On Thursday’s This Morning, Christopher Dean admitted that he always advised the show’s reserve skaters to “Practice practice, because you’ve got about a sixty percent chance of being part of the show. And this year is no different”. Except of course, this year is different. Not only is Dancing On Ice subject to the obvious COVID restrictions, but for the first time in the show’s history both reserve skaters have indeed become part of the main show.
Over the years a number of back-up celebrities have found themselves skating on live television with little notice as well as a raft of professionals drafted in following injury, fall-outs and undisclosed backstage changes. In this post, I’ll look at both this series and the line-up changes of series past to try and glean what this year’s newbies, Amy and Matt (and their partners Joe and Vicky) might expect and if there’s anything they could learn from.
Way back in 2006 when the show started the first draft of celebrities appeared to escape unscathed with no withdrawals and it’s therefore unclear who the reserve skaters were for the first two series as they went utilised. How much these guys kept up their practice during the run is a mystery, but it’s interesting to think somewhere out there may be four well-known names with secret ice skills still waiting to be unleashed.
It wasn’t until the third series, in 2008 when children’s television presenter Michael Underwood was forced to withdraw after week two due to a broken ankle that we saw the first replacement hit the ice. Waterloo Road actress, Zaarah Abrahams and her partner Palascak joined in week 3, and did Michael and his professional partner Melanie Lambert proud finishing a more than respectable third. The following season saw Michael and Melanie return to the ice briefly before rather disappointingly being the fourth couple eliminated.
The fifth and sixth season of the show saw another tranche of celebrities escaping unscathed and so yet again we are left to wonder which celebrities missed out on their chance to spiral their way to glory. While series 7 saw history repeat itself somewhat with 1980s icon Chesney Hawkes injuring himself ahead of transmission and being replaced by eventual third place skaters Chico and his partner Jodeyen Higgins. The following season saw professional rugby player forced to withdraw due to extreme motion sickness and nausea ahead of the flying routine in week eight. Such a late withdrawal meant yet again the back-up skaters were unable to participate.
After another series not using replacements, series ten saw cricketer Monty Panesar withdraw due to injury prior to transmission before being replaced by Lemarr and Melody Le Moal. However this season saw a number of non-injury replacements for reasons it’s hard to uncover. Newly appointed professional skaters Lloyd Jones and Megan Marscall both opted to leave the show prior to airing and (it appears) before being partnered for undisclosed personal reasons and were replaced with the ever popular Mark Hanretty and 2020 champion Alex Murphy. While the commentary box was occupied by Matt Chapman for just one week before he was axed and replaced by TalkSport commentator Sam Matterface.
Another uneventful season in 2018 was followed by controversy and injury aplenty last year. Television presenter Michael Barrymore (an already controversial booking) had been partnered with fan favourite Alex Murphy broke his leg prior to the competition airing and was replaced with former Blue Peter presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and Jess Hatfield, who were in my opinion extremely unlucky to be eliminated third. Not least when you consider their skate-off opponents – Caprice and Oscar Peters. The least said about the former’s antics and withdrawal the better, but if you really want to go there you can read the piece I wrote prior to the announcement of her replacement partner and subsequent withdrawal from the competition, here. Professional skater Alexander Schuman was originally paired with former Eastender, Joe Swash before injury saw her replaced with Alex Murphy, the two then going on to take the crown.
With this year’s series subject to understandably stringent health and safety measures in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic it was always likely someone was going to miss a week or be forced to withdraw. Following professional skater Yebin Mok’s nasty leg injury in training it was agreed that comedian Rufus Hound and his partner Robin Johnstone would skate in week 1 allowing Graham and stand-by pro Karina Mantra to take their place in week 2. When Denise Van Outen subsequently dislocated her shoulder ahead of their first skate, no such change was forthcoming and so her and Matt Evers gallantly pressed on with a pared down performance which while not setting the ice on fire, was enough to see them voted through to musicals week. Having come into contact with someone who had tested positive for COVID, Rufus was forced to miss week 2 and isolate. However not being due to skate (aside from the group number) this was the one week where it was possible for this to happen and stay in the competition. After all, as Strictly has demonstrated over the years on occasion couples get ill or suffer personal issues requiring a week off (Tina O’Brien was absent from SCD for a week due to shingles and Billie Shepherd was absent from last week’s DOI due to a family bereavement).
Latterly it was discovered that Denise’s shoulder injury was worse than first though and so stand-by Amy Tinkler (former Olympic gymnast) and her partner (new pro) Joe Johnson took to the ice last week cheered on by Denise and Matt Evers (who had gone as far as moving in with Denise and her family for the duration of the run). Earlier this week it was announced that having tested positive himself for the virus, Rufus Hound is to be replaced by the second standby, comedian and broadcaster, Matt Richardson and his partner Vicky Ogden (who last skated on the show in 2014 when she was paired, with now husband, Sam Attwater).
While Alexander Schuman returned from injury last year too late to rejoin her partner, there must have at the very least been some satisfaction in seeing Joe go on to become champion, knowing she had played her part in his victory. Sadly for Yebin (who it was expected could have returned in later weeks to partner Graham), last week’s skate off and the fact the pro numbers have all needed to be pre-recorded this week mean we will not see her back live on the ice this year. With 2021 being Mok’s first stint on the show it is to be hoped she is signed again next year as doubtless she had much more to give.
White Skates 