brucie i wont quit come dancing the AA grumpy column

[pantoandy]

hello and welcome to the AA grumpy column.

well crimbos round the corner the deccies are up but i dont really feel all that festive this year.

but at least we have brucie on the box im not a strictly come dancing man myself but i like the entertainer himself.

He's the ultimate showman, hosting one of TV's top Saturday night shows with the boundless energy of a man 40 years his junior.

But off-screen, Strictly Come Dancing star Bruce Forsyth has admitted he struggles to cope with the demands of live TV.

The 80-year-old showbiz veteran says he gets so exhausted fronting the Saturday night series he has to spend the rest of the weekend recovering.

"I spend all day Sunday in bed," he says, ahead of last night's semi-final.

"I have a long lie-in, get up for lunch, go back to bed and watch a bit of football, then I get up for a bit of supper And that's it.

"It's all I can do. I rest a lot, I stay in bed a long time because if I do that I know I can get through it.

"On a Saturday I'm in the studio for 12 hours. From a TV point of view, that's a week's work in one day. So I pace myself the rest of the week."

It's been nearly five years since Strictly Come Dancing burst on to our screens as the BBC rival to The X Factor. When it started, critics wrote off the idea of celebrities competing in ballroom dancing. But it quickly proved a hit with viewers and became one of the biggest shows on TV.

But host Bruce - who turns 81 in February and has fronted the series since it started in March 2004 - has finally conceded he won't be with Strictly forever.

"One day I think I am going to wake up, hopefully, and say to myself, 'Do I really want to do this any more?' I think that's how it will hit me.

"But looking at my tapes at the moment, I know myself. And I know in my heart that I'm working pretty well at the moment "But I wouldn't want to die on stage like Tommy Cooper.

If I'd like to die anywhere it would be on a golf course like Bing Crosby."

The man behind TV hits like The Price is Right and Play Your Cards Right, celebrated 66 years in showbiz this year.

His critics poke fun at his fluffed lines and claims he has to have his autocue enlarged because his sight is failing.

But the grey-haired star is quick to hit back - insisting that his autocue is now back in lower case and that, even in the twilight of his career, he's still as capable as presenters half his age.

"Look, I do 90 minutes of live TV every Saturday night. Other presenters do half-an-hour, maybe an hour. But an hour, faultless, nonstop.

Think about that. OK, so I make a couple of mistakes. But you watch live television, you watch newsreaders - they make mistakes every day I see them all the time

It's part of the job.

"If newsreaders make a mistake it's not even noticed. But if I make a mistake, it makes headlines."

Despite his success over the years, threetimes married Bruce said he was aware that his old-fashioned image was not to everyone's taste.

"I know when I walk out on screen, quite a large percentage don't like Bruce Forsyth. I accept that.

"But if you can get half the people to like you, then you're doing very well."

The star is adamant that there's still a place in the schedules for older hosts. Well, as long as they're men.

He says: "I think we pander too much to young people in a way, to an extreme.

"I'm not saying we should have a geriatric channel - I might end up being the permanent host of that! I just think that if you've got a personality, if you get over to the people, then you can be on TV. But I do think young men would rather see a young woman reading the news. I like to be with young women. I've always surrounded myself with beautiful women and I like them to be young."

Now in its sixth series, Strictly Come Dancing has become one of the mainstays of Saturday night TV - and the nation has been divided this year over John Sergeant's controversial decision to quit.

Bruce says the former BBC political editor should have ignored the criticism from the judges and stuck with the show. He says: "The public kept John in. It's not a dancing competition in one way, because the public get their say.

"I would have preferred if John had stayed. But he didn't stay and it caused a lot of controversy."

Bruce also said Strictly's early time slot hadn't helped the show capitalise on Sergeant's exit. "If John Sergeant had done the same thing and we'd been on at 7pm, we would have got a bigger audience," he says. "The BBC have put us on far too early. We have got a bad slot.

"If you are going to have a head-to-head about who is the top show on Saturday night, that is where we should be. Never before 7pm."

But he's still there - even battling through illness to ensure the show goes on.

A bout of flu last month left him exhausted.

Not that nine million viewers would have known - once the lights came on and the cameras start rolling, Bruce is a pro. He says: "The show must go on."

For how much longer remains to be seen. But Brucie is hanging in there

"No one's given me my P45 yet."

I always surround myself with beautiful women and I like them to be young

Ok - I do make a few mistakes and it's in all the headlines, but it's live TV, part of the job

We trail X Factor in the ratings this year because BBC chiefs have put us on too early

Bruce Forsyth exclusive: 'I won't quit Strictly Come Dancing, even if I have to spend all Sunday in bed' - mirror.co.uk

AAG

a marvlous marvelous man.

i grew up on brucies gameshows from the generation game in the 70.s to play your cards right it seemed as if brucie was always on the telly.

i hope that i can be as fit as him aproaching 81 and hopefully many more years of

brucie to come

AAG

[Victoria]

I love Brucie I think he is the definition of a good host. He does a bit of everything and I remember old shows with great fondness.

my daughter is 20 and she thinks Brucie is funny and really enjoys his style of presenting.

Long may he remain on our screens!

[Bez]

I personally think that Bruce should stand down and let a younger presenter take over. I appreciate his 'longevity' in show business, but he gets on my nerves and if I'm honest always has.....sorry !

[Carolly]

The 80-year-old showbiz veteran says he gets so exhausted fronting the Saturday night series he has to spend the rest of the weekend recovering.


My heart goes out to him.................NOT.

[pantoandy]

Bez;1087372 wrote: I personally think that Bruce should stand down and let a younger presenter take over. I appreciate his 'longevity' in show business, but he gets on my nerves and if I'm honest always has.....sorry !


dont apologise that is the idea of the AA grumpy column to air your views.

maybe it is time for brucie to stand down he is a good all rounder host but after all he is approaching 81 and he could spend his time playing golf and relaxing .

but on the other hand when you have the drive to keep working its not go easy to give up.

[Bez]

pantoandy;1087384 wrote: dont apologise that is the idea of the AA grumpy column to air your views.

maybe it is time for brucie to stand down he is a good all rounder host but after all he is approaching 81 and he could spend his time playing golf and relaxing .

but on the other hand when you have the drive to keep working its not go easy to give up.


Well he wants to go on entertaining......fine....but if it's taking him 6 days to recover then it's not really worth it in my book.

Good luck to him anyway.....:-6



Lovely day here in Sussex.....I'm off to see another entertainer today.....my 3 year old grandson in his nativity play....awww