And so ITT is back on our screens...

and Claudia is still so delightfully mad. My fave quote of the programme was her comment to Martina Hingis about all the other things she could be doing like "playing cards or watching llamas".

The show itself seemed very rushed though. 10 minutes of recap of the weekend (maybe for those who gave up on SCD and switched over to the X Factor) against approximately 3minutes of interview with Martina and Matthew. I think Claudia asked about five questions and then showed their best bits - which also revealed how this couple could well have suffered by the lack of a preview show. Their training clips showed a relaxed and fun friendship in its early stages, and if only the public had seen a bit more of this prior to the weekend, the result may have been a little different.

And so to the meat of the evening, the defence of the new judge. The BBC seems to be responding to the complaints about Alesha by digging its heels in, and saying to the public "You are wrong, your views don't count, and you will like our casting decisions". Whilst I am sure that the whole furore is being whipped up by the media, the BBC (like any organisation) would do better to listen to the views of its customers, rather than pretend they are irrelevant. There are plenty of ways to defend your viewpoint, and maybe defusing a situation is a more effective way to win back public opinion than going on the attack.

Anyway, I think ITT mishandled the situation and misjudged its response. Instead of the three line whip, over-emphasising the BBC line, a one-on-one interview with a reflective, vulnerable Alesha could have turned the situation around. Craig came across as holier-than-thou and patronising. He offended me by proclaiming that Alesha was almost the standard of a professional dancer, showing his lack of knowledge of ballroom, and his lack of respect for professional ballroom and latin dancers. Alesha, who has every right to defend herself, but needs to think very carefully about how she comes across, came across as almost arrogant. The public fell in love with her on Series 5 becaues she came across as unpretentious, sweet, humble, and as willing to admit to her mistakes as she was delighted with her successes.

My ideal scenario to turn the backlash away from Alesha would have run something like this. Claudia presenting a little montage of Alesha's SCD journey in clips from past series - Alesha appearing on ITT as a superfan (just to remind us that Alesha was once just like us, just a fan of the show, falling in love with dancing); Alesha as a contestant (to remind us what led us to crown her one of the most popular series winners ever); Alesha dancing with the pros on one of last year's shows (to illustrate how she remained part of the Strictly family); and finally Alesha on Saturday, the next stage of her Strictly journey.

Talk could have turned to last year's Strictly, and how her experience of competing influenced her enjoyment of the show. Alesha could have then brought in her empathy for contestants and the nerves they experience. That could have been the ideal moment to mention that she actually voted for John Sergeant. Cue montage of public support versus judges' opprobrium, a shot of John and Kristina's dejected faces. The viewers at home might have been reminded of last year's fury and their pleas for change. Well look - goes the subliminal message - the BBC does listen to your views, you wanted this change! Alesha could then have talked about the audience point of view - that sometimes the most technically excellent dance isn't the one that the public take to their hearts. That she is there to say that out loud. She may not necessarily be able to give a higher score, but she knows that sometimes a contestant needs some words of encouragement; they need to hear that their dance may not have been perfect, but it was their personal best and they are deserving of praise. Oh, think the viewers at home, the panel is going to be a bit more balanced than before, less emphasis on putting the boot in. What a good idea!

Finally, Alesha could have admitted to nerves, perhaps even self-doubt. To knowing how important the change would be to the viewing public. Admitted maybe to watching back the footage to see what improvements to make, because after all, just like the contestants, she is on a steep learning curve. Cut to the shot of Alesha looking devastated at Matthew going out early, to prove that this is not a walk in the park for her.

It would have taken some spinning, and wouldn't necessarily have dealt with the media backlash. But it might have started to get the viewers back on board, and calm the mutterings for a scalp. Sometimes eating a little humble pie is the best way to get what you want. And surely it can't be worse than having the internet abound with fury about Alesha's arrogance on ITT!.