Dancing on Ice

Dancing on Ice is a British television series currently presented by Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby. Former hosts include Phillip Schofield, who hosted from 2006 to 2023, and Christine Lampard, who hosted in Willoughby's absence from 2012 to 2014. The series features celebrities and their professional partners figure skating in front of a panel of judges. The series, broadcast on ITV, started on 14 January 2006 and initially ended on 9 March 2014. On 4 September 2017, it was announced that a revived series would air on ITV from 7 January 2018 with Schofield and Willoughby returning as hosts. Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean assumed new roles as head judges, alongside original judge Jason Gardiner and new judge Ashley Banjo. In 2020, John Barrowman replaced Gardiner as a judge, however on 3 October 2021, it was announced that Barrowman would not be returning to the judging panel. His replacement was later announced as Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse. During the finale of the fifteenth series, it was confirmed that the show would return in 2024 for its sixteenth series. In 2023, It was announced that Schofield would not be returning to the show. His replacement was later announced as Catchphrase presenter Stephen Mulhern. Background and history The series was announced in November 2004 and originally titled Stars on Thin Ice, the show was renamed following the failure of ITV's celebrity oriented 2005 summer schedule. Dancing on Ice is frequently compared to the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing. In 2004, the BBC aired a Strictly special entitled Strictly Ice Dancing at Christmas, which was won by England goalkeeper David Seaman, who later became a contestant on the first series of Dancing on Ice. ITV's show was given a January premiere amidst network doubts about its viability but became a surprise hit in Britain, where it became the third highest rated television show of 2006. It attained an impressive 13 million viewers for the final in March. Britain's best-known ice-skating duo and Olympic champions Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean help to train the aspiring dancers, and also appear throughout the show with comments and advice. Head Coach Karen Barber also trains the skaters for the live show. From the beginning, Torvill and Dean opened every episode with a performance, with the exception of the second, third and fourth shows of the fourth series, when Torvill performed alone due to Dean's recovery from a shoulder operation.