Anita Dobson Leaves Strictly Come Dancing

Not surprised but really disappointed. It really should have been Robbie who went out. I thought Russell was going to be the one getting the public sympathy vote, but it looks like it's going to be Robbie.

I want Anita to know that I think she's a remarkable lady. I'm going to miss her spirited performances and endearing partnership with Bobby.



P.S. - Brendan has been a star this series!

I think Robbie should have gone so am sorry Anita hasn't lasted just another week. She's professional and gracious, and an awful lot of people could learn a lot from her. Anita tried to learn to dance and didn't make it into a exhibition of tawdry-ness.

Very dissapointed with that result :(

Holly's performance was great last night really pulled it out of the bag. Judges comments were positive, fantastic dance, didn't make mistakes yet still only getting eights and i feel being under marked compared to other Dancers .

Other dancers did still make mistakes and got higher scores. They should bring back the voting system where The Head judge makes final decision. It is a dancing competition not personality competition. So pleased Holly and Artem made it through to next week.

I must confess I'm disappointed with this result. I don't feel Anita was the right choice to be eliminated this week.

Anita and Brendan did a great job and Robbie should have gone this week. Very moved when Robin spoke to Anita on the result show. She is such a graceful lady and a professional. It was a shame Robin couldn't be with her. Well Done Brendan for stepping in a true professional.

I agree with the general consensus that 'Robbie' should have been the one to go this week. Was a shame that Anita couldnt have been with Robin( due to injury missed it) on her final show. But due to Brenden being a gentleman as usual was able to have another dance. Please dont give up dancing Anita it was the making of you. Good luck for the future.

I am very upset that Anita has gone. She danced really well and it's particularly bad that she went out when Robin wasn't dancing with her. You did a brilliant job, Anita, and you really shouldn't have gone. Well done and well done to Brendan for stepping in again. You will be missed Anita!!!!!! :(((((((

So sorry to see Anita go - Holly is gorgeous but I thought Anita was the better dancer. I have been so impressed with Anita - she appears so genuine and has such humility.

Having just watched the programme I was so happy to see one of the singers brought out in front of the band singing Mr Bojangles but nobody said who he was or introduced to the viewers. Every week the singers do a stalwart job singing an amazing collection of numbers and noone ever sees them. Please could they have a spot one week when we can see them all and not always have them o o v (Out of vision!) Ingrid

The results show is supposed to be live then how come Anton & Erin were dressed last night in the outfits they danced tonight. Do the BBC think we are all stupid, just give the results on a Saturday night, that is how Robin spoke to Anita the show is recorded.

I think Robbie, Anita & Alex were by far the bottom three, with Robbie probably the worst. I am puzzled as to why Holly was again in the bottom two. Also when they talk to the judges about the bottom two they say how marvelously she danced yet they consistently mark her below most of the others. Robbie Savage was just about the most unpopular footballer there was so who is voting for him each week. Maybe they are frightened he might go back to football.

I know a lot of you are saying that Anita shouldn't have gone out and maybe she shouldn't but as Robbie was the only one below her it wasn't a terrible decision to eliminate Anita.



Also Anitas elimination continues the trend of voting that I highlighted at the start of the series where once you find yourself in the bottom 2 with the public you will find yourself there on a regular basis until your elimination is confirmed. That trend was started durind last years series when the public had their voting power completely restored to them and it has continued through this series.



I never felt that Anitas latin was particularly good throughout this series (and felt she benefitted from some generous latin comments and scores) but having said that in her last 2 latin routines her latin performances deteriorated. It was almost like she had a slight hangover from the shock of being in the bottom 2 that week before Wembley and never fully recovered from it.



Her latin may not have been great but her ballroom certainly was very good and she had a lovely personality. She will certainly be missed.

The preview for next week IN ERROR showed Paul Daniels instead of Rory Bremner - oophs. Watch it on iplayer.

this is so hard, every week, even if your favourites are through it's still sad to see someone leave. :( Ok, ok, ok - I know it's the format for the show but still... When first Brendan got all shiny in his eyes and then Robin talked to her on the phone... that was it for me and I welled up too! Glad that Harry, Holly and Alex are still in but sad that Anita left. Especially as she went without Robin.

I'm so glad Robbie stayed in. He's not getting the sympathy vote - he tries so hard and clearly loves it. I've never seen someone get so passionate about it. I'm Welsh and would like to say how sad I am about Gary Speed passing away. I hope Robbie can put as much as he usually does into his training this week. Gary loved watching Robbie dance and Robbie needs to remember this and make his next dance for Gary. We love you Robbie and Ola.

