Strictly Done Dancing …or is he?
Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 by Rob Brown
So John Sergeant has quit the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing after a barrage of complaints from the show’s judges. It’s not something that I would usually find too troublesome as I’m not an avid viewer but the BBC has got it badly wrong here. Strictly Come Dancing isn’t a genuine competition (it’s not even a genuine name - but the bastard offspring of ’Come Dancing’ and the film ‘Strictly Ballroom’).
Shows like this rely on votes. The voting, and therefore paying public have said quite clearly that they want to watch Sergeant strut his stuff. This is Saturday night entertainment not an exercise in ballroom excellence. Hounding John off the programme isn’t what the audience wants and they will say so loud and clear - cue national campaign of outrage through the media and on the web. This kind of approach is also so outdated. In a web 2.0 world where the audience can talk back it is no longer acceptable to treat their wishes with contempt.
Judge Arlene Phillips said: “I’m always sad if a contestant leaves of choice, because you are always expecting to let the public vote them in or out - but John is his own person and he has his own reasons for doing this.” Oh, come on Arlene.
Unless of course this is all just a brilliant publicity stunt in the classic showbiz mould. Sergeant leaves, public outcry ensues and Sergeant waltzes back on to the show to dance his way to victory. Stay tuned.
