Ice Rink On The Estate (New Torvill & Dean TV Series), ITV 9/4/15 9pm

[CaroLiza_fan]

Ice Rink On The Estate (New Torvill & Dean TV Series), ITV 9/4/15 9pm

I was just looking at the TV guide to see what was on after tea-time, and spotted that Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have a new 3-part series starting tonight.

In it, they are teaching youngsters from their hometown of Nottingham to skate, so that they can put on a show at a temporary rink.

Here is the press release about the first episode. (You can click through to the press releases for the other episodes from the Episode 1 page, so I won't post direct links here).


So, for those who can get ITV, Scottish TV or Ulster TV, here are the details:

Thursday 9th April 2015
ITV/STV/UTV 21:00 – 22:00 BST Ice Rink On The Estate

ITV is available via:

Digital terrestrial (UK only): Ch. 3 on Freeview
Digital cable (UK only): Ch. 3 on Virgin Media
Digital satellite (Europe):

ITV London (Ch. 103 on SkyDigital in London, Ch. 973 on SkyDigital elsewhere) – Astra 28.2E, Transponder 44 (10,758V. MBaud 22,000. FEC 5/6).
Scottish TV (Ch. 103 on SkyDigital in Scotland) – Astra 28.2E, Transponder 54 (10,906V. MBaud 22,000. FEC 5/6).
Ulster TV (Ch. 103 on SkyDigital in Northern Ireland) – Astra 28.2E, Transponder 54 (10,906V. MBaud 22,000. FEC 5/6).
​

Just in case you miss some of it, it will also be available an hour later on the equivalent timeshift channel

Thursday 9th April 2015
ITV+1/STV+1/UTV+1 22:00 – 23:00 BST Ice Rink On The Estate

ITV+1 is available via:

Digital terrestrial (UK only): Ch. 33 on Freeview
Digital cable (UK only): Ch. 114 on Virgin Media
Digital satellite (Europe):

ITV London+1 (Ch. 131 on SkyDigital) – Astra 28.2E, Transponder 53 (10,891H. MBaud 22,000. FEC 5/6).
Scottish TV+1 (Ch. 131 on SkyDigital in Scotland) – Astra 28.2E, Transponder 54 (10,906V. MBaud 22,000. FEC 5/6).
​

NOTE: Ulster TV+1 is not available on satellite. :disapp:


I am not sure if the catch-up services on the channel websites are available outside the UK. But just in case they are, here are the addresses:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/
http://player.stv.tv/
http://player.u.tv/


I don’t know if this particular initiative will achieve anything, but it is initiatives like this that are needed to try and increase the popularity of the sport.

Sorry that I am only posting this a few hours before the first episode is broadcast.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just a wee reminder that the first episode of Torvill & Dean's new series "Ice Rink On The Estate" is due to start in about 5 muinutes.

For details on how to receive ITV, Scottish TV or Ulster TV, see the original post in this thread.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[dorispulaski]

Do tell us about it!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Do tell us about it!

OK!

Before I go into a review of the first episode, here are the links for watching it on-demand:

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/ice-rink-on-the-estate/series-1/episode-1
http://player.stv.tv/programmes/ice-rink-estate/
http://player.u.tv/programme/Ice-Rink-on-the-Estate

On all 3 websites, programmes are available on-demand for 30 days after they were originally broadcast.

A couple of years ago, the on demand service on the ITV and STV websites changed, so that now you have to register with them to watch programmes. The reason being that there are some programmes which STV or UTV show that ITV doesn’t.

HOWEVER, you do not have to register with the UTV website to watch programmes. They only require you to input a postcode. So, in theory, if you know a Northern Ireland postcode, you can get in.

So, here is the postcode of Dondonald Ice Bowl, which is the main ice rink in Northern Ireland (and Ireland as a whole!):

BT16 1XT

Could somebody outside the UK please try it, just to see if it works? And if it doesn't work on it's own, could you try it with the VPN add-ons we have found so invaluable this season?

Thank you


You know, before it started, I was worried about what this programme was going to be like. But, I was very pleased to see that it was really good.

I was expecting it to be at most 20 teenagers starting off, and then them gradually drifting off and them being left with, at most, a dozen. But I greatly underestimated the ambitions of the exercise, and the enthusiasm of the youngsters that got involved.