That is understandable NatRick as you said it is the nature of the show and in the semis there is a double elimination. I do have a certain sympathy particularly for Brendan but having said that (although the right man went last week) that could easily have been Anita going last week and then Robins foot infection would have only been an issue for him

I have absolutely loved watching Anita this series - she's been so eager to learn and has acted with grace and humility throughout the competition. She and Bobby have made for the most wonderful partnership, and it was heartbreaking that he couldn't be there for the last dance, but Anita can rest assured that she has really done herself proud.



Much love to everyone,

SJ

It's so sad that Anita's gone, I welled up when Robin was on the phone!! Although Brendan is a hero for being on the end of the "rent-a-pro" line, Robin and Anita should get the chance to have a last dance together!!

We'll miss you Anita! x

Anita , you were fab you really should of stayed in you were gorgeous and a inspiration to us all I really think Robbie should have gone he was not that good he was extremely stiff and was the last on the leader board so he really should of gone to be honest . I think the saddest thing is that Robin was not there to have a final dance with Anita it was devastating xxxxx love you Anita and keep dancing xxx

I'm gutted to see ANITA go, but I'm even more surprised to see HOLLY and ARTEM in the bottom 2.

I mean HOLLY has been consistently getting mid-30 scores and her "Swan Lake", "Chicago", and her dance with Brendan were fab. The dance she did with the injured ARTEM was also great.

Last night HOLLY was AMAZING. It was virtually flawless and only Len had anything negative to say (and that was about the music). How on earth can HOLLY be in the bottom 2. It makes no sense at all!

I hope she goes on to win it now as it was injustice tonight.

It is always sad to see someone leave and I was surprised it was Anita this week. I thought she would get more votes because of the difficult week she had and having Brendan step in. I was convinced Robbie was going this week and I didn’t vote for him this week. Maybe he has been doing some worthwhile campaigning. It was lovely that Robin got to speak and thank Anita. Brendan was very apologetic because he felt he had let her down.



I was disappointed that Holly was in the bottom two this week. Perhaps it was Artem’s choice of music. Artem needs to select better music and Holly need to dance at the same level as on Saturday and maybe they will stay in the competition, but the public don’t seem to be supporting them, like I am.



I think Claudia was stupid to say that the swingathon lasted longer than it in fact did. For her information it last about 3 minutes.

thank you Betty (12) it really annoys me that the impression is given and said that the Results show is done on Sunday I too saw the coutumes that Anton and Erin wore tonight I have no problem with the results being done on Saturday night but please don`t make out that it isn`t by saying `on Saturday`s show

It was actually insensitive and offensive for the BBC to carry on with their ridiculous charade that tonight's result show was recorded tonight. Gary Speed tragically hanged himself this morning, and Robbie Savage was a close friend of his. Robbie appeared on BBC News earlier today, clearly very upset and grieving. There is no way that he would then have gone on to appear on SCD's Results show, 'worrying' about his dance score and whether he would have been 'saved'. That would have been the last thing on his mind 12 hours after his friend committed suicide. I am shocked that the BBC did not make an announcement before tonight's show, explaining that it was pre-recorded. Everyone knows it is recorded on Saturday night. The BBC needs to stop this farce.

So want Harry to win. Craig you should have given him 10 for his dance he is just amazing. Chelsee and Pasha are excellent as well. I want these two in the final - would just be amazing.

I'm surprise and I'm not surprise, what i mean in that is I knew that Anita's time was near but I was hoping that she wouldn't go out this weekend when she was dancing with Brendan and not Robin. Robbie should have gone tonight

robbie should have gone home! im dont not like robbie but his dancing was not as good as anita and it is a dancing competition!

Mandy10 - All the contestants try hard and love it! Simple fact is, Robbie is the worst dancer and should have gone. He doesn't actually do much dancing, it's all hip thrusts and gimmicks - like stripping off his pants - I'm fed up with it especially when he stays in at the expense of good dancers like Holly and Anita. Len was spot on with his comments - I hope from now on Ola and Robbie stick to the dancing and leave the clothes on for a change.

I have nothing against Robbie and Ola at all. They are so entertaining and have a real bizazz! But... I felt completely gutted for Anita and Holly tonight. Holly was visably shaken to find herself in the bottom 2 again after an awesome dance. It was a sad day for SCD.

Just an observation. A lot of contributors are saying Robbie should be out. NO, he got the votes from the public to keep him in, Anita didn't...Fact...End of!



