Strictly Come Dancing '24 Thread 1 : Who will be our celebs and Pros?

[EineReiseDurchDieZeit]

Starting a new SCD thread for chat prior to the series as the last is about to fill.

These threads are usually helmed by @PolkadotsAndMoonbeams and I normally deputise, but I haven't seen her around in a while

This thread will discuss who has been chosen for the show, but not who has been paired with who as that's a spoiler for the first show.

This is a NO SPOILER thread

Get Ready To KEEP DANCING.

should Zara have said no to been spat and kicked ?

Interesting interview with Victoria Pendleton - her father and British Cycling both sound terrible. They don't go into her fairly terrible Strictly run though - I don't know whether that's because she didn't want to discuss it or because the interview was done before this all kicked off. It gives a bit of background as to why she came across so brittle on the show though.
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/article/2024/jul/22/bullied-belittled-but-indisputably-brilliant-how-victoria-pendleton-survived-everything-and-became-a-cycling-legend

And yet Will won medals in Tokyo - was that after his time on Strictly?

I don't understand what you mean ? Yes he won medals in Tokyo what has that to do with Strictly.

Of course not @Mrsjayy but they're entirely different things unless you're saying he was spat & kicked to make him do the jump?

Because part of his complaint against the show was that it left him with a horrific injury that he’ll never get over, and that it warranted compensation for loss of earnings, which confused me given that he was able to win Olympic medals after it happened.

This whole thing is really making me reassess the sunny/sparkly view of Strictly. I remember back in 2020 feeling like Strictly really lifted the mood of the nation in the endless lockdowns and it breaks my heart that its now completely proved to be false.

I personally think that a lot of this is the pros being scapegoated for bad decisions from the producers. Each year, the level of dancing has lifted - having non-dancers have to compete against west end performers means that pros have to pressure their celebs to go far above their comfort levels/abilities (e.g. that dangerous lift that Ellie did that nearly went wrong). The pressure to train 12-14 hours a day, and the absolute pressure that each dance has to be reaching 9s and 10s as early as week 3 is ridiculous.

I do think the majority of the pros have taught in the way that they were taught, without realising those methods are in fact abusive and not acceptable. Again, this comes back to production not allowing a duty of care to pros and celebs. Of course, nothing ever justifies screaming, kicking, spitting - but how much pressure was put on the pros due to production decisions? There's clearly been a culture where complaining wasn't allowed, or complaints not taken seriously - again that's the fault of the producers.

I'm genuinely stunned how much the pros were left on their own with the celebs. For dances like the rhuma/Argentine tango there should always have been an 'intimacy coach' of sorts, simply for the fact that the purpose of the dance was pretty much to simulate a desire for sex - the amount of times lifts would have someone's face between their legs shows the need for a bloomin' chaperone. It shouldn't have taken these enquiries for that to mandated, especially when some of the younger female contestants have been in their late teens/early 20s. (not to disregard the older female contestants as well)

Well you can have some medical trauma experience from operations and broken bones I mean whether it's worth sueing or not is up to the individual don't diminish his experience because he managed to play at the paralympics and win that's something to congratulate not drag him down. I can't work out if the attitude is because he's disabled or a man or maybe both !

I'm talking about the pressure on him to perform to entertain of course it isn't physically violent like Zara that isn't what I meant, but we are talking about pressure put on celebs to perform and please the pro and viewers.

Who was the female pro? I really can't imagine any female pro being abusive.

Katya is reputed to be very tough.

Will got silver in 2021.
One could argue he would have taken gold if he hadn't needed the operation the year before.
No, nobody made him jump, but there would have been the pressure to perform, compete and repeat - and create Wow! moments. He blames production for that.
I personally think any contestant sustaining an injury has a right to compensation for the injury and for loss of earnings and the BBC ought to have liability insurance for that.

Female pro could be any one of Erin, Ola, Oti, Katya or Karen tbh.
Erin was named Miss Whiplash. Ola had to deny claims of driving Steve and his fused ankle too hard. Oti and Katya both used contraptions iirc but that could have just been VT hype. Karen hisses a lot and there was rumour at the time of Will Young, that he was also being pushed too hard.

The only pro I'd be surprised at complaints about teaching method would be Tristan or Amy.

Yet Katya has remained in touch and on good terms with all her partners (except for Seann I assume), as she mentioned in her interview on ITT a couple of years ago.
I think she's tough but fair.

