Strictly Come Dancing: Not What It Used to Be.

I remember the good old days of Strictly Come Dancing when Bruce Forsyth used to introduce the show. Admittedly, Forsyth was not everyone's cup of tea, but he was a showman in the true sense of the word. If he could see the show today, he would be mortified and horrified, no doubt. Forysth was presenting the show well into his later years.

Eventually, because he was out of sync when the camera cut to him, he often forgot where he was, and so sadly, retired from the show. Later on, Forsyth passed on, leaving a gap not only in Strictly but in general in the world of entertainment.

Len Goodman, a judge on the show for many years, was from the old school of dancing; nothing effeminate or flouncy about this cockney geezer. What you saw is what you got with Len. Len said it as he saw it. If he could see the show today like Bruce, what would he say? One thing is for sure, he would be looking at a show that has changed vastly from his day. His comments would rock the woke agendaists to their foundations, no doubt. Sadly, this gentleman of the dance floor, a real down-to-earth working-class man, is no longer with us. And the world is a poorer place without him.

Since Bruce and Len's passing, the show has changed so much. For one thing, Anton Du Beke, a former dancer on the show, is now a judge. He replaced former Italian judge Bruno Tonioli. Craig Revel Horwood remains the only original judge from the early days of the show. Motsi Mabuse is a black German female judge formerly from South Africa. Shirley Ballas is the Head Judge on the panel. In her younger days, she used to appear as a contestant on the version of Come Dancing in the 70s and 80s.

The show is now presented by two female presenters, Tess Daly, who co-hosted the show with Bruce Forsyth and Claudia Winkleman. Strictly is always shown in the run-up to Christmas. The formula of the show has changed little, where celebs who have little to no dance experience team up with professional dancers on the show. Week by week, professional dancers with their celeb partners are whittled down by the public voting on who they wish to see in the dance off. Two couples compete in the dance off. The judges then decide who should stay in the show and who should leave. Until one couple finally triumphs and receives the glitterball.

The show has changed to reflect a more inclusive agenda. And while I think this is a good idea, where it gives disabled people a chance, it seems in other areas, the show is ticking boxes. Ellie Goldstein is the latest to represent the disabled community. Her partner is an Italian professional dancer called Vito Coppola. Ms. Goldstein has Down syndrome, but this does not stop her from performing with Vito. She has been a champion for people like her, becoming a top model on the cover of fashion publications. Will she and Vito win the contest in the footsteps of the visually impaired (blind) comedian Chris McCausland and audibly challenged (deaf) Rose Ayling-Ellis? Ayling-Ellis, an actress by profession, won in 2021 with her Italian partner Giovanni Pernice. Pernice left the show under a cloud, where he was allegedly cruel to celebs he worked with. Chris McCausland won the contest last year with his dance partner Diane Buswell. Buswell is currently dancing with fellow Australian Stephan Dennis. Known for his role as Paul in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.

Older celeb contestants are included. Bill Bailey, comedian, multi-instrumentalist and Heavy Metal fan, won with Motsi's sister Oti Mabuse. Bailey became the first older person to win the contest along with Oti in 2019.

The LGBTQ agenda has hijacked the show, as it seems to do with a lot of other things. What I am about to say is not an attack on this community per se, more a comment on the dominance of their agenda. For example, it's completely normal to see same sex couples on the show. Men dancing with men and women dancing with women. Craig Revel-Horwood, who is gay, thinks nothing of saying how he admires male celebrity dancers. However, some of his comments get a bit near the knuckle, and this is supposed to be a family-friendly show. He also thinks nothing of dressing up in women's clothes. So we have had gay celebrities on dancing with non-gay professionals. And if you look at these couples from a purely artistic or dance perspective, it's fine. However, some of these dances have been a bit too intimate, so again, is this really appropriate for a so-called family show?

The LGBTQ community want to be represented, but their hijacking of the show has spoiled it for me and, no doubt, many others. But hey, that's the world we live in, but it doesn't mean you have to agree with it. The other thing is that now you cannot have a show without a black person being represented. Again, I have nothing against that; however, having them on sometimes smacks of tokenism and overrepresentation. Then men have to dance about shirtless, and if a guy is fine doing that, fine. However, is this serving another gay agenda where, like women before them, they can now be leered at by the likes of Craig Revel-Horwood? Don't get me wrong, some of the women celebrities wear revealing clothes; however, how would a woman feel if she were asked to perform topless or forced to do that? At the end of the day, it would be that woman's choice. But as it is a family show, that would not be appropriate. So it should be with men; if they do not feel comfortable going about topless, then they shouldn't have to.

The latest thing now on the LGBTQ agenda is having had same sex couples; they now have a man dancing with a man dressed as a woman. La Voix, aka Christopher Dennis, is a drag performer, so that's another woke box ticked. Her male partner is Aljaz Skorjanec. A married man with kids, married to a former Strictly performer, Janette Manrara. Janette Manrara can be seen introducing It Takes Two on BBC 2, the follow-up show to Strictly. Aljaz must be comfortable dancing with a man dressed as a woman. However, one wonders what would happen if Aljaz said no?

Then you often wonder if the show is fixed when one couple stays and another has to leave. Then you have couples that, let's be honest, have danced terribly, and the public votes to save them. In the dance off, there is a pattern; you get a couple dancing a less technical dance up against a couple doing a more technical dance. The couple doing the more technical dance always get the vote of the judges. So with that being said, you often find yourself asking, Is this fixed too?

When Strictly first came out, it was what I could call normal. Where men danced with women with no woke agenda of ticking boxes. Don't get me wrong, Im liberal on many things; however, the way Strictly is now with its ticking boxes agenda, alleged fixings, and over the top campness isn't for me.