Radio Times

"Not to suck up," said Brian, "but Alesha, you look gorgeous this evening." She also had good, interesting things to say this time, including her summary of Brian and Ali's rather beautiful performance. Is Alesha improving or are we getting used to her?

This week was more like it. It isn't it yet, but it's more like it. After last week's rather flat edition, Strictly Come Dancing stepped back up a notch with great moments and a couple of fine dances. Unfortunately they were mostly from the professionals.

There is something intangible about a great dance: it isn't enough to be technically precise with your footwork, it isn't even enough to project and perform a character, as we hear so often on the show. And it doesn't always matter what the music is. But sometimes with the celebrities and almost always with the professionals, there comes a time when they're not dancing to the music, they're dancing with it.

It's that point when you stop consciously thinking nice frock, good heel/toe lead, please stop singing and concentrate on your lifts, and both you and the dancers are caught up in the performance. It happened this week throughout the professional jive: the black and red costumes, the stunning contortion of bodies and all so with the music, so in the moment that you were buoyed up by it, even enraptured.

Talking about contortion, guest professionals Michael Malitowski and especially Joanna Leunis were painfully mesmerising. You did pause sometimes to think that she should've worn a costume instead of just 10 denier and it was hard not to fear long-term damage to her bones. Yet you'd have known they were world champions even if Bruce hadn't told us.

Not to be cruel, but sometimes you wouldn't even have known that the celebrities were halfway through the contest. Coquettish Jo's best work was to show how rather sweetly protective Brendan Cole is of his charges, but she needn't really have bothered with the dance-off. She was gone the second she was in the bottom two.

That made the dance-off not as tense as usual and still the show was less than it has been. Perhaps we're just suffering from Strictly fatigue, but the non-professional highlight of the week didn't even happen on Saturday. It was on Friday instead, when It Takes Two brought back that joyous light bulb of a fan, writer Marian Keyes.

"Get Craig to Blackpool!" she chanted, and I'm with her. Are you?

Strictly is still enjoyable - however, should future shows be scheduled, it is now time for the viewers to have no influence in the judging of the contestants performance. The judges are quite capable of assessing the dancers' performance without bias towards peronality of the contestants. As for Craig - he should do the honorable thing and bow out, allowing better dancers to remain in the contest.

I echo the sentiments of all who have said "Bring back Arlene", or even better "Bring on Karen Hardy". I now switch channels when Alesha starts commenting. She was a fantastic contestant but if the BBC brought her onboard as competition for Cheryl Cole - they have made a huge mistake.

think all of this fuss trying to make certain Craig gets to Blackpool is a sham,,they all want to get to Blackpool, but if Craig gets there it means that a better dancer will not..Craig cannot dance unfortunately he doesn't realise this,Please play fair and I think that will mean Craig will be gone...it is all very cold this year no-one in particular seems to be brilliant that goes for not getting true celebs..I am afraid I did not know any of this years so-called celebrities....

I think Alesha does have interesting things to say and does provide practical advice to the dancers. She is a breath of fresh air. But Karen Hardy would be fanatastic as well to replace Craig Revel-Horwood who always has favourites and dancers he does not like. This should not be the role of a judge who should try to be fair and constructive.

I think Jade and Ian are fantastic and are often under marked compared to the performance I can see on TV (we are competitive ballroom dancers).

The colour of Ally's dresses is generally boring and neutral. She can wear bright or pastel shades. They would enable her to shine a little more.

I think Craig does not deserve the negative and non constructive criticism that certain judges give him. I agree with Marian Keyes "Get Craig to Blackpool".

It doesn't matter how long she is on the show, Miss Dixon will never have any use as a judge. She is not needed as a "representative of the public" - we have the phone vote for that. Please just find an excuse for her to leave as soon as possible and let a real dancer like Darcy Bussel come on the panel early. For the future, bring on an experienced judge like Karen Hardy, at least her raucous voice is offset by the wealth of knowledge and judging experience she would bring.

So far this series is the worst yet, in the celeb's abilities, the production and the dreadful error of the introduction of Dixon.

I bet she must have rehearsals all of her own to remember the lines she might use. I echo the comment "Bring back Arlene!"

I like Alesha, however I have not watched any of this series because I was so annoyed that a respected, experienced judge could be removed from the panel to be replaced by someone with little experience in comparison. Surely someone like Karen Harding would have been a better choice. I have given up with Strictly now and am disappointed - who will be next ??

Actually Alesha has had good and interesting things to say ever since the second show. (On the first show she was clearly just finding her feet.) Her perspective, as a former contestant, really is different from that of the other judges. For instance, whereas the other judges are generally only concerned with how the performance could have been improved, she will often tell contestants how to approach practising.

I agree, the show is strangely flat despite the flamboyant costumes, immaculate hairdos and makeup. I can't get enthusiastic about anyone really - perhaps Jade. I don't think I can bear to watch Craig Kelly anymore, it's just not nice. Despite all the comments about how sweet Jo Wood is, she gave me the pip. But there is no-one of the calibre of Tom, or Mark , or Matt, or Zoe - oh dear.

Sorry but I still think Alesha is out of her depth, but it is not likely they will substitute her for somebody who knows what they are talking about at this late stage - bring back Arlene!