Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby host the celebrity skating challenge, Dancing on Ice, with Brian McFadden, Richard Blackwood, Mark Little and Gemma Collins among the competitors
Twelve brave new celebrities will be getting their skates on this week as Dancing on Ice is back!
Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby return as our rink-side hosts with ice-dancing legends Torvill & Dean back on the ‘ice panel’ alongside Ashley Banjo and Jason Gardiner.
Half of our dancing dozen will perform this week – Corrie actress Jane Danson, former Strictly pro James Jordan, Grease legend Didi Conn, TOWIE’s Gemma Collins, former Neighbours star Mark Little and X Factor finalist Saara Aalto – with the remaining six next week, which is also when the first skate-off will be.
Who could be the new Ray Quinn? Or, more importantly, Todd Carty?
TV Times rating: ****
TV Times met up with Jayne, 61 and Chris, 60, to find out more…
What do you make of this year’s line-up of celebrities?
Chris: It’s one of our strongest line-ups so far. There are some great characters and I think there will be some surprises. Back in October, we did a bootcamp-type session, which we’ve never done before, to teach the basic skills…
Jayne: On the first live show, we’ll be able to see who needs to work a bit harder and who has the potential to go all the way. Can you give us any hints on who stood out for you?
Chris: No!
Jayne: Mmm… Nice try!
One of the show’s longest-serving professional skaters, fan favourite Dan Whiston, is creative director this series…
Chris: Yes, Dan will be working on the opening numbers of the show and, at the same time, overseeing choreography. Dan’s the most successful pro on the show [he has won three times – with Gaynor Faye in series one, Hayley Tamaddon in season five and Beth Tweddle in series eight] so he has a great idea of what works.
Jayne: We’ll also have a bit more involvement than we did last year, in setting some challenges and doing some choreography...
Chris: It was hard for me not being able to do that last year. I was like a puppy, wanting to be where the action is and being told to sit! We may perform a bit more, too… We’ve got to do it while we still can, right?
