BBC Complaints

Complaint

Prior to John Sergeant announcing that he was dropping out of Strictly Come Dancing, we received complaints from viewers who felt the voting system was unfair and that John should leave the competition. We have since received complaints from viewers who are upset that he has decided to leave the competition and believe he was bullied into doing so.

The BBC's response

The format of Strictly Come Dancing has remained the same for six years. Whilst the judges now have the final say in who should leave the competition this is between the bottom two couples, once the viewers' votes and the judges' scores have been added together. The format has always allowed for audience input and they get to choose who they would like to see dance again. This has thrown up some interesting results.

However, John has taken a personal decision and has made the following statement:

"It was always my intention to have fun on the show and I was hoping to stay in as long as possible. The trouble is that there is now a real danger that I might win the competition. Even for me that would be a joke too far. I would like to thank Kristina and all those viewers who have been rooting for me through the series."

We would like to assure viewers that John was not bullied into leaving the show. The judges' role is to offer a professional opinion regarding each of the contestants's dancing abilities and although their views are often expressed passionately, their comments are never meant to cause personal offence.

The show's producers have all tried to talk him round and persuade him to stay but he has made a decision and we feel that should be respected.

Jay Hunt, Controller, BBC One has issued the following statement:

"John has told us of his plans to leave Strictly Come Dancing and we are very sad to see him go. He has been an entertaining contestant and is hugely popular with the viewers. We would have liked him to stay but we respect his decision to leave. John and Kristina will be performing a farewell dance this Saturday on the show."