The aim was to get around FIFTY teenagers from 2 estates (which have a reputation for being rough) to volunteer to take part in a 4 month training programme. At the end of which, they would put on a show in a temporary rink in the middle of the estate.

So, Jayne and Chris went to the school most of the teenagers from those estates went to (the largest school in England, as it happens), and gave a talk and then asked for volunteers.

I don’t want to give too much away, in case you are able to watch it. But, suffice to say, I was very impressed with the number of skaters they got, the attitude and enthusiasm of the youngsters, and how quickly they were improving.

It was very interesting to watch them when they first got on the ice. A few were doing like I did the first (and only) time I was on the ice, and clinging to the boards. Most were more adventurous, and doing laps further away from the boards. There were some falls, but not as many as I expected.

And then there was one fella who was doing proper, recognisable spins and jumps!!! (Clearly not a first timer on the ice… or second… or third…!!! )

Jayne and Chris were great with the teenagers. Particularly Chris (well, he has been a parent for longer than Jayne has). They knew just the right things to say and do to encourage and re-assure the teenagers.

A few weeks into the exercise, and they sprung it on the participants that they were going to be doing a show for their classmates the following Friday. Backstage, Chris did a piece to camera where he was describing the routine he had in mind. And it made you realise just how good a choreographer he is, visualising all this in his head.

After seeing this, I’m surprised more elite level skaters are not asking Chris to help choreograph their programmes. They could really benefit from Chris’ ideas.

Again, in case you can view the episode on-demand, I won’t spoil it by telling you how the show went. But, suffice to say, it is amazing what can be put together in just 6 days.

As with most reality programmes, a handful of the participants were featured more in-depth than the rest. Surprisingly, that fella that knew what he was doing wasn’t one of them. Instead, they had the youngest girl, a girl who was going through a really tough time, and a fella who normally plays football.

This fella came out with some things that I can relate to. He was saying that figure skating is seen as a girls’ sport, and that any guys that admit that they like it are automatically labelled as “gay”. So, before this opportunity came along, he wouldn’t have admitted that he liked skating.

And I can tell the same story. A few years ago, I never would have talked to anybody about figure skating. I had been watching it at home for years, but wouldn’t have let on to anybody. Since joining this forum, I am a little bit more open about it now. But, I still keep a guard up. For example, although I have added lots of skaters on Facebook, nearly all of them are female skaters. I enjoy watching all skaters, but I do not tend to add male skaters, in case people start jumping to conclusions.

It is perceived prejudices like this that is preventing people, particularly boys, taking up figure skating. And it is harming our position within the sport. Britain used to be a real force in figure skating. In the 70’s and 80’s, John Curry, Robin Cousins, and Torvill and Dean were winning at the Olympics. And they were superstars. But since then, it has become a fringe sport in this country.

Hopefully, this programme will help inspire more people to take up figure skating.

Can’t wait until the next episode!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[brushalley]

I really enjoyed this programme too.At the start the kids looked very disinterested when T/D went to the school .I bet some of them didn't even know who they were as none of them were born in 84
It was slow to start but getting to know the kids more and watching how they'll progress will be great.I liked the part when they took them to Blackpool I love going to that show myself.
Somehow I don't think three episodes will be enough!

 

[Weathergal]

CaroLiza,
I'm in the U.S. When I clicked on the UTV link, it immediately said it couldn't be viewed from my location and that I had to be in Northern Ireland. It wouldn't even let me get to the point where I could input the Northern Ireland post code. I'm not too familiar with the VPN ideas you mention, but perhaps someone else in the U.S. who is could give that a try?

I'm going to try the ITV or STV links, and see if they'll let me view if I register.

Either way, thanks for the info. I think it's a really interesting idea, and I'd love to see something similar tried in the States.

Thanks!

 

[TMC]

I'm in Finland and although I'm using a VPN I can only get the UTV player to show me ads...and the other two don't work at all. Shame as I was really looking forward to this!

 

[Mattieu]

I'm in Finland and although I'm using a VPN I can only get the UTV player to show me ads...and the other two don't work at all. Shame as I was really looking forward to this!