Next week if you want Robbie out, then vote for those around him on the leaderboard. But please don't moan or blame Robbie for the Public voting for him!

Ingrid @11 the singer that was brought out and sand Mr Bow Jangles while Anton and Erin danced was LANCE ELLINGTON!

Lovely show sorry Anita has gone out tonight. Please can we see the Dave Arch band and his singers like we saw Lance tonight. They are the making of the show.

tinjayll @33 totally agree!!!



More Dave Arch, band and singers BBC PLEASE!!!!!



PS this train of thought is regularly being expressed on the ITT blog!!!!!

Wouldn't it be nice if we could vote people off instead of voting to keep them in ?

Are the Beeb going to give it a try ?

I thought not....

Kate @25 I totally agree with you and find it amazing that some people seem to think that the Sunday results show is live. Irrespective of that, the BBC should have made it clear that it was pre-recorded based on Robbie's appearance on BBC news following the death of his friend.

Absolutly gutted that Anita went...It was definatly Robbies turn this week to go

@25 kate - completely agree. Robbie is completely devestated of his friend Gary Speeds death as was obvious in the news interview. How embarressing that some members of the public (who believe the result are filmed on a Sunday as I did until a few weeks ago) would think he then went onto to the show in a happy go lucky nature.

BBC SOMETHING SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED BEFORE/AFTER THe SHOW OUT OF RESPECT....SHAMEFUL

So sorry to see Anita go. She did really well and should be very proud. I thought it would come down to Anita or Robbie this week, so it wasn't too much of a surprise. I think it will be (should be) Robbie next week or possibly Alex.

Fantastic show, but please stop this results show farce, we all know the show is pre-recorded on Saturday. Don't treat us as idiots, please, just put the result show on later on the Saturday night.

Was it just me or did anyone else notice how chivilarous and caring Brendon was when facing the judges - when it was Craigs turn to speak Brendon cuddled Anita to shield her from any adverse comments. The Bad Boy has a soft centre!!!!



Really sorry to see Anita go, it now gets harder each week to see anyone go they are all at such a high standard.

I'm heartbroken to see Anita go! She was the brightest of bright stars and a wonderful girl. As one of her generation I can say that she was an inspiration! She was talented, bright and bubbly, beautiful, witty and drop-dead gorgeous. Anits we'll miss you loads!!

I am so sorry to see Anita go. Why do they keep saying how wonderful Holly is when she just doesnt try. She has not hit it off with Artem absolutly no chemistry between them. I think Robbie or Holly are the next to go.

Is the results show on Sunday live or pre-recorded and the result sworn to secrecy ? How does BBC calculate the final scores once viewers votes have been counted ? A couple of points for Freedom of Information perhaps though there are more important uses of that legislation.

I like the show. This year the contestants have formed a close band and help eachother and that makes for better viewing. The judges' comments are also very good. Craig is always careful to be objective not subjective. He tempers criticism with praise whenever he can. Len can be a bit grumpy but that may be his nature.

Anita was good throughout but maybe starting to look a bit tired. I do not think she minded much to be eliminated. They may be making a point to Holly too who I think is excellent and has a good attitude. The point is that she may be coasting a little too much like a teacher ticks off a pupil.

I believe Robbie has a lot else to consider right now as do all of us who follow football and have long admired Gary Speed. I think that if the show was live then Robbie was exceptionally brave and professional to appear. He along with all the contestants this year are a credit to the show and role models for us all.

Anita, your enthusiasm and spirit were delightful to watch. I agree with a lot of the contributors on here that you didn't deserve to go out this week.



For me, Robbie is the worst dancer left in the competition but he must have a very strong popular vote. Checking the scores, he has to be at least the 4th most popular celebrity to have leapfrogged over Anita, Alex and Holly to avoid being in the bottom two. BadDancingBadger @31 is right, to vote for someone to leave you need to vote for the other dancers that are at the bottom of the judge's leaderboard.



Kate (@25), airmail70 & fayedavies raise a good point which I agree with. There is no need for the results show to keep referring to "Saturday night's show" or "yesterday" and it would have been respectful for the BBC to have announced that the show had been recorded.

@ STIG - The results are the worst kept secret in TV.



However the BBC do not and have never claimed the Sunday Results show is live. They simply refer to things happening on Saturday or yesterday because of when the program is broadcast.



However especially given the tragic death of Gary Speed & Robbie's obvious distress at the news, a comment should have been made immediately before the program was shown. Just to remind people the show was recorded on Saturday.