I follow Katya on SM, and one of the things she mentioned during her partnership with Nigel was that they pack a hard day's work until 5pm, and he is free to go.

She mentioned that she wanted him to enjoy the experience and not be stressed over getting a flekerl right.

I don’t understand your last sentence. What attitude? I was simply wondering how to reconcile the life-changing injury with winning Olympic medals which is a reasonable thing to wonder - I’m not sure how you’ve turned it into something about his sex or his disability 🤨

I absolutely don’t condone any form of abusive behaviour, but I’m struggling (and forgive me if I’ve misunderstood any posts) to see how using a broomstick as a posture aid (providing of course that it’s not causing physical pain) can be considered inappropriate. It’s a pretty common method to use.

Could you let us know more about Craigs view of the Leila Rouass issue? I haven't read his book, but would be interested to know what it is.

As the days go on and stories increase, it's hard to see how the show will recover from the damage to its reputation

All the camaraderie in the Clauditorium is ringing false now and it will be hard for an audience to "buy" that it isn't false from now on.

I don't know what they will do, like yesterday with Joe Biden it feels like the build up to an announcement.

They are going to have to announce cultural changes not just chaperones.

I agree @EineReiseDurchDieZeit Every time a celebrity turns to their pro with tears in their eyes and says "I just didn't want to let this one down" I'm going to think Why? Are they worried they'll get shouted at when the cameras stop rolling? Also all the "we'll be best friends for life" stuff we'll now know is rubbish they just feel they have to say. It's definitely taken the shine off it.

The BBC are going to have to find something else for their Saturday night prime slot autumn viewing.

Most celebs do seem to have got on well with their pro and quite a few have come out to say their pro was great/had the patience of a saint, etc. The main problem is with the producers. They've treated some celebs shabbily, played favourites and created a culture where people felt they couldn't complain or would be punished if they did. The pros are basically on notice that if they don't make an impression with the audience then they will lose their job which leads to a climate of risky routines and frustration if they are paired with someone who is a bad dancer. I think it is the producers who need an overhaul.

Part of the issue with this whole shambles is the way the tabloids are reporting it. It would be interesting to know how many people have actually made complaints versus how much the press are looking/digging for old issues, iyswim.
Eg Daily Fail is persistently bringing up anything at all that makes an interesting headline. Even when it's clearly something that isn't really an issue or was sorted at the time. But so many people read the headline but not the article and believe the implications

Re not feeling able to complain or make a fuss - in some cases that might be the reason, but there is probably also the feeling of how lucky you are to be here and, eg, ooh look how well Annabel and Jo are getting on - am I imaging that I'm being treated badly, or is everyone going through the same as I am? Will I just look like a whinger?

Also, looking at how Amanda and Zara have been treated by middle-aged/older women on social media is absolutely shocking. They've received death threats etc, and Amanda has come off social media completely as a result. That is terrifying, and Zara already hinted that was part of the reason she didn't speak up at the time.
It feels like we've taken many steps back, as long as a handsome Italian is on the opposing side.

@ReadyTeddy1000

That's definitely the case with Georgina Bousova and James Jordan. It was covered at the time and was basically James trying to make a name for himself as a Bad Boy of Strictly, but it's been dragged up again for the sake of adding fuel to recent allegations

The pros are basically on notice that if they don't make an impression with the audience then they will lose their job which leads to a climate of risky routines and frustration if they are paired with someone who is a bad dancer. I think it is the producers who need an overhaul.

I agree @EsmaCannonball

The pros must find it hugely unfair to be given the same pressure to make an impression, when they have someone who is a mid-ranking duffer (i.e. someone who isn't so bad, not a comedy contestant, and not a contender)

To know that their job is at risk if they don't raise their profile must put them under huge pressure. I wonder if giving them 3 year contracts would negate some of that issue?

Someone like Graziano for example, always had poor/low ability people. His excuse for mistreating Zara was piss poor - he couldn't be competitive with her because she simply didn't have that ability. Yet he would have been given the same pressure to succeed as Nikitta, who was dancing with an actual West End Pro.

Katya seems to be the only one who could take the duffers and turn them into semi-decent dancers. But I do worry that she might be next in line for the media target. We all know how shouty she can be.

Ultimately, as I said earlier, I think the producers have a lot to answer for and can't hide behind the pros on this shitshow.