ITV have announced that John Barrowman will no longer be taking part as a judge on this years’ series of Dancing on Ice.
John had been a judge on the skating show since 2019, alongside fellow judges Jayne Torvill, Christopher Dean and Diversity's Ashley Banjo.
ITV bosses thanked him for two brilliant years on the show and confirmed John will still continue to host the show’s All Star Musical specials.
An ITV spokesperson said: "We thank John Barrowman for two brilliant years on the Dancing On Ice panel and are pleased to be working with him again as host of the forthcoming All Star Musicals specials."
Last year the judge revealed how he couldn't wait to get back on the ice, having been a contestant himself.
How does it feel to be returning to the Ice Panel?
“It’s one of the best feelings to know that after such a rollercoaster of a year that 2020 has been, coming back to my ice family is a breath of fresh air. I think that everybody is going to be excited to see the entertainment, the fun, the style, the sparkle and most of all the fabulousness that we will bring to the ice this year.”
With one year in the judging seat on Dancing on Ice under your belt, will you be bringing any learnings from last year with you? And what kind of judge do you think you’ll be this year?
“I think I’m going to be a fair judge. However, learning some things from last year I’m going to bring in an element of what everybody experienced - we don’t know what to expect! Things can shock us, things can hit us emotionally, things can be funny. I learned not to judge things on a personal level, I learned to judge them on a professional level as I was watching the skate. The level of people entertainment-wise this year that we have, I’m expecting a great deal more than I did from other people last year.”
And what do you think of this year’s line up?
“I’ve watched the series since the beginning having been involved in the first series, thinking we were the best series ever. I think actually this is one of the best series ever, because we have such great contestants this year.”
What do the celebs have to do to impress you this year?
“First of all, to impress me this year the celebs are going to have to prove first that they can skate. It would be very easy for some of them, who I know very well, to rely on the showbiz aspect of it, which is all smiles and sparkles. I want to make sure off the bat for those first five or six weeks that the celebrities are getting the skating down. The last thing I want to see is someone, whether it be male or female, being lifted above somebody's head all the time and barely skating on the ice. I want to see crossovers, I want to see edges, I want to see some really intricate moves and if I don’t I am going to mark you down - mark my words!”
What can viewers expect to see from the new series?
“If I were to look into my crystal ball, which I do have and it’s very sparkly, I can see that viewers are going to be entertained. They’re going to be surprised, they’re going to be overwhelmed with emotion and they’re going to see a lot of fabulous things on that ice.”
Ahead of any blade hitting the ice, is there anyone you are looking at and think they will do well from the line up?
“I never like to pre-judge or make a judgement call. However, I know quite a few of these people and there’s a few of them I am expecting a lot from. I’m expecting a lot from Jason Donovan, a lot from Denise Van Outen, I’m particularly expecting a lot from Myleene Klass. Myleene used to be my TV wife and I was her TV husband back in the day as we presented alongside each other on a few TV shows. For one show we travelled across the US together and really got to know each other. With Jason, Denise and Myleene, particularly, as entertainers and performers and I want to see them perform to the hilt. With Colin Jackson, I want to see some emotion. Colin, as we know, is a sportsman and as we saw with Libby Clegg last year, sportsmen and women are very driven in how they skate and he will be good on the ice, I have no doubt about that. However, I want to see an emotional connection to the song and the music and the dance that he is performing. As Ashley always says, hit those beats. Hit those moments and Ashley I know will be looking for that. The one that I think will be a surprise right off the bat is Joe-Warren Plant. He’s very, very tall and I think everyone’s going to think he’ll have trouble skating because he’s so tall. But, there is an elegance with height and if he knows how to handle his elegance he will be a phenomenal skater. Graham Bell was one of my first interviews on British television years back. I expect good things from Graham because, again, he is an Olympian but I hope he too has that emotional connection. Faye Brooks, Sonny Jay, Rebekah Vardy, Billie Shepherd, Rufus Hound and Lady Leshurr, I’m excited to see what they will bring to the ice and I want them to knock my fabulous sparkly socks off me! It’s been a challenging year for performers and audiences of live theatre.”
As a seasoned star of the stage, what role do you think TV can play in these times? Specifically, Dancing on Ice which is so very theatrical and spectacular.
“Well, Dancing on Ice has always - and I hope this year will even more so - contributed to showing how important the theatrical world is to our growth as people and how it helps us emotionally with our mental health. To take us away from our everyday lives, to bring out the fantasy in our lives. To have a little bit of escapism. And that’s one thing that we do well at Dancing on Ice. Also, everybody always loves a bit of a competition
“So, I think it’s important this year that we highlight theatrical entertainment. Meaning we show people a lot more musical theatre hopefully. We have had acts who come on to perform on the ice with the skaters from the theatre world. Because the theatre world for me - particularly with my background and where I come from - puts so much into the UK. Our economy, our tourism and it seems like we have been forgotten. And the one thing we do at Dancing on Ice, as we’ve shown over the years with our skaters, is we never forget people. We always make sure people are spotlighted for their talent and their individuality. And that’s why we were the first to have the same sex couple and this year we will highlight the importance of our theatrical world, in the UK.”
We have lots of themed weeks in the competition. Is there one you look forward to in particular?
“I look forward to all of them, particularly props week and musical theatre. As an entertainer at heart, I love the storytelling aspect. Ashley is the choreographer and looks at a lot of the dance but what I remind people is that I’ve trained in all three. In musical theatre we do acting, we sing and we dance. I am looking at everything. Also, having been trained by Chris and Jayne in the first series, I have a certain knowledge about skating also. I think we can give positive, good critiques and I’m going to be looking for that in the all-round aspect of the performance.”
Why do you think Dancing on Ice is so popular with the viewers?
“Number one it’s popular with the viewers because it’s a good show. And it has a great combination. I mean, look at the line-up we have this year and look at the line-ups it’s had in the past. It’s got Chris, Jayne, Myself, Ashley, Phillip and Holly. I think the reason people come back and watch the show more and more is because they're familiar with how we will respond. They’re familiar with how we’re going to act towards things that are going on. And its comfort. When you go into your family’s house and you have a big dinner you’re comforted by the people around you. When people turn on ITV on a Sunday night they know they’re going to be comforted by the ITV ice family. Rather than being cold, we’re going to be hot, hot, hot.”
As a previous contestant on the show, are you tempted to get back on the ice yourself?
“I am desperate to get back on the ice having been a contestant. I am brushing up on all my skating. I’ve posted a couple of times about things I’ve been doing to remind myself of stuff. I would love so much if Chris, Jayne, Ashley and I could get on the ice and do something with the professionals. I have my skates underneath the table all the time ready to go. In fact, sometimes I even have them on. I may just run up and jump on the ice.”
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