Amanda Abbington and Strictly.

Phew, I got so hot and bothered to day that I not only forgot Strictly but also LWS in Dublin which I just assumed would be Sunday.

I always used to joke when I was younger that I would miss the revolution because I would be late. Seems that I haven't improved over the decades.

But I can now go and watch Strictly on catch up and study the rules for next week!

Amanda was looking very good in the group dance 👍

Hopefully the trans extremists will start protesting as they have done recently about Roisin Murphy & Graham L. Just look what that has done for their sales 😁

No voting tonight as it was just the "here are the celebrities and here are their partners" episode. Maybe next week?
You can vote online on the website.

Honestly I am so disorganised. I totally forget this started tonight.

And dont know the rules.

Is it to late to vote and if not how do I do it?

I'm sure AA was brilliant. Have been watching an old series called Case Histories and she's in it. Hard to believe she was also Miss Mardle in Mr Selfridge.

Excellent! 😂

Seriously now, he says he's a journalist but who does he work for (assuming he has a job)? Because he's on Twitter all day long. If I spent the amount of time on Twitter that he does I wouldn't be able to hold a job 🤷🏻‍♀️

I agree with this. I'd only add that presenters etc sometimes have the advantage of being a face people recognise and feel they 'know' and like (especially if they're on a trusted news programme or something like The One Show). And of being the plucky underdog, which British audiences seem to love!

The 'dance experience' thing is a red herring and just whipped up by the media every year to get sales and clicks. People who are technically the best (Ashley Pussycat Doll, Alexandra Burke etc) almost never win; the voting audience can spot a ringer and tend to want to support those with less directly applicable experience when it comes down to it.

@Boiledbeetle come quick ☝

A series of haiku inspired by IW's outrage about fridge magnets -

Women are allowed
An adult human female
fridge magnet, you bam.

Scouring a 'gram post
For thoughtcrime material.
That's just fucking sad.

Just leave her alone
She's already 'repented'.
It's never enough.

Maybe IW was offended by the coffee percolator. All things are possible in IW World.

She’s also got a rainbow flag on there. Is IW offended by that too?

You would have thought that IW would get off Twitter or X or whatever and do some proper work.

Always interesting to see whose companies have failed to submit their accounts on time.

I have that postcard on my fridge too, and one in my living room window.
Thank you KJK for sending them out free with sticker/t-shirt/badge orders.

The comments - so if you believe a woman is an adult female then you must automatically hate not only TW but also gay men and lesbians

How the fuck does that make sense in their teeny hate filled brains?

It's a Woman: Adult Human Female postcard. Oh my god the provocations!!!! How will India ever recover???

I blocked on twitter , what does it say?

IW must have such an empty life.

Top Terfing from Amanda's fridge, today (Adult Human Female fridge magnet spotted by India, who isn't happy):
https://twitter.com/IndiaWilloughby/status/1691732012330029476

Pity she’s being made to repent but anyone in show biz who doesn’t fall in line here are either thick or brave. It’s a career killer and I thought maybe she had fuck you money after breaking up with Freeman but if they were never married I’m assuming she’s as gig to gig as most actors.

That said I can’t imagine most Strictly viewers giving a toss so I hope she comes across well and goes a long way. Would keep me in clown tears for a while

Completely agree.

I hope Amanda is good but even if not, I'll be voting for her!

This.
I'm a huge SCD fan anyway, watch every year and get really into it, always go to the tour too.
I'll still vote for my favourite, but of my three free votes, they'll go to Amanda.

The thing is that ballroom and Latin dances are really different to other forms of dance. Being a ballet dancer is a help but doesn't necessarily mean you'll get your head around a Charleston or a paso doble.

Being an athlete like the sportspeople that take part is an advantage because they can cope with the physical demands of training. Being a musician has an advantage because it makes it easier for them to follow the music and notice the rhythms. Being an actor has an advantage because they can perform and sell the act to the audience.

The ones who really struggle, unless they have natural talent, are the presenters, the politicians, etc. as they don't have any obvious transferable skills. It's also partly a popularity contest - the best dancers often don't win the whole thing due to the public vote being given priority over the judges scores.

I just asked about previous dance experience as I dont watch Strictly, and had somehow assumed that was what it was about.

To show that with some training most, if not all, people could learn to dance.

So not only am I going to have to learn the rules of voting, I probably need to learn the rules of the show.

I hope the judges are fair!

Ah right, thanks!

@risefromyourgrave sge was never a pro but did ballet as a child/teen and was also a presenter on Come Dancing, as well as the infamous Morecombe & Wise sketch!