Strictly Come Dancing lose out to X Factor

[Teddy Bear]

I must say I've never watched the programme, nor likely to. However I do know there has been quite a few of the public recently who have been critical of the BBC, first for ditching older dancing expert Arlene Phillips in favour of younger Alesha Dixon, and then for scheduling the programme to appear at the same time as independant TV's X Factor. It had previously been shown at a different time making it possible for viewers to watch both, instead of forced to make a choice.
Bear in mind it's totally unnecessary for the BBC to try and compete with the independant's, especially as that's not its remit. But with its typical poor judgement it tried it on, and got bit in the ass for doing so. The ratings showed that audience figures were down, and they also received thousands of complaints from viewers highly disappointed with the choice of Alesha Dixon.

Think about the hundreds of thousands of pounds that those who make these poor decisions receive. Little wonder the BBC would never make it in the real world.

In true blinkard style after being questioned following the show they responded: In a hasty statement the channel said: 'We're pleased at how fantastically well Alesha was received for her debut on Strictly Come Dancing and delighted that so many people tuned in and enjoyed the show.'

Strictly Come Dancing: Thousands complain about 'nice but rubbish' Alesha Dixon, as X Factor wins ratings battle
By Lizzie Smith
Last updated at 3:53 PM on 20th September 2009
The BBC's attempts to revamp Strictly Come Dancing by recruiting Alesha Dixon as a judge appear to have backfired - with thousands of complaints flooding in.
Fans of the show claim the former champion is 'nice but rubbish at judging' and should never have been chosen to replace dancing expert Arlene Phillips.
They are now calling on the channel to ditch the singer and reinstate Arlene, whose departure tied the corporation up in a fierce ageism debate.
And in a double blow for the BBC Strictly was beaten in the ratings by the X Factor, which attracted 2 million more viewers as the shows went head to head.

The appointment of Alesha, who commentators agree was brought in to 'sex up' the show, angered many.
After she made her debut on Friday night viewers rushed to slate her performance on MailOnline. And more than 2,500 used the BBC's own Strictly fan site to rubbish Alesha's performance.

Many complained that her comments added little to their understanding of the dancing process, saying she was more cheerleader than judge.
Rachel in Northampton wrote: 'Alesha is a lovely girl but I don't like her as a judge - in a show like this a judge needs to be able to comment on technique, not just saying "I know how you feel".'
On the panel: Alesha with fellow judges Craig Revel Horwood, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli
Dennis in Richmond agreed: 'Arlene was missed. New girl, giggly and fluffy, but didn't add any real content.'

Fans complained that Alesha, who won the show in 2007, showed her lack of experience in her comments.
She said to Oxo mum Lynda Bellingham: 'One word. Fierce.'

And athlete Jade Johnson was told: 'You both look great together. I'm looking forward to your Latin.'
Alesha was also criticised for giving many of the dancers similar advice.

She advised Rav Wilding: 'It was a bit odd with the arms,' while Martina Hingis was told: 'You need to work on your arms more. For me they were a bit flyaway.'
And she mentioned arms again when she told Jade: 'Your arms were a bit throwaway.'

Now fans are keen to persuade the BBC to 'bring back Arlene'.
Lucy in Newcastle said a petition should be started: 'One of the great things about Strictly Come Dancing has been the previous credibility of the judging panel.

And Debbie in Middlesbrough wrote: 'Alesha had no dancing experience to properly critique the performances. All she could say was 'use your acting skills' 'lower your shoulders' but usually, 'I thought you were really good.'

'Unless she improves, then I fear it was a big mistake firing Arlene.'
But the BBC is backing Alesha.
In a hasty statement the channel said: 'We're pleased at how fantastically well Alesha was received for her debut on Strictly Come Dancing and delighted that so many people tuned in and enjoyed the show.'

1000's of complaints, lower ratings, and they're 'pleased'.

[Teddy Bear]

Despite thousands of complaints that came to the BBC before they aired Strictly Come Dancing at the same time as X Factor, the BBC decided to ignore them and continue with their competitive programming. Now they realise that they lost this head to head, the Trust's chairman admits " that 'in principle' the BBC should not focus on fighting ITV for viewers, but 'on the quality and impact of its programmes, not just audience share'.

So how come they did it in the first place?

BBC 'should not schedule Strictly as the same time as X Factor', admits Trust's chairman
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 1:51 PM on 22nd September 2009
The BBC should not focus on competing for ratings and lost viewers by broadcasting Strictly Come Dancing head to head with The X Factor, the Trust's chairman has said.

BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said that 'in principle' the BBC should not focus on fighting ITV for viewers, but 'on the quality and impact of its programmes, not just audience share'.

He also acknowledged that the clash between the two shows had not seen the BBC coming out on top.

'Viewers were asked to make a choice between the programmes and that choice didn't go in favour of the BBC,' he told the The Times.
The BBC scheduled the programme to directly compete with The X Factor on ITV
Sir Michael said the scheduling was discussed at the top levels with the corporation's director-general, Mark Thompson, who is thought to have satisfied trustees that it was not easy to avoid a clash.

The two hit shows were up against each other for an hour on Saturday night and The X Factor drew an audience of around two million more viewers than Strictly.

The X Factor, which ran from 8pm to 9.15pm on Saturday, hit a peak audience of 10.7 million compared with a peak of 8.7 million for Strictly, which aired between 7.25pm and 9.05pm.

But the ITV show's ratings were down by almost 1.5 million because of the clash.
ITV had previously asked the BBC to move Strictly forward by 15 minutes to 7pm to minimise the clash.

Last week, shadow culture secretary Jeremy Hunt backed viewers upset by the decision to schedule the shows at the same time, describing it as 'an extraordinary decision which will disappoint thousands of licence fee-payers'.

The BBC Trust said scheduling is a matter for the BBC executive and not for the corporation's governing body.
Sir Michael's comments came as the BBC revealed nearly 300 people had complained about Alesha Dixon's debut as a judge on Strictly.

This brought the number of complaints to 4 , 107 since it was announced the 30-year-old would replace Arlene Phillips, 66.

Fans have used online forums to moan about Dixon, saying her comments were 'banal' and that she had nothing to offer.

The singer, who won Strictly in 2007, has defended herself but admitted she was 'wounded' by the backlash.

She said: 'I'm the only judge who understands what the celebrities are going through.' its ratings were down by almost 1.5 million because of the clash.