0/5

Fans Strictly Speaking up about ABC dumping

A number of fans of Strictly Speaking this week have hit out at the ABC for dumping the show from its Wednesday night timeslot.

A number of fans of Strictly Speaking this week have hit out at the ABC for dumping the show from its Wednesday night timeslot.

The show was pulled off air after it managed just 390,000.

But fans have called on the ABC to reschedule the show in another timeslot to finish the public-speaking contest.

– My husband and I really enjoyed this show . We were really disappointed learn it was not screening tonight. Please let it be rescheduled for another time slot. The viewers need to see it through to the final.

– We liked andrew’s amusing way of hosting the program and hope he’s got a brass hide and is not too hurt by the comments of those who didn’t like it, or his presentation.

– Shame, shame, shame. There were two speakers I really wanted to see – Bill Stuth and Sam Almaliki. Can the episodes still be put up onto the website so we can view them there?

– Why did you axe Strictly Speaking without notice? It was informative, non political and Australian. Members of the local Toastmasters Club were enthusiastic watchers. To replace it with yet another foreign programme is beyond comprehension. Why not present it in “off” time, so we can tape it?

– It is disappointing a positive TV show like Strictly Speaking that had the potential to empower our communication skills in life generally – not just public speaking – has been pulled by the ABC.

– Was extremely disappointed not to see Strcitly Speaking on last night and to hear of its axing. Surely a poll before taking it off would have helped? What about the outcome of the contest and paying respect to all the contestants. Come o ABC, listen to these comments and bring it back – whatever time – we still have recording devices!

– I am very disappointed to find out the show has been axed. I was looking forward to watching. A lot of my friends have told me how much they have enjoyed it! Yes very disappointing. Come on ABC bring it back!!!

– It was with real disappointment that I read that the show has been axed. As a Toastmaster we have been promoting the show (especially as one of our members made it to the final heats) and his heat was to be aired next week. I know that the ratings were a little low, but please at least let the season run to the finish, so that we can see the final outcome..

– I support the comments of Mary Jane, I am a contestant in what was meant to be next weeks show. I think it’s pretty frustrating for viewers who have watched the show not to be able to see the final outcome…….

– My daughter was supposed to be on the show next week, and she was devastated when we found out that she wasn’t going to be on. I told her mother, and we all felt terrible for her. They need to restart the show and perhaps schedule it in a different time slot so that we can at least live te series though to the end.

It’s unusual for these kind of comments to be added to this site when the topic has fallen off the Homepage. That means these viewers have gone to a bit of trouble to find somewhere to vent their anger, and is possibly indicative of a wider audience.

ABC has no current plans to reschedule the show.

21 Responses

  1. Our whole family loved the show. Our kids do public speaking and they found the feedback really interesting. Andrew Hansen did a great job compering. My only complaint was the format was rushed

  2. Thanks David, but the issue I faced was with the official sites. I spent a while trying to find a way to comment on the Strictly Speaking site…it might just be me, but I think this may be what a lot of fans have done?
    Also, Mary – Jane, I know some students at your school! They are outraged that this was cut before your show; my condolences. They are confident that your show being aired would have gained many, many more viewers 🙂

  3. I’m not sure if this is an omen or a mistake, but the Wednesday night promos before tonight’s (9/11) news showed Strictly Speaking at 8pm, before The Librarians.

  4. So much for the ABC saying they don’t chase ratings,Hah! We really enjoyed the show. Why not at least stick it on ABC 2 and/or an obscure time slot so we can record it? We want to see the finals.

  5. I honestly think that the fact the amount of viewers dropped was Not an indication that the show should be axed! It was original and extremely entertaining; the only reason this is not getting more comments is not because people hated the show. It is due to the plain fact that though people adored the show to bits, finding this page on a Google Search takes an eternity. Trust me, I know. ABC, I beg of you, at least finish the series, for the sake of all the devoted fans out there!

    1. Finding this site on Google doesn’t take an eternity if you type Strictly Speaking. It ranks #3. But then this isn’t an ABC website it’s a TV blog, so that’s a pretty good result. Show Tags will help you find the latest story on your show.

  6. re- Secret Squirrel’s comments-
    I Wish I could claim that my “fan club” (?! ) had made a call to arms and hit the keys in protest….but that isn’t the case. Sure, I know one of the people who commented and I was in the episode with Taylor, so I’ve met him (and his mum!)
    Otherwise, the delay is simply because I was unaware that the show was axed till the day before and I made my comment then. Others( as Mandy says, whom “I don’t know from a bar of soap,” ) liked the show and were obviously in the same boat.
    Besides the obvious disappointment of contestants who put a significant amount of effort into the show, a considerable amount of time and money was also invested in this show by the ABC.

  7. I don’t know Mary-Jane from a bar of soap, but I was also disappointed. The panel’s tips were interesting. Fair enough, take it away from their traditionally successful Wednesday but put it somewhere else, please.

    I imagine some of the renewed interest in commenting was sparked by the non-appearance of the show on the night. And if as Secret Squïrrel suspects, that M-J circulated a plea for support, well more power to her elbow! Bringing more readers to David’s site and recognising it as a feedback forum of stature is a good thing.

  8. No thanks, Andrew (10:51am). I’m with Owl! The days of ABC2 being a dumping ground for failed ABC1 programs or repeats are long gone. Shove it on iView or 4am ABC1.

  9. It’s a disgusting move, my sister Lonie was scheduled to be seen in the sixth episode! We’ve waited almost a year and to have the show removed from the air before she’s seen it unfair, not just to her, but everyone else who hasn’t been seen yet!

  10. I thought it was attrocious television – virtually unwatchable – I agree that it should probably go to iview – I don’t see why the ever improving ABC2 should be saddled with it.

  11. David, it is so unusual for that many supportive comments to be added after an article has dropped off the main page that I went back and had a look.

    From when the article was posted on 28 Oct until 7:52pm 29 Oct there are 22 comments. Six of these are positive toward the program and ten negative. There are also six neutral/off-topic (the same number as positive).

    There is one comment on 30 Oct, and another on 1 Nov (none on the 31Oct ). Both these are neutral. Then, after a lull of two-and-a half days, Mary-Jane comments that she’s disappointed that she won’t get to see herself on TV and all of a sudden there are 17(!) favourable comments. This crowd behaviour smells very much like a call-to-arms for the Mary-Jane Fanclub.

    While these people have certainly “taken the trouble” to write a comment I would bet that they didn’t all independently search around for somewhere to “vent their anger”. If their actions are indicative of a wider audience, why didn’t this wider audience watch the show when it was on? 390k is pretty ordinary in that time-slot, even for the ABC.

    My guess is that there is no wider audience (other than the 390k) and that the majority, who mostly remained silent on the article, didn’t like the show and are not angry that is has been pulled.

    Apologies for the comment length but I thought this needed to be said.

  12. I found it hard to watch, but they gave Hungry Beast two seasons in one of their best time slots and it was an obvious bomb from day one, especially given it had Spicks and Specks as a lead in.

  13. The DVD is set to be released on 6th January. I watched it but didn’t look forward to it and didn’t really care that it got taken off. At the very least they should put it on iview though for those that were really into it.

Leave a Reply