I agree with Almaric about Claudia's timing of the Swingathon. No way it lasted 18 minutes. Had it done so all the viewers would have been exhausted as well. I assume that the show is being shown live on Saturday so someone should have corrected her. I think that appearing on the one show each week suits her better than every night. Zoe Ball is an exceptional broadcaster like her Dad and makes each show lively and fun. She can also dance pretty well. Another good choice by BBC.

Thanks MrsArcanum. I reckoned that logistically it would have been complicated to bring everyone back the next day. In which case the show should be shown later on in the evening post news at ten. The contestants are all wearing the same clothes as well Erin in her voluminous ballgown notwithstanding. And given the circumstances of yesterday I think an announcement should have been made before the show or after it. And this evening may be an opportunity to let the secret out. I thought I was the only one who was a little confused.

Poor Brendan must be feeling so bad but please Strictly team tell him that it wasn't his fault! Two final dances in one series, ouch. He's a star!

I am surprised by the number of people here that think the results show is live; no one has ever pretended it is. Why does it need to be?



I was in the studio on Saturday; Anita was an absolute delight and lit up the room, I smiled all the way through her performance. It wasn't the best dance for her but she certainly deserved to stay in the competition. Very sad and the wrong person has gone this week.

Personally I find Holly being overmarked and felt her performance and dancing was of a lower standard than Anita. My bottom two were Holly and Robbie this week, and while they have both come along way there time is up. Anita still had more to give.

I am really pleased Alex was saved, yes her performance could have been tighter and more finished but she did a fabulous job and I thought unfairly marked.

Anita - you were a joy. thank you.

I believe Robbie got sympathy votes last night and i'm glad.. RIP Gary Speed. glad to see Holly still in, under marked as usual, well done Anita you are a star. Harry to win

I would like to think that athe BBC might change their policy on the results show but as we all know they ignore what we say, I am not optimistic.



Robbie should have gone and I think he would probably be the first to agree, but his mate Chris Moyles is drumming up support for him on his radio show and pretty sure that had something to do with the votes he is getting.



If he is back to ballroom this week, I think it will be better for all concerned and hope that Ola just gives him a straightforward dance to do. Aliona finally did and look how fantastic it was!



Very sorry to see Anita go - she is a lovely lady

I think Robbie should have gone , this is the last 7 and they are introducing gimmicks , the strip was not essential for that dance and proves they are now looking for the entertainment tag rather than the dancing tag

51. trishwalker



I always was led to believe the results show was filmed later on after the main show. Gary's death wasn't announced till Sunday lunchtime.



53. BigRed53



Hardly a gimmick. More of a tragic mistake of judgement in my eyes that should not have been done. Won't happen again. What RS has to do it would be very hard for him to go of and do his own thing.

Sorry to see Anita go, should have been Robbie, perhaps some of the judges should go, they are becoming boring, Craig is turning it into a technical lecture with a face as long as a wet weekend, Bruno Semaphori the human windmill is becoming ridiculous, Len runs hot and cold depending on his Sanatogen fix and we see Tess's posing grin from all angles every week. I want laughter, I want to be entertained. What happened to the dance off, we used to get two looks at the also rans. I want Russell fired from a cannon, I want Craig fired from a cannon. Keep this show entertaining because I feel it is slipping into I'm a dancer get me out of here mode. Bor.....ing.

Robbie should have been the one to go on "Sunday's" results show. I like his enthusiasm etc but to be honest I'm getting a bit fed up with him dancing almost every dance as though he's performing at a hen night. All these pelvic thrusts are wearing a bit thin now.



Glad Alex survived - it may not have been her best dance compared with her last few routines but I still think she was underscored on Saturday. even Alesha said so.



Re Holly in the bottom two for the second week, I think the public are perhaps fed up with Holly's 'whatever' laid-back Aussie approach/attitude. To me she doesn't connect with or seem to have the same warmth with her partner Artem that Alex has with James, Anita had with Robin, and Russell had with Flavia. Holly's a bit of a cold fish.

Please stop this charade about the Sunday night show being live - it so clearly isn't and is insulting to the viewers intelligence. Come on BBC!!

This week's show was one of the best so far - real dances not just show dances, none of the recent crop of gyrating about by the professionals, the VTs were a little less cring making than usual and the judging at least came up with a reasonable leaderboard. Sorry to see Anita go - not the best dancer but a great role model. I am surprised to want Holly to go - she is a great dancer but I just cant get interested in her progress.

