Alesha in, Arlene out…
Thursday, 9 July 2009
…the BBC shaking it all about…
So the rumours are true – Arlene Phillips has been ejected from the Strictly judging panel in favour of series 5 champion Alesha Dixon – and Strictly fandom has erupted!
Arlene would be touched by the show of support, even if half of it is righteous indignation that the move is perceived as sexism/ageism (sageism?) by the BBC. Is it really ageism, though? Bruce is eleventy thousand years old, Len’s in his (sixties? seventies? am I a bad Strictly fan for not knowing exactly?), and Bruno’s not exactly nubile except possibly in his own head. OK, Arlene was the only older lady on the show, but I’m not totally sold that age was the main or only reason she’s been yanked offstage with the shepherd’s crook. (Wouldn’t it be great if they did that to the celeb who gets voted off each week though? Yoink!)
A quick show of Tweets over on the Strictly Dancers Twitter page indicates that the decision hasn’t been popular, and the brethren at Digital Spy ain’t happy neither. Still, the BBC don’t much care about the serious fans, because – well – why would they? They know damn well that the hardcore fans would rather eat their own eyeballs than miss Strictly. I mean, where would be the fun in hearing second-hand about how the show’s jumped the shark?
Seriously though. We’d heard rumours as long ago as January that things were due a shake-up this year. If it’s any consolation, indications are that the pro line-up is going to remain largely the same as last year, sans Camilla “I am so going to get a duffer next time, I’m outta here” Dallerup and Hayley “Who?” Holt.
I was going to end with some sort of ironic alliteration in Arlene’s honour, but I’ll refrain, and just say that, on the bright side, at least we won’t be seeing any more virile Viennese waltzes this year.
So what do you guys think of the Arlene-Alesha situation? What else do you think is going to change? Will Darcy Bussell be parachuted in so Craig can be a real pantomime dame instead of just channelling one? Leave us your comments!