SamwinThis time of years heralds the return of a number of shows loved by the nation brought to us from the BBC, one of these being the favorite “Strictly Come Dancing” a show that is loved by all ages and watched by families across the country who watch as their favorite celebrities compete for the chance to be each year’s winner and trophy.
Unfortunately the BBC show has appeared in the headlines recently but not for the reasons you might think. Normally reality shows such as this are always hit with accusations that the voting is “rigged” in favor of certain contestants but this time it was for the producers response to a potential contestant.
When the show was originally approaching potential contestants; they approached CJ de Mooi, from the BBC daytime quiz show Eggheads, but they then later rejected him for his request that he were to be allowed to dance with a partner of the same gender; producers telling him that it was a “family show” and we want to keep the traditional format of mixed gender couples. The producers then chose Jeremy Vine instead to compete in the show, though producers have since said that they always preferred Jeremy Vine over CJ anyway.
This decision sparked a controversy storm on social media due to their decision to play the “family show” card. Understandable, considering how many modern families have parents of the same gender and families who may not fit the “traditional” term. How is ignoring this group not going to be offensive?
And yet last year when the show came under fire for their extremely raunchy dance routines; of which from what I heard would even give the likes of Miley Cyrus pause; the shows producers ignored the comments of the viewers.
Since this decision was made public, not surprisingly the show is said to have seen a decline in ratings since it began airing a couple of weeks ago; but the question is will they change their minds next year?
Of course no show can in reality please all of its viewers; but there is such a thing such as making an effort to include some of the main groups of society within the country. To be honest, this decision wouldn’t even earn them one point from me…