Hi everyone,

well what a shock Anita going home, and Holly and Artem in the bottom 2 again, I realy thought Robbie and Ola would go this week, but no they got through, sympathy votes I guess, dont think Robbie and Ola will last much longer, perhaps next Sunday they will go home, I felt sorry for Anita as she didnt have her usual partner there with her when she was sent home, but he was on the end of the phone line, what lovely things he said about Anita, would of been nice for her to go out with her dancing with Robin, but hey its the public that votes to keep them in, was surprised at Holly and Artem in bottom 2 again though, dont think they will win it this year, last year when Artem had Kara as hes dancing partner, I dont think they were ever in the bottom 2, the competition is hotting up now, realy good dancers left in, think it will either be Jason, chelsee or Harry that wins it, thought Harry would win the swingathong, oh well we at least get to see Anita tonight on i.t.t with zoe and hopefully she will be with Robin, I know Brendon was so dissapointed as not getting Anita and Robin throught to this saturday, but he did hes very best, oh well off to get some lunch now, take care everyone

christine

One glaring problem with the Strictly competition is the choice of specific dance music!! I refer the audience to the music played for Holly's tango - TOTALLY UNSUITABLE! Who chooses the music? This has often happened in the past and I believe even the judges are bemused. Somebody needs to learn about music choice urgently

Just seen this message from Robin for Anita which I thought was so sweet:



"Anita darling, I just wanted to say you've been absolutely incredible, and I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with you tonight. It has been a pleasure to work with you. You have been one of the most enthusiastic and hard- working people I've ever, ever, ever met. I'm going to miss you dearly".

Not sure what Suzie45 means - I think it's definitely Rory in the preview - Paul Daniels never looked that elegant! Sending much love and support to Robbie as this is going to be a very difficult and emotional week for him if he can see it through.

BBC..PLEASE TAKE NOTE OF THIS MESSAGE.....

as already stated in my comment @38, many viewers who do no realise the results are filmed on a saturday will think that Robbie appeared in the results show after just discovering his close friend, welsh football coach gary speed had died.

I am proved right as even on here (where most of the comments are from SCD fans who all realise the results are pre-recorded) there are comments that robbie had a sympathy vote etc so imagine how many viewers out there think this.....

Gary speed obviously respected SCD and supported Robbie as he was in the front row of the audience a few weeks ago and therefore desrves the respect back............

BBC - something needs to be said on ITT today that Robbie appeared on the show on Saturday BEFORE discovering Gary Speeds tragic death.



I am a HALI fan, but my thoughts are with you Robbie, it will be a hard week for you......and please no comments on here of sympathy votes.

Sorry to Anita go,She really improved week on week & graceful loser, well done Anita. How on earth could Holly be in the last two for two weeks consecutive is beyond me. Of the remaining Dancers "Robbie" is the bottom one by big margin it's certainly bottom. I predicted Harry, Jason, Chelsea, Holly, to be in last four & Harry to win it, again as it's happened in the past the best dancers don't win. Take two year ago never better dancer than the last four & yet he won.

YES YES YES, Robbie is still in, whoop whoop. I know he was the worst dancer but he does put in the effort and he does`t take the p**s although the strip wash`t funny, but tat is a criticism to Ola and her choreography.



At the end of the day there is only one winner, and that will be either Chelsea or Harry and if it isn`t i will be very surprised. How the others leave before the final in my opinion is immaterial. i watch to be entertained and see good dancing so a combination of both suits me fine until the final where I do believe the best dancers should be there and not the entertainers.



i love robbie have done from the start as he has improved and tried each week just like everyone else this year apart from maybe Nancy. So credit where credit is due to all and Anita was second from bottom so it`s not like last night was a "shock" elimination. I would like a shock next week though, maybe jason & holly in bottom two.

@ 60. At 13:06 28th Nov 2011, donstennett , the pro dancers have a say in what music they use, apparently they provide a list for the BBC and band to approve as there are copyright issues when using other people music, the BBC get approval from record companies etc, so the music choice for Holly was Artem, but he likes to make things different and I do wonder this year if the pros have been given new instructions, as none of them really go for traditional songs, a lot of the music is pop music which does attract a younger audience and can influence voting (factor use this thinking on song choices) and this year the dances are more show dances with lifts etc rather than the real dance. i actually like the showy dances and the current choices of music but feel when the judges criticise the routines then instead of aiming the comments at the celebs maybe direct the choreography issues at the pro dancers.

