CHA CHA FARCE; EXCLUSIVE BBC cave in to our demand for refunds Viewers vow they will boycott the final.

Byline: BY SARA WALLIS

THE BBC was yesterday forced into an embarrassing U-turn over its Strictly Come Dancing votes scandal after a deluge of complaints from viewers, MPS - and even Cabinet Minister Hazel Blears.

Up to 2,000 furious Strictly fans emailed and phoned to protest after the B BC scrapped Saturday's public vote and then refused to refund cash to those who had already made pointless phone calls.

Ms Blears, due to appear in a special Christmas edition of the show, said: "People vote in good faith and think that their vote will have an impact. It undermines the whole process of voting if their vote goes into a black hole."

Other MPs said it was inconceivable that the BBC, fined pounds 400,000 last year over a series of dodgy phone-ins, could have blundered once again.

John Whittingdale, Tory chairman of the media select committee, said: "I cannot understand how this has happened again. How can they still be making a hash of things?"

Philip Davies, a Tory member of the culture committee, added: "The BBC has learned nothing from all the previous scandals."

As the pressure mounted, the BBC 's insistence that there would be no refund rapidly crumbled.

And following an urgent meeting of Strictly's producers, a spokesman announced: "The BBC recognises this has been an unprecedented situation. We will be offering refunds to anyone unhappy about their votes who would like to be reimbursed."

Ms Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: "I am delighted the BBC has seen sense."

But viewers were still boiling mad. Shaun Foley, 51, from Croydon, South London, said: "I know they will now give refunds, but the BBC has a lot to answer for.

"I will not watch Strictly Come Dancing again and I am in mind never to watch anything on the BBC again. It's a disgrace."

The semi-final phone-in was scrapped because the judges marks for Rachel Stevens and Lisa Snowden were so high Tom Chambers could not avoid a danceoff irrespective of the public vote.

The BBC announced all three contestants and their partners would go into the final and votes already cast would be rolled over.

Callers were charged a minimum of 15p per call and had been phoning in for two hours before the vote was abandoned.

BBC Director-General Thompson apologised for the blunder. He said: "If anyone wants it we will, of course, offer a full refund."

Jon Beazley, the BBC's controller of entertainment production, added: ""There was no fix, nothing underhand. There was a set of contingencies in place but unfortunately not the one we needed.

"The votes cast will still roll over. If anybody is really unhappy then we will give them a refund."

All three couples will dance next week, with votes from last week displayed on a leader board.

One couple will be eliminated at the start of the second half of the show. Then all voting will start again for the final battle.

I am delighted the BBC has seen sense. People vote in good faith

MINISTER HAZEL BLEARS

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WE'RE STAYING Hugs from Tom and Camilla as they go through to final; THIGH'LL BE BACK Actor Tom and Camilla in last week's programme