I got it to work from Paris using Hola

 

[TMC]

I got it to work from Paris using Hola

Thanks for the tip! I recently changed my VPN from Hola to Zenmate, I'll try again with Hola

 

[Mattieu]

Thanks for the tip! I recently changed my VPN from Hola to Zenmate, I'll try again with Hola

I used the itv site too

 

[TMC]

Awww still no luck...ah well I'll just hope that somebody uploads it to Youtube

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Sorry to hear that the websites are not working abroad. To be honest, I wasn't expecting the ITV or STV websites to work at all. However, I had kinda hoped that the UTV website would work with a VPN. But, alas...

Right. I've had a look on YouTube and Daily Motion, but there is no sign of anything yet. Well, there is actually a video of when the programme was discussed on "This Morning", but that is it.

HOWEVER, I have found an alternative website which might work for some of you. But, there's a couple of catches.

ITV have a website where you can view their programmes from abroad. However, it is a subscription service (€4.99 per month) and is only available in the following countries:

Austria, Belgium, France, Greece, Gibraltar, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Spain

As I am in the UK, I can't test it. It may work in other countries with a VPN, but I don't know. And I wouldn't want anybody to pay the subscription only to find out that it doesn't work for them.

So, if anybody who is willing to pay to watch it is in any of these countries, here is the link for the first episode:

https://itvessentials.com/show/ed1eb09f-4342-4ba7-8e43-69ff944a96fd

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Just a wee reminder that the second episode of "Ice Rink On The Estate" will start in 2 hours time, at 21:00 BST.

Tuning details for watching ITV, STV and UTV in Europe are in the original post of this thread.

HOWEVER, I have had a look around the internet, and have found that there are illegal streams of ITV available, just like we have been using for watching Eurosport. Here are a few:

ITV Stream
ITV Stream
ITV Stream

As always, if you get a message saying you have to download something, DON'T DO IT!!!!

I don't know if it is the sort of programme that you can pick up after missing the first episode. But, if it is as good as the first episode, it will be worth it.

Hope this helps

CaroLiza_fan

 

[TMC]

Thank you so much CaroLiza_fan!!!

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I am so sorry. I could have sworn that I had posted my review of episode 2 after I finished writing it (a couple of days after it was shown). It was only when I came to post my review of episode 3 there now that I discovered that I had not.

So, please accept my apologies for the LONG delay.

CaroLiza_fan

Thank you so much CaroLiza_fan!!!

You're welcome.

Have to say, this episode wasn't as good as the first. There was more on-ice stuff in the first episode, whereas this episode focussed more on getting to know some of the people involved.

Since I now know that it is possible to watch streams of ITV, I will not be so cryptic about the content of the programme any more.

When writing about the first episode, I said that there were 3 participants featured:

As with most reality programmes, a handful of the participants were featured more in-depth than the rest. Surprisingly, that fella that knew what he was doing wasn’t one of them. Instead, they had the youngest girl, a girl who was going through a really tough time, and a fella who normally plays football.

Well, in order, these featured teenagers were Shardae, Charlie and Oliver.

During the first episode, Charlie was going through some family issues. And she said that with everything that was going on, she didn't think she would be able to continue. Chris went to see her on the estate, and tried to talk her into staying on. But after their conversation, she was never seen again. However, in the preview of the third episode, we saw that she returns.

In the second episode, Shardae was still keen but struggling, and it was starting to cause tension with the other girls.

This time, there were two challenges. The first was a mini-show that was put on for potential sponsors. To achieve the ultimate aim (a show on a temporary rink in the middle of the estate) was going to cost £150,000. And so, they needed sponsors to pay for it.

In the previous episode, we had been told that the hiring of skates was being provided. But, only for so long. Some of the teenagers went pricing their own skates, and got a shock when they found out the prices for boots and for blades. And, I have to admit, so did I! I knew they would be more expensive than normal shoes, but I didn’t expect them to be THAT expensive.

So, Chris did some negotiating, and talked a skate supplier into donating skates for all the participants. (It was when the skates arrived that he delivered Charlie’s and tried to get her to come back). But, they still needed to find sponsors for everything else.

Probably because he was doing well, Oliver was put into a routine with a lot of girls. It was a James Bond theme, so presumably he was supposed to be 007. But, he didn’t see it like that. He just saw that he was being put into a girls routine!

