Goodman "furious" with BBC, viewers

Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman has said he is "furious" with the BBC - and the viewing public - after the shock departure of Gabby Logan and her partner James Jordan from the competition.

Logan and Jordan were joined by Penny Lancaster Stewart and her dance partner Ian Waite in the bottom two on Sunday night's pre-recorded results show despite placing in the middle of the judges' leaderboard.

Speaking on BBC Two's Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two programme on Monday night by phone from Los Angeles - where he sits as a judge on the US version of Strictly - he hit out at the viewers who voted to save lower-rated contestants instead of supporting those with more dance talent.

"I'd like to say how sorry how sad I am that Gabby and James have had to come out of this competition," he told show host Claudia Winkleman. "The real villains of this are the viewers. I was against the judges voting somebody out at the end. I liked the other method... especially now."

He said that he didn't have a "clear conscience" about the decision - the first time he had wrestled over such a choice in over 40 years of being a dance judge.

"I really didn't want to be put into that position," he said of having to choose between two competent dancers in the bottom two. "I think it was a disgrace and I think the public... well, words fail me.

"I think it's unfair that I was put into that position by the BBC. I don't think it's fair that it should all come down to that vote. I understand the concept that if you've got a really good one... that we can vote out the bad one but that isn't happening."

He added: "Kenny [Logan, husband of Gabby] should have been in the bottom two and Kate [Garraway, GMTV presenter] should have been in the bottom two."