door, and instruct the other darlings to moderate their claws-out comments.

- Ted, London, 21/09/2009 12:57
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Love him we may but I agree with another correspondent who says Brucie should go. His jokes on Friday and Saturday were banal and embarrassing. Give someone else the gig e.g. Patrick Kielty. As for Alesha ..... if they wanted someone fresh surely there is a young dance choreographer out there with more expertise. Karen Hardy would have been perfect. I'm not sure if I will stay the course this year. It's a drag already.

- Lorna Stewart, London W1, 21/09/2009 12:55
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Baroness Scotland would make a good judge. All gas and gaiters.

- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 21/09/2009 12:50
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It's amazing that people get so steamed up about a meaningless tv show.
This one has been done to death and should have been allowed to die two years ago.

- George, Cambridge UK, 21/09/2009 12:45
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Hadn't thought of it before but yes what a brilliant solution, bin Brucie and Tess and have Anton and Alesha presenting. And bring Arlene back (or any other professional dancer/choreographer - Erin? who must be due to get kicked off soon being the wrong side of 30). I always thought Arlenes soundbites were really annoying anyway but at least she knew what she was on about.

- Katy, Inverness, 21/09/2009 12:30
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The blame rests with the BBC producers who just wanted a "pretty face" on the panel they failed to understand that the viewers expect the judges to have "some" knowledge of dance.

- Mike M, Bedford England, 21/09/2009 12:29
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I have been a devotee of Strictly but no longer. It is just same old, same old. Get rid of the pros, ALL the judges and the presenters - geriatric Bruce and gabbling Tess. BRING IN SOME FRESH FACES. The dancing is absolutely abysmal. Come back Karen Hardy you were the best.

- Sylvia Peel, bournemouth, 21/09/2009 12:10
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Arlene brought experience as a choreographer in world-class musical theatre which none of the other judges can match. The producer who thought it would be a clever idea to fire her should be shot.

- Bloke, Lambeth, 21/09/2009 12:10
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We have watched Strictly from its first shows. If Alesha is kept on as a judge (lovely a personality as she is) we will be switching it off to another programme. You have made a huge mistake BBC by taking Arlene away - her comments were true and factual. Alesha cannot have a clue poor thing and we feel positivley embarrassed for her. PLEASE BRING BACK ARLENE BEFORE YOU LOSE MORE VIEWERS.

- Nigel And Jane, Wareham, Dorset., 21/09/2009 11:59
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WHOEVER DECIDED THAT ALESHA DIXON WOULD BE A BETTER PROSPECT FOR THE SHOW THAN ARLENE PHILLIPS SHOULD BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY FOR THE CLUELESS IDIOT THAT THEY ARE. HOW CAN A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE BE REPLACED BY A PRETTY AIR-HEAD!..IT IS RUINING THE SHOW..HER USELESS , CLUELESS AND BANAL COMMENTS ARE SPOILING THE SHOW!

- Charles, LONDON ENGLAND, 21/09/2009 11:56
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I remember when I was young watching Top of the Pops with my friends, and we couldn't wait until Pans People/Legs and Co came on so we could see who would go wrong that week. These were professional dancers who constantly made mistakes and their routines were never anything brilliant. They were quite basic for professional dancers. Who was the choreographer - Arlene Phillips. Yet she had the audacity to criticise sports people, and celebs who have never danced, as if they were professionals. She was also very biased in her comments - someone like Mark Ramprakash who she found pleasing to the eye would never have got a bad remark, yet last year sometimes she was a bit brutal to Rachel Stevens, was it jealousy because she was young and pretty?
Give Alesha as chance.

- E Sullivan, London, 21/09/2009 11:53
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People don't like change, its as simple as that. Nice fresh face and someone who has gone through was the competitors are going through. I thought she did well and all praise to Craig RH for his support of her. Attacking her is a form of bullying which should stop!

- Bob, London, 21/09/2009 11:46
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Give the girl a break! What is really needed is to dump Brucie .. his jokes aren't funny the 1st time, and more often than not he fluffs the delivery so badly he has to tell them twice.

- Paul, London, 21/09/2009 11:29
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Alesha is lovely looking but her comments are boring & irrelevant. Her arrival has changed the balance of the judging panel...for the worst. A bad decision by the BBC!

