Strictly Ice Dancing

After the success of the ballroom dancing show, Bruce and Tess were back to present a one off ice dance Christmas Special. There were three judges with ice dancing backgrounds plus Craig Revel-Horwood from the original dance series.

First celeb up was TV presenter Carol Smilie, who with her partner, professional Oula Jaaskelanian, performed a routine to Queen's Ain't No Stopping Us Now. It was quite good, although Carol seemed a bit timid on the ice (not that I can skate let alone dance on the ice). Judges gave them 21 points, which was quite harsh.

Next up was Hollyoaks actor Marcus Patric with professional Leigh Mack. I had no idea who he was. Their routine was weak and he struggled in having to lift her and not fall over. They received 12 points. This contest would always be tough on the male celebs, for just this reason.

Third on the dance floor was Jessica Taylor from Liberty X with Robert Burgerman. They danced to Beyonce's Naughty Girl and she was very confident on the ice, and moved well. It was obvious she had skated before this competition. They received 34 out of a possible 40 points from the judges.

Next up was comedian Rowland Rivron with an over-confident and quite arrogant professional Charlotte Clements. The routine was quite slow, as Rowland had no experience before the show (all competitors had three to four weeks training), and he was also struggling with the lifts. They received the lowest score of 10.

EastEnders actress Scarlett Johnson was next, with her partner Daniel Whiston. They performed a very good routine, she was confident on the ice and moved and danced well. The judges were quite harsh in scoring them only 22 points.

Originally footballer Paul Gasgoine was going to enter but he had injured his back in a series of falls. His fellow international David Seaman stepped into the breach. Fortunately he had skated quite a bit as a teenager so he was a bit more capable when he took to the ice with eight days remaining until the competition. He was 6'4" and was partnered by the petite Zoia Birmingham. In spite of his height which he sometimes seemed awkward with he skated well and with confidence, handled the lifts and moved his hips well for the routine to Tom Jones' Kiss. They scored 33 points putting them second.

As with the dance shows, the viewers have the deciding vote. This was not a live show, so only the audience in the arena voted. After the viewer scores were added, it was David and Zoia who were crowned Strictly Ice Dancing champions.