What a shame. I loved Anita´s dance - so much solo work, and she opened on her own. The great British public is not so great. Don´t they realise that this is a ballroom and latin dance competition - not some sleazy bachelorette night. People are voting for their favourites just because of who they are, not based on their performance. There were too many hip thrusts and vulgar moves from Robbie Savage. Possibly Anita should have been in the bottom two, but she is streets ahead of the has-been footballer, and she did brilliantly on Saturday. Holly should not have been in the bottom two either.

Really enjoy the show it really has the right ingredients such as costumes, characters, music, dancing and beautiful people. I am disappointed that Anita has gone as she represented the over 60`s so well and had such a great attitude - it is amazing how all the celebrities come out each week with such polished routines.



I respect the judges who work well as a team and are equally entertaining with their comments!

Robbie should have gone, and it was sad that Anita had to leave without Robin there. Bless little Holly - she seemed so upset :-(

Comment in one of the dailies today that 'about time Holly came out of her coma' and I could not agree more!! Sure she does care about it all but somehow she just does not

fayedavies - I agree with you @63 (again!). I don't want to make a big point out of it but clearly there is confusion amongst some viewers.



As most SCD fans know, the Results show is recorded on Saturday evening after the phone lines have closed. The BBC has decided to broadcast the Results programme on a Sunday evening in order to try to boost its Sunday evening viewing figures. I don't particularly have a problem with this. While the presenters never claim that the Sunday broadcast is live, they do refer to "last night's show" and "Saturday evening's dances" potentially giving viewers the impression that they are coming together on Sunday. Why do they do this? There is no need to make any reference to times: why not just say "the dances" instead of "last night's dances"?



The very sad news of Gary Speed's death this weekend has shown that the sensitivities of contestants/viewers can be impacted by the unnecessary confusion that the programme perpetuates.

Like everyone else I was sad to see Anita go. Like most others I would like to see the back of Robbie Savage whose dancing I find cringe-making with his pelvic thrusts, etc. If you cant dance I suppose you have to try everything. However who is keeping him in. Is it true his friend on BBC Radio 1 is asking people to vote for him. Surely that cant be true as he works for the BBC and others who do have to be unbiased.



I was glad to see the best 3 dancers - Harry, Chelsee and Jason - were called out first for once. I am hoping they will be in the final and the best dancer wins.



Keep dancing Anita.

Thoroughly enjoying Strictly. Sorry Anita went out, she shouldn't have been in the bottom two. On the other hand Robbie Savage should have, has he (and Orla) forgotten it is a Dance Competition not a striptease competition. Don't need to see him thrusting his body or stripping off either his top or trousers.



Harry, Chelsee and Alex are wonderful too as is Jason.

Really sorry to see Anita go and I agree with the majority of comments, Robby should have gone and he appeared to be expecting to be in the bottom two. I also agree with those who say bring back the 'dance off', lets make the judges earn their living!

sorry to see anita go, i agree it should be robbie next, but as for the rest of the gang it would be difficult to choose.....chelsee stand's out ...but harry could be a professional he is that good....

I am totally bemused by people claiming Robbie got sympathy votes. The voting closes no later than the end of Merlin so there would be no opportunity to vote as a sympathy measure on the Sunday regardless of when the results show is shown.



I do however get very cross when people who may not be watching the show are voting for someone they may never have seen or at least not seen in comparison to other couples on the show. This is what happens when Radio DJ's campaign for a particular celebrity. It so devalues the hard work of those who are genuinely tying (even the person directly benefiting from these non SCD viewer votes).

As i have tickets for next week show I was hoping Anita would not be eliminated Although not the best dancer, I love to watch her for her sheer enthusiam and great attitude. Time for the " Robbie the stripper" to go. Must be the weak link now. ps does anyone know what time need to queue up to make sure i get in, Would be devastated if didnt get in as I am an avid SCD fan.

Holly is so sweet! It was sad to see Anita leave, but I'm Team Hartem all the way!

Pat at 72. It is true - I have posted about it several times. You can find it on Twitter. I am amazed the BBC allow an employee to do this.

Lovely show sorry Anita has gone out tonight. Please can we see the Dave Arch band and his singers like we saw Lance tonight. They are the making of the show.



Here here

Bring back Arlene! bet this gets moderated.....

