Springingtiger's Blog

In the original “Edge of Darkness” Joe Don Baker,as Darius Jedburgh, comes back from a mission and asks, “Did you tape the Come Dancing final?” Later, watching the tape, he remarks, “No one does dancing like you Brits!”. I often watch Strictly Come Dancing on BBC IPlayer rather than video, but I am as hooked as Jedburgh was.

What I feel some people forget is that,  unlike Come Dancing,  Strictly Come Dancing is not just a dance competition,  Strictly is all about entertainment. I am disappointed that Dave Myers has been put out of the competition; there is something about it that doesn’t feel right. It seems strange that week after week, to the frustration of the judges, Dave has been kept out of the dance off,  week after week, by the popular vote, this week suddenly, strangely, he was in the bottom two. The judges siezed their opportunity to get rid of him despite, as head judge Len said, Dave dancing better in the dance off.

I must admit I didn’t vote for Dave, I voted for Fiona Fullerton and Anton Du Beke; sadly Erin Boag is not in Strictly this year so I transferred my loyalty. I am also missing Vincent and Flavia, who seem to think their careers, more important than my enjoyment of Strictly…they are, of course, wrong. One becomes attached to the characters on Strictly over the years and each new season is like revisiting old friends. It is a disappointment when they fail to show up. It may seem strange to be attached to perfect strangers,  but, from an Asperger’s point of view, I know them as well as I know anyone, so they occur as little different from those I consider my friends, and most of those I have never met face to face.

I find my addiction to Strictly Come Dancing a little strange as I dislike reality TV, I find it hard to comprehend how anyone can enjoy programmes like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, the Jungle thing and Big Brother are totally lost to me. I suppose Strictly is not so much reality TV as fantasy TV. It allows us for a few hours a week to escape into a warm, happy world of music, dance,  sequins and smiling faces, where the most terrifying thing is Craig Revel Horwood and the only pain is inflicted by Bruce Forsyth’s jokes. There is too much upset and drama in most television talent shows,  Strictly Come Dancing is feel good television and these days anything that lifts people’s spirits is welcome.