That kid that I pointed out as clearly having previous experience was leading a Michael Jackson routine. He still hasn’t been featured, but after a bit of research, I now know why. When I went back to the first episode to check something, I was jumping through the chapters, and one of the chapter marks just happened to be on a shot of this fella wearing a piece of paper with his full name on it. So, I looked him up on Google, and found that he is actually already on the competition circuit. Here is a story about him:

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Shy-y...Olympic-gold/story-24558451-detail/story.html

Anyway, the performance went well, and it worked. Later on Chris got a phone call from one company giving them £10,000. Then another phoned saying they would give the full £150,000!

The other challenge was to put together a routine for a show during the interval in an ice hockey match.

This time, some of the skaters were asked to form partnerships. And it was here that we saw all the emotions that come out of skating with somebody else.

With one of the couples, Korie and Arianna, there was no chemistry at all. When the partnerships were being announced, it was obvious from Korie’s reaction that he didn’t want to do it. And he even said so to the camera! After a lot of awkwardness at their practice, Korie admitted to the coach that he did not want to skate with a partner. So, the coach respected his decision, and let him pull out of it.

Oliver was paired with a girl called Chloe. And you could see the chemistry straight away. Not only that, but they were actually very good at what they were doing.

But the couple that the main focus was on were Nikki-Lee and Morgan. They were also very good. But then things started to go wrong.

The day before the performance, the skaters were still struggling to get the pinwheel right. So, to get some extra practice in, and to give the teenagers a feel of what real skaters’ training regimes were like, an early morning practice was organised for the day of the performance.

Morgan was really tired, and was wary of going onto the ice. But Chris talked him round, and he took part. And then he dropped Nikki-Lee. This made him lose all confidence, and he couldn’t face going back out on the ice. At dinner time, Morgan told Nikki-Lee that he probably wouldn’t be doing the show. So, Chris went round to Morgan’s house that afternoon, and managed to talk him round by telling him that they would take the lift out.

After that, everything seemed to go smoothly. The performance was a great success. Well, what we saw of it seemed to go well, anyway. Unfortunately, the programme makers edited it down to within an inch of its life. There was no flow to the highlights at all – just a snippet here, and a snippet there. If the ISU put up highlights like that during the competitions, there would be uproar!

Can’t wait to see the next episode. From the preview put on at the end of episode 2, there are going to be fireworks!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

I have a confession to make. With the snooker World Championships being on at the same time, I forgot about episode 3 of “Ice Rink On The Estate” the night it was broadcast!

So, I had to download it from the On Demand service. But, with everything going on, I didn’t get watching it until just before I went on holidays, and didn’t get writing the review until I came back.

But, it was definitely worth the wait! The final episode of “Ice Rink On The Estate” was just as dramatic as I expected.

It was a week before the final Show, and the temporary rink in the estate had just been finished. Jayne and Chris had a look first, and then the teenagers arrived and got their first go on it.

Following this was a feature on Charlotte, a girl that had originally been introduced in the first episode. She also made a speech to the audience after the performance for potential sponsors in episode 2. Anyway, because she had come on so well, Chris asked her to do a solo in the show.

Next, they did a feature on the local boxing club. Now, don’t worry, there was a reason for this madness. Back in the first episode, when they were first looking teenagers to take part, the boxing club was approached. They encouraged their members to get involved in the initiative, and an awful lot did. For example, Morgan was one of the ones from the boxing club that joined up.

Whereas the issue of skates had been tackled in the first episode, it was only in the final episode that the subject of costumes came up. Now, Jayne and Chris managed to pull a few strings, and got the entire wardrobe used on their other ITV show “Dancing On Ice” provided. But, in a novel twist, rather than getting the teenagers to pick the costumes they wanted to wear, they got their parents to do it!!!

But this was just a minor twist compared to the next one. Chris went to see Charlie to talk her into coming back. Charlie was undoubtedly one of the better skaters in the first episode. But, she was in foster care and, not long into the project, she moved away to live with a new family. So, she hadn’t been involved in the project since then.

Five days before the show, Charlie had her first go on the temporary rink in a one-to-one session with Chris. And she agreed to come back. The tricky part came at the next practice session – Jayne and Chris had to the others that Charlie was returning. Suffice to say, it didn’t go down too well. A lot of the skaters (particularly the other girls) were very angry that they had been going to all the sessions, yet Charlie missed four months, and was not only coming back right at the end, but was getting a solo performance in the show.

