Strictly Come Dancing--am I on my own here?

Like I say, the BBC are rubbing this particular baloon for all it's worth.

JPaxman much involved, and fair enough, he's a mate.

"So, Bryan Adams, What do you make of all this" The One Show, etc....

You'd think that JPax would do the decent thing and step into Sergeant's shoes on Saturday...

(either that or get Tom Paulin or Paul Morley Out Of Newsnight Review...)

A heck of a lot of 'old folk' who do the tea dances and are actually less good than JS, voting for one of their own not in a spirit of irony, but in a spirit of 'he's enjoying it like we are, and is not young and 'attractive' but old and happy. i.e. a spirit of occupying the same spirit as they do.

I was at an 80th birthday party the weekend before Strictly started and the chatter was all about Sergeant, very much along the "he's one of us" lines.

Just to keep things shipshape:

Correction 20 November 2008: An earlier version of this story wrongly stated that the money raised from calls to Strictly Come Dancing goes to Children in Need.

Since January 2008, the BBC no longer gives money raised by phone votes to charity. The money raised by Strictly Come Dancing phone votes pays for running the phone vote system itself. No money goes to Children in Need. Rules were changed after last year's phone votes scandals.

"have every intention of reimbursing people" does not necessarily equal "going to refund every caller's charges."

Anyway, let's stop Children In Need now. Fuck all use to the children in need in Haringey, wasn't it?

The star also gave his opinion on John Sergeant's exit from Strictly Come Dancing.

"He's fallen on his sword for the good of the nation," he said.

"He knows why he's done that and hopefully it's positive."

The star in question then mentioned that he's going to film a movie version of his cancelled US series, and went on to say " yerrr, we're going to get actual gorillas to film it, yeahrrrr."

It's Ant 'n' Dec and the Blue Peter cat all over again:

A cabinet minister has called for the judges of Strictly Come Dancing to be sacked following John Sergeant's decision to quit the BBC One show.

Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy said the the ex-journalist's dance performances had been "entertainment and good fun"

...

"The fact is the judges don't know what this programme is all about."

I thought it was all about judging which celebrity was the best dancer?

I thought politics was about running the country, not watching fucking television programmes.

I want a blanket ban on politicians making any comments on popular culture.

I don't want politicians to be my friend. I want politicians to govern this fucking country properly, to be remote, elitist, in charge.

but they would give itall up to go on Strictly! Or be the guitarist in The Wedding Present! or,or, ...

Then they should be sacked. There's a fucking recession on and my taxes should be paying for them to sort it out, not piss about with a guitar.

Big tearjerkin' speeches. Nicely timed to play just after TV Burp finished on ITV.

I don't think Jim Murphy was being entirely serious. I think politicians have a right to get involved if there is a question of licence-fee-payers getting fucked over in some way by a public service broadcaster, but no-one's saying or talking about it like that, they are all "lol he is a bad dancer". So fucking what, he's popular. Was everyone whinging when utterly shite Chris Parker got to the final a few years ago? Let go already.

Anyway, the dancing. Rachel is really REALLY boring. Fear for Jodie and Christine this week, but would laugh very hard indeed if Austin ends up in the dance-off. It'll be one of those three v Lisa anyway, because it appears no-one likes her very much except me.

Poor Jodie.

And so now, La Bleakley becomes the one to worry about for the rest. I'm gonna stick my neck out and say Lisa vs. Tom next week.

Bleakley should have gone this week and would have gone if it hadn't been for that stupid staged judges' tiff. Next week, and probably up against Lisa again (or maybe Austin since people are realising just how boring he is).

OK, now Lisa's up the right end of the scoreboard, Christine must be going this week. The interesting thing will be to see whether it's Tom or Rachel joining her in the dance-off.

It was, probably rightly, Christine and Rachel in the dance off and, absolutely rightly, Christine has gone.

Estelle didn't seem to know where she was either.

^ proper OMGWTF telly, that.

Bye bye Austin then? I'm thinking an Austin v Rachel dance-off this week.

Providing Chambers isn't bottom of the leaderboard next week, I think he's won this.

It was Austin vs Lisanbrendan and the former lost.

Lisanbrendan to go next since they are essentially unlovable.

Tom just earned maximum "stupid cock" points from me for that ultra-"I fancy myself I do" jump and slide.

Chambers came bottom. Chambers has, officially, blown it.

Good. I hope Lisa wins, simply because Rachel's partner is a cock as well. It's a twisted set of circumstances where Brendan seems like a normal, likeable person.

Odd thing - just saw the ad for the SCD Live!!! Tour - Tom and Rachel are on it. Lisa isn't.

Doesn't matter, Tom's still out. Even if he comes top of the voting, he's still in the dance-off against someone who got 39 or someone who got 40. Hmmm.

I'm guessing Lisa's not doing the tour because she has a real job.

Even if he comes top of the voting

In that eventuality, I will be popping down to Hell to get some ice for my drink...

he's been top of the voting every week so far, I think. He must have been top last week at any rate.

So... I don't exactly understand what's happened just there?

Assuming what's happened: they realised a little too late this situation meant that Our Tom mathematically couldn't escape dance-off, so all votes for him were basically pointless, so... phone vote scandal! Again! YAY!

Yes, that's it. Presumably working it out for themselves was beyond the general public.

These showdance people are freaky.

They're WORLD CHAMPIONS at... I am not sure. But they're good enough that they don't have to perform with Dave Arch's Fantastic Orchestra And His Wonderful Singers.

Ah - SHOWDANCE! Freestyle!

World champion at being quite light and getting thrown around a lot!

Johnny Vegas is SAT RIGHT THERE and YOU ARE TALKING TO MATT DAWSON INSTEAD FFS

"18 stone of idiot... and Johnny Vegas sitting behind..."

JUNE WHITFIELD?

JUNE WHITFIELD??

JUNE WHITFIELD???

"All four couples could have achieved being champions"

Aw, I love June Whitfield.

(sorry, I just hate these interviews they have for the results shows)

But possibly not as much as I hate "And All That Jazz"...

"carried over to next week" WTF? oh right...

WHAT?

Hmmmm.

OK, Chambers has won, we can pretty much call that now, yes?

effing shambles

Tom's votes will be quite down though, I'm guessing a few of his fans didn't bother their arses this week because it was pointless.