Moving from a football analogy to a track running one, I think at the start of the show we were at the stage in the competition where the 'field' is starting to stretch out a bit but without a lot of clear daylight between any of the runners. For me, it had Harry and Chelsee out in front, but not too far behind was the 'chasing group' of Jason, Holly and Alex, then a bit of a gap before Robbie and Anita. But instead of the result being determined by who has run the fixed distance quickest, there is this quirky process where the spectators (leaving aside the Chris Moyles travesty) decide where each competitor's finishing line is. Robbie's came sooner than lots of others, it seems, so he carries on through to the next race, but the nature of the show and its voting means that I expect, in 'no particular order', the next people to go to be Alex, Robbie and Holly, leaving Jason, Chelsee and Harry to contest the final honours. But there is always the chance of a surprise; don't forget Julian Clary.

emasl@70 - good point about Holly - she reminds me a bit of Rachel Stevens - very technically good, but a bit too mechanical. She needs to put a bit of life into it and she'd be perfect.



I thought Harry was the best overall, but I really loved Chelsee's Argentine tango - I wasn't sure she'd be able to pull that dance off but she was really good.

fayedavies @63 - my comments about Robbie getting the sympathy vote was simply the fact he would get sympathy for being the worst dancer, ie, the underdog vote and NOT to do with Gary Speed's death. And you can see that most of the comments were made right after Strictly was shown and Gary Speed's death wasn't announced until Sunday.



I don't think the BBC need to spell out that the Sunday show is not live - look at the costumes the pro dancers are wearing and Bruce even made a slip of the tongue a couple of weeks back and made reference to the results show being on Saturday! It's patently obvious that it's all filmed on the same night.

Sorry to see Anita go, I hoped she would stay one more week. Surprised to see Holly in the bottom two - obviously no bottom two bounce. I've found Anita a bit too gushing but I thought she hit the right tone on the main show and the results show. It was one of the most moving exits I've seen on 'Strictly', even Brendan had tears in his eyes. A shame Robin could'n't have been there, they've shared the good and bad times together, it would have been nice if they had left together. Robbie should have left as he is not only the worst dancer but he is not entertaining. Hopefully, he will go next week.

Sorry to hear about Gary Speed, I understand he was friends with Robbie. My condolences to his friends and family.

@41 jeanww



Yes I noticed as well. Brendan seemed very protective of Anita.



I know it sounds a bit trite, but he truly proved to be the knight in shining armour -- for the second time!



Haven't always warmed to Brendan, but I must have been deluded! He has definitely won me over.



And Anita, so gracious in defeat, even seemed to be consoling him.

People are whinging about robbie savage`s friends getting behind him on twitter and getting their followers to vote for Robbie, the other celebs are doing this too, Harry has Tom rallying support on twitter & he is posting the number to call, Alex being on the one show every night has people quite high profile rallying for her, hey all have their supporters that have a lot of followers, and all the pairs have twitter accounts, it is a competition and if you are enjoying something, you do what you can to to stay, if others celebs don`t want too use social media that is their prerogative, Anita after being in the bottom 2 the first time round was advised to "get out there" canvas votes so to say. So you can`t just single out Robbie, I know he is now the worse dancer, people think he should be out but as I mentioned in my previous post there is only 1 winner and that should be the best dancer and in the final the best 3 should compete, how the rest go out is immaterial to me as I watch to be entertained on a saturday night. Or is the disagreement about Chris Moyles canvassing for Robbie, he is a "marmite" type of DJ you either love or hate him and a lot of the posters hate Chris Moyles perhaps. And if it is to do with Chris working for the BBC then that would mean Chris Evans on a Friday One Show would not be able to canvas support for Alex, it`s on the BBC.

I was really sorry to see Anita go out this week and think like many others it should have been Robbie. Surely we are past the point where Celebs need gimmicks to keep them in the show I wouldn't mind but Robbie is now in a position where he is being shown up by those left who can dance. It would appear that Holly ended up in the bottom two because the voting public would rather see a non dancer removing their trousers than someone who can actually dance.



I hope we see a bit of sense this weekend when it comes to the public vote and that the best dancers are allowed to continue in the competition otherwise the whole thing is in danger of becoming a laughing stock.



The people who are commenting about when the results show is filmed should concentrate and keep their eyes open. Erin was sitting on a sofa dressed in a beautiful ballroom dress which it transpired was for her tp dance the waltz with Anton. Sharpen up people!!



Before anyone gets on my case I am a huge Strictly fan and oly want fair play!!

No Holly wasn't in the bottom two because the public preferred tricks and gimmicks rather than watching decent dancing it was because a large group of the public were asked to vote for Robbie even if they didn't watch him dance! I wouldn't be surprised if Robbie remains in on Saturday and a good dancer leaves the show which is going to be so very sad! Robbie was saying how much he's enjoying being on the show and that they are all good friends but how is he going to feel if one of his 'friends' has to leave because he's not playing the game? I feel that Robbie should have left before Anita as feel she was the better dancer!

