Now, I'm no fan of Arlene and her tiresome simile's and strained wordplay, but I have to concede that she knows what she's talking about. She's a renowned choreographer with decades of experience to form an opinion from, so at least she's in a position to judge dancing. We'll look past the fact she was responsible for the epileptic contortions of Britannia High's hyperactive cast.
But what would Alesha Dixon bring to the table? A bit of glamour, certainly. Some sex appeal, definitely. A hyena's laugh that goes from infectious to irritating before you can say "tango", unfortunately. Her only real selling point is that, not unlike Cheryl Cole, she actually has some first-hand experience of what the show's celebrity dancers are going through.
I'm sure Alesha would be very encouraging and quickly become a ray of sunshine inbetween bitchy Craig Revel-Horwood and soft touch Len Goodman, but is that enough? I don't think so. I'm all for keeping things fresh, and Arlene probably should be put out to pasture, but you need to replace her with someone credible. Cheryl Cole worked on X Factor because, love her or hate her, she is a successful pop-singer in a world-famous girl group. And she became one because she won a similar TV talent show. So, she knows a thing or two about these shows and the reality that could greet the winner.
Surely there must be some glamourous choreographers in their 20s or 30s out there, if that's what the Beeb are really after? A new face would be preferable to just dragging Alesha Dixon in because of her connection and affection for Strictly. If they want to keep it "in the family", why not get one of the professional dancers to takeover -- like Camilla Dallerup, who stepped down from her professional dancing role last series? Most of the dancers would make perfectly good judges, as viewers can tell from their appearances on sister show It Takes Two.
Apparently, BBC bosses also want the dances to be steamier and sexier (a la Vincent and Rachel Stevens last year), with a bit less of the formal ballroom stuff. I have no problem with that; maybe they can enforce a "skimpy costumes only policy", too? They may also fly in more foreign professionals, following the success of the American and New Zealand additions last time.
