I usually avoid television programmes with 'Celebrity' or 'Stars' in the title. The one exception is the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, which brings a bit of old-fashioned glamour to our screens to cheer the dismal November evenings. It is also one of the few shows in which the participants do not hide behind their celebrity. They work really hard at a punishing schedule to acquire new skills and I really admire their commitment.The current series has been spoiled for me by the 'John Sergeant factor'. It didn't matter in the early stages that the viewers showed their appreciation for his attempts to master a few basic dance steps; those who lost their places would have been going out sooner rather than later anyway. Now, however, the competition is getting to a serious stage, with people who have invested a great deal of time, effort and emotion into reaching a very high standard having to compete for a place against the might of Facebook. For John Sergeant has become a cult figure.
As a political correspondent, John Sergeant must know that the public is very fickle. The people who are voting for him are probably just doing the great British cocking of a snook at anyone in authority, in this case the judges. Hopefully, they will soon get bored but just imagine if they don't and he ends up winning the competition! Who will his friends be then? And the last example of light entertainment will be gone from our screens because it would undoubtedly be the end of Strictly come Dancing.
John Sergeant is a kind of sweet, pooh-bear figure, who needed to be gone by week three! The girls and I LOVE Strictly...it would be a real shame if he does win.
ReplyDeleteIt has become a bit of a nonsense, hasn't it, M? I was very sorry to see Cherie Lunghi leaving the show, not least because she was proving to be such an inspiration to older women (she's 56) - in a way that someone like Madonna could never be! She's a terrific dancer and it is ludicrous that she has gone and JS is still there.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, of course, it's only a programme and we shouldn't take any of it too seriously but this series has, albeit unwittingly, revealed what happens when the mob rules . . .
Or maybe it's just the BBC tinkering with the figures to create controversy, thereby guaranteeing maximum interest, viewing figures and publicity. After all, we now know about some of the dirty tricks that television companies and programmes, including the BBC, have employed re audience participation. Who could forget Blue Peter's fall from grace?!
(PS For Dulce D: I watch it with the dogs; I think they enjoy it almost as much as I do.)
It was all quite amusing at first, wasn't it? But I can't see how it can end without a lot of embarrassment for John Sergeant and a total loss of credibility for the show.
ReplyDeleteI am not quite so cynical as to think it was set up by the Beeb, D, but I do wonder how they select contenders in the first place!
Oh I do so agree. Something similar happened with Julian Clary a few series ago, but I'm finding this quite painful (while remembering of course that it's only a bit of telly), but I was extremely sorry to see Cherie being booted off the show last week (and she's a wonderful inspiration to those of us who are still a few years behind her, too) and that Lisa was in the dance-off was a travesty also. I do appreciate it's not JS's 'fault', but his absence at the hug-in at the end of last week's show was noticable, and his performance on tonight's 'it takes two' (yes, I'm afraid the family watches that as well, but I blame my daughters!) was rather awkward to watch. On the other hand, we all know that such spats are brilliant for ratings and I wonder sometimes how much the judges are hamming it up on the outrage front for the added entertainment value. Maybe it IS all a fix. That's the trouble with all telly these days - it makes one soooo cynical!
ReplyDeleteWell, J, whether it is all a cynical Beeb ploy to boost ratings or 'just a laugh' it has certainly got the nation talking about something other than the credit crunch.
ReplyDeleteI bet it is one of the few programmes you can enjoy with your girls, just like Dulce D. I hope it survives.
Yes, but M, I bet you have not voted once. Unless it is a BBC vote-fixing stunt, there is only one way to change the outcome, and it costs money. Most of the more discerning fans do not want to be involved in the more tacky side of the show - the popular vote. That is why JS is doing so well.
ReplyDeleteYou probably have something there, MM. I don't vote but your father and brother, who don't watch the programme, are full of opinions and probably phoning in repeatedly!
ReplyDeleteSee what you've done to the poor man. It wasn't his fault he was popular.
ReplyDeleteWell, well, Brit, so it was all a BBC set-up after all. There was I feeling sorry for the poor little man and he was in on it all the time. I must develop a stronger sense of cynicism.
ReplyDeleteDeadpan humo(u)r and nicely done. I'd have voted him too.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible it wasn't a setup, just that nobody anticipated the effect on viewers.
I think we have all been involved in a little deadpan humour, e. And we mustn't forget that John Sergeant was a comedian before he was a political correspondent and he has timed his exit perfectly.
ReplyDeleteNige has a nice take on Sergeant-gate.
ReplyDelete