I usually put posts on Team Dobbin's blog so was delighted when lincolnduncan put me wise to the fact that there had been so many lovely comments about Anita and Robin here.



I agree that Robbie should have left before Anita - he was one of those I was referring to on the Dobbin blog. I won't repeat my other comments from there but wanted to be added to the list of supporters on this page.



Sorry to see you go Anita and Robin.

I'm gutted that she's gone and even more gutted that Robin never got the chance to dance with her one more time.



I thought she came over really well on ITT and was very gracious.



For me, she's miles ahead of Robbie Savage, in every area..but, as people say, it's down, in the end to what the public want, given that there's very little time ot actually register a vote..



Rich.

x

Love the show overall, have watched and enjoyed it since it started. I understand that the results show can’t be late on Saturday evening, given the children in the home audience wanting to watch it. But I do wish the language used on the results show could avoid the (fictional) “last night” business. It grates.



On a technical note, I would be interested to know why the quality/volume of the sound quite often drops when the music starts. It becomes slightly muffled, almost as if cotton wool has been popped into the listener’s ears. It was particularly noticeable on Sunday when the gentleman in the shell suit started singing. He was introduced as having a great voice. I was all agog, and then I could hardly hear him. Why is that? It doesn’t seem to fit in with all the BBC fillers about the attention paid to the quality of sound (eg in that jokey backstage ‘ interview’ about Jools Holland’s show). Or has Jools got all the equipment and there isn’t enough left for Strictly in these straitened times?



Lastly, unlike some of my friends, I like Bruce. He’s very good at dealing with the unexpected and has usually been at his funniest then. But who is insisting that he carries a scripted joke through to the bitter end when the audience has already seen where he is going and given him a good unforced laugh? All the spontaneity disappears and he’s left either apologising - “I only read this stuff” - or waving his arms about in an effort to get a second laugh when the audience has already responded. Surely, with all his experience, Bruce must know when he is about to flog a dead horse and that he will seem a lot more in harmony with his audience if he refrains from doing so?



Still, who am I to offer advice to someone who has been in the business for so long? I'm slightly surprised, that’s all.

watching it takes 2, still gutted that it was anita who had to go instead of holly.

No moans from me about the result, as Anita and Robbie should have been the bottom 2, IMHO, and clearly the public decided it was her time to go.

As for who has/has not got the right to vote, the answer is anyone who picks up the phone during the voting period; and they can vote for who they want for any reason they wish, even if it's because they once bought a car from the celebs uncle and it was a bargain! Lighten up; it becomes more obvious every season that this is a light entertainment show and not a serious dance contest. The press carry all sorts of stories designed to influence viewers; would you like to stop that also? Relax, and enjoy fabulous family entertainment.

Personally I thought the foxtrot was brilliant, so brilliantly choreographed and stylish. The music was unconventional but it really worked. What's the matter with people!!?? A bunch of fuddy duddies or what? I wasnt certain when I heard what they were dancing to, but the music was great I thought and I'm in my sixties.



I have to admit I was a bit of a floating voter to start with but I'm getting behind our couple because (a) they are consistently undermarked by the judges and *(b) the GBP aren't supporting them for whatever reason. Just because they don't flap around like a pair of demented budgies or strip off doesn't mean to say they don't have any personality. People should vote for the dancing anyway. GRRRRR



I have to say that the paso is not my favourite dance and I should be interested to find out what they are dancing to, but Artem, don't be too safe .....

@ Gorscot - I don't think anyone has a problem with those who watch the show voting for whomsoever they wish however many times they want. They are paying the phone bill and can vote for whatever reason they want.



Where folks are justifiably cross is with people who vote for any particular person without watching or ever intending to watch the show. This totally undermines the efforts ALL the couples put in and is one of the problems there were with the John Sergeant situation.

No moans from me about the result, as Anita and Robbie should have been the bottom 2, IMHO, and clearly the public decided it was her time to go.



I knew that Anita time was near but I was just hoping that when Robin wasn't there on Saturday , Anita and Robin should have one more dance together before the British Public voted her off.

I liked her, don't get me wrong but I think the right decision was made. Anita did some very wonderful dances but unfortunately she got the Cha Cha when Robin was hurt and the dance didn't suit her and I did feel for her when she was voted out as Robin wasn't there which was understandable but must have been hard for her and him when the decision was made.

hmf - what happened to the Red Buttom Commentary for the latest Sat Show? It's still the Wembley one... Would be fun to hear Karen Hardy's commentary... :(