- Brian Church, London, 21/09/2009 11:24
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It’s not the judging that needs revamping, but the BBC. The BBC in its usual way after the success of its first airing sort to dumb the program down with the thought it would gain a wider audience.

The judging has always been flawed, is it being judged for the ability to dance or the ability to entertain – so in reality does it matter who judges.

As someone has already said Anton DuBeck & Alesha Dixon as presenters would add some sparkle to the presentation, as that is the weak point.

As a viewer the ridiculous clapping by the audience to a different beat to the orchestra always manages to destroy any of the dances. Which of the 2 rhythms are the dancers supposed to be performing too.

- Ian, Reading, England, 21/09/2009 11:20
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watched in Friday, never again, felt embarrased, Alesha was awful

- Heather Whitehead, Plymouth England, 21/09/2009 11:05
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Alesha is attractive and personable but completely out of her depth here. But why should anyone be surprised - she was just a 'learner' when she won the competition, so how can she now be an 'expert'? I guess that her manager or agent should have dissuaded her from taking this role but it's entirely the fault of the BBC's executives who have a tendency to replace experts in their field with well-known personalities or, so called, celebs who know little or nothing about the subject. (Clive Anderson, reading woodenly from an autocue at The Proms, comes to mind). The result was that this weekend's Strictly was far less compelling viewing. Crazy.

- John, Richmond UK, 21/09/2009 11:03
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Banal is the word for the programme not the judges.

- Bj, London, 21/09/2009 10:53
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Congrats to the BBC for having the gumption for adding a bit of'colour' shall we say to the judging panels of these shows. It seems you have to have a pigmentation deficiency to be a judge. Give Alesha a break it's not as if she had Arlene bumped off to take her seat on the panel. You'll grow in confidence in Alesha - just don't forget to breathe slow! Deep breath now.

- Chris Aw, london, 21/09/2009 10:51
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I don't really care who judges 'Strictly' so long as it adds to the entertainment/interest value of the show but, having watched both interminable segments this weekend, it's obvious the BBC have made a big mistake. Not only were her comments vague and vacuous but they were too obviously coached by Bruno Tonioli. Watch any dance back and you can see him explaining things to her as the camera pans past. I'll probably stick with it to see the other eight entrants but if things don't buck up won't bother after that - pity!

- Kj, London, 21/09/2009 10:46
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Easy solution to improving Strictly. Arlene back.

Anton duBeck & Alesha Dixon as the presenters. Both dancers singers and general entertainers.

Instant upgrade to all parts of the programme.

Mattew Cutler to take over from DuBeck in competition.

Simples... as the meerkat would say.

- Lambo, essex, 21/09/2009 10:45
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Arlene Phillips may have had greater technical expertise than Alesha Dixon but this programme is light entertainment, not specialist dancing show. The remaining guests have more than enough knowledge and experience of the technical aspects of dance to compensate for Alesha. She brings other qualities to the show and should be given a chance to show them.
This show is not just about the panel, the public are also involved and past events have shown the panel to be out of step with the audience.
The cruel and harsh comments made in the past by Arlene Phillips, particularly towards John Serjeant, may be part of the reason the BBC decided she was no longer required!

- Manny Goldstein, London, England, 21/09/2009 10:40
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Please please replace Alisha Dixon - she has absolutely no go about her - she may be able to dance but judge she definately cannot. Bring back Arlene Philips.
Thankyou

- Mackie, Attleborough Norfolk, 21/09/2009 10:24
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Why change something that was great already, the old cast of judges had a raport which was great to watch. Now you have a person with very little technical knowledge, it's about juding the dancing, period.

- Viper, Kent, 21/09/2009 09:58
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We were told that the programme needed a new injection of life to it.

What we got is a young woman, admittedly with a lovely sunny disposition, floundering all over the place.

I feel sorry for the position she has been put in by some overpaid BBC Exec or other, who tried to justifiy their self importance, by tinkering with something that wasn't broken.

Bring back Arlene, I say. Or are we going to go through another scandel, where the BBC dig their heals in, only to capitulate at a later date.

Admit you are human and made a mistake.

- Charles, Kennington, 21/09/2009 09:29
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Give her a chance she's only had one week, now bring back Arlene.!!

- Mr S.Port, London, 21/09/2009 09:20
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