SATURDAY night television is essentially a choice of singing or dancing.

We have just seen the BBC’s inaugural Greatest Dancer crowned and so now it is the turn of singing in its top, family friendly spot, for a few weeks.

I am not sure I was totally sold on the search for a dancer, to be honest.

And I couldn’t really put my finger on it until my friend quite rightly pointed out there were not enough acts who didn’t cut the mustard.

It isn’t that I am up for the ritual humiliation of seeing people openly fail when someone who loved them really should have told them they had no talent - but when everyone is good you sort of know what to expect.

The down side of there being a lack of duffers is when the judges had to decide, some of the favourites just disappeared - with no explanation as to why they did or didn’t make it.

There is no such conundrum in All Together Now - a sort of live action Muppets Show for the new Millennium.

A selection of acts, pre-chosen through a no doubt very boring audition process before even making it before the cameras, have to excite a panel of 100 “industry” veterans enough to get them to stand up and sing along.

The more you can persuade to join you in your performance, the better the chance of getting into the top three, and securing one of two places in the grand final which are up for the grabs.

There is an eclectic mix of entertainment stalwarts perusing the talent - from folks who sing at medieval banquets to drag queens.

And sitting up front and centre is Geri Horner, or Halliwell, of Spice Girls Fame.

She actually described herself as being the Miss Piggy of the proceedings when I saw her on the One Show recently, and host Rob Beckett as Kermit the Frog.

He looked a bit offended initially and then took it quite well.

The analogy though, is a good one - there is no shortage of charisma amongst the 100 and they are even arranged similarly to the opening credits of the legendary Muppets Show.

In fact, the sections where Rob chats to them all are probably the most entertaining.

Whether they are any good, and therefore actually well-equipped to judge others, is not really ever addressed.

There’s the one who never, or rarely, stands up for anyone and then others who barely give them a chance to get to the second line of the song before they are on their feet.

And having Geri at the centre of it all is actually quite a shrewd move.

She doesn’t really take herself that seriously and a lot of what she says does makes quite a bit of sense.

And I think the reason I really rate this show is it doesn’t peddle any promises it can’t keep.

From the outset of last year’s first series it did not sell the hope of a recording career or life in the spotlight.

There was, let’s not downplay it, a handsome cash prize of £100,000 but the goal was not to trouble the charts or record an album but rather to find a good singer who had charisma.

In fact - last year’s winner invested his cash on a waffle bar business.

Almost as an added bonus he also just happens to have got himself chosen to represent Great Britain at the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest.

But you get the distinct impression he will be just as happy to get back to those waffles once it is all over.

And I applaud that.