Part 3 of the episode started with the teenagers going round handing out leaflets to publicise the show. Personally, I thought they were leaving it a bit late, given that it was only a few days left to go.

After this, there was another feature on Oliver. In the previous post about episode 2, when talking about Oliver’s on-ice partnership with Chloe, I commented about how much chemistry there was between them. Well, it became an off-ice partnership as well – they started dating! And Oliver was talking about their relationship, and how she was his first girlfriend, and that sort of thing.

But, then it was back to the important stuff: the Dress Rehearsal the day before the Show. And it was Charlie’s first time back with the rest of the skaters. You know how I was saying that there were complaints that Charlie was getting a solo. Well, it turned out that it wasn’t a Singles routine she was doing – it was a Dance routine with Chris!!! And after seeing them on the ice, and how good it was (albeit a bit pedestrian), the general feeling within the group changed, and they were supportive of her return.

It had been raining throughout the rehearsal. But then it started absolutely lashing it down. And once it got dark as well, it was getting too dangerous to continue, and Chris called time on the rehearsal. This did not go down very well. Charlotte made a good point – if it was like this the following night, would the show be cancelled?

Oliver in particular was very vocal. He went so far as to say that if he didn’t get doing the rehearsal, he wasn’t doing the show. His main grievance was that all the teenagers were willing to continue, but the adults weren’t letting them. He also brought up the question about what would happen if it rained on Show night, and added that if it was called off, it would mean the past 6 months would have been wasted.

Whilst I can understand their disappointment, safety is the paramount priority. So, I was with the adults on this one.

That is one of the main problems with out door rinks – you are at the mercy of the weather. But I couldn’t help thinking that there could have been ways around it. Like, finding a local circus and asking to borrow their Big Top for a few days.

The final part of the episode (and the series) was Show day! And although what they showed was interesting, I think they could have showed a bit more of Show itself. Put it like this – this part was 13 minutes long, but only 5 minutes of that was showing the Show itself.

Most of the show was shown during the first 2 minutes of the highlights package. Then the next 2 minutes was flicking back and forth between Charlotte’s Singles routine, and Charlie / Chris’ Dance routine. And the final minute was showing the Finale.

There were a few clips that caught my attention. Now, I’m not sure, but to me this clip looked like Arianna skating with a different partner. Whoever they were, it looked like a fun routine, and I LOVED their costumes (particularly Arianna’s)! Immediately after this was a clip of Nikki-Lee and Morgan doing the lift that was causing problems in episode 2.

They also showed a clip of Chloe and Oliver’s routine, and it looked good. And he kissed her at the end! And there was a clip of Morgan and the other boxers doing a routine based on their boxing training. And I couldn’t help thinking “Eye Of The Tiger?”

Going onto the “featured” routines, and both Charlie and Charlotte were nervous before their routines, and you could see those nerves in the first few clips of them on the ice as well. But, their confidence built as the routines went on, and in the end they both did very well. Oh, and Charlotte’s dress was so beautiful! (Suffice to say, it was very similar to Liza’s Red Dress… )

As for the finale, well, let’s just say that you couldn’t judge much about it from the way the highlights were edited together. But I did spot that one of the girls was wearing glasses, and another was wearing a hijab. And I thought “Aha! There’s 2 things we have discussed on Golden Skate as not being seen too often, and here they are on the ice at the same time!”

The highlights could have been put together better. I’ve already complained about how short they were. But another thing I didn’t like was that you didn’t get to hear the music that was actually being skated to. They had Coldplay’s “A Sky Full Of Stars” playing over the first 2 minutes of highlights package; Katy Perry’s “This Moment” over the next 2 minutes; and The Script’s “Superheroes” playing over the Finale.

So you had no idea what each routine was being skated to (probably to save the programme makers money on royalties payments! )



At the end, there was a final revelation. Because of the extra sponsorship money they had been given, they were able to arrange for all the participants to get passes to the rink for the next year.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable series. Not anywhere near as patronising as it had the potential to be.

That said, it could have been improved. I felt the final 2 episodes were a bit too focussed on letting us get to know particular skaters rather than the skating of the group as a whole. And the highlights of the performances were far too short.

On balance, I think it might have worked better as a 4 or 5 part series, with the extra time given over to showing much longer highlights of the performances, as well as showing more on-ice training.

I wonder where Jayne and Chris will pop up next…

CaroLiza_fan