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| BBC and ITV plan celebrity ice skating shows |
| Written by Administrator | |
| Thursday, 25 November 2004 | |
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Torvill and Dean are set to skate back into the limelight in a new ITV1 show. The former Olympic champions will be pitted against each other in the series, Stars on Thin Ice.
They will turn rivals as they train two teams of sequin-clad celebrities in the "art of ice-dance". The new series comes just weeks after it emerged that BBC1 was planning an ice-dancing Christmas special. The BBC has signed up former England star Paul Gascoigne as one of the celebrities for Strictly Come Dancing on Ice. In the ITV ice-dancing show, one celebrity will be booted off every week and the final winner will be crowned Britain's new ice sensation. The contestants, whose names have not yet been announced, will learn a new routine every week with a professional coach. The show will be a comeback for Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, or T&D as they were known, who were huge stars in the Eighties. In 1984 over 24 million people tuned into the TV to watch the pair win gold at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics. The BBC delayed the Nine o'Clock News and MPs in the House of Commons broke off debate to watch the pair. Dean now lives in the US while Torvill teaches her craft in the UK. Today she said: "Chris and I ice-dancing to Ravel's Bolero and winning gold was one of the highpoints of our lives so far. "It was also one of the trickiest and most difficult. "Coaching a team of novice celebrities might be equally as challenging but hopefully a lot of fun as well. The 47-year-old said: "It's brilliant that we're going to recreate the magic of the Olympics by teaching ice-dancing and Chris, me and the rest of the country can relive those special moments." Dean, 46, said he was "thrilled" to be reuniting with his former ice partner. "The Olympics were a tough challenge and this will be an Olympian challenge too. "I can't wait to get my hands on those celebrities and knock them into shape. "I'm a very tough teacher and very competitive, so I'll expect high standards." An ITV spokesman said: "Torvill and Dean will be incredibly competitive. "Both are very driven and will be determined to win. We can expect a few sparks to fly along the way." A BBC insider said: "This does sound very similar to our Strictly Come Dancing Special." Source |
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