Dancing On Ice needs ‘All-Stars series’ to save the show

Dancing On Ice can still be as big as Strictly, says dance expert Dr Jill Jacobs…

Dance educator and researcher Dr Jill Rose Jacobs has told Heart Bingo that she believes the next series of Dancing On Ice should be an “All-Stars” edition in order to preserve public interest.

Dr Jill said: “I think an All-Stars series would be a great idea for Dancing On Ice, but they would have to get the selection right. If we’re talking about what it would take to save the show right now, I think an All-Stars series is the way to go. They can’t lose with that.

“That would be the best way to get the public interested in the show again. One person I would love to see return is Greg Rutherford. I think he could be considered an “All-Star” and I was really routing for him when he was on the show. I’d love to see him, and many others on the show again.”

Dr Jill also believes that, if the producers get the contestant selection right, Dancing On Ice can be as popular as Strictly Come Dancing.

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“I’d love to see Dancing On Ice blossom in the same way Strictly Come Dancing has,” said Dr Jill. “It has all the elements to do it. I don’t know who makes the decisions on the people that are chosen but they need to get it right. They have to consider fortitude, relatability and musicality. They can’t just pick sportspeople and celebrities who the public want to see. They need to think about the skills that are involved to successfully compete in the show.

“To get the show to Strictly levels of popularity, they have to make it relevant. They need to look at the demographic and consider who is really watching the show. They also need to present the celebrities in their best light, which can be done through music choices. There seems to be a temptation to have older celebrities dancing to older music, like Frank Sinatra for example, which just makes them look older, as if they’re stuck in their time period.

“The costumes come into it as well. Put them into costumes that are today considered attractive and stylish. That way the audience will be more drawn to them and inclined to watch them.”