I used to be a huge fan of the original run but it has never felt the same at all since it returned to be honest, trying to be too 'flashy' these days rather than a gentle Sunday evening show with the fantastic commentary of the late Tony Gubba plus some fantastic routines by Torvill and Dean, they're far too nice to be judging the thing!
The lack of opening titles also annoys me (imagine Strictly doing that!), as does the lack of formal introduction for the presenters!
Hopefully Phil still has a tap on his ear to confirm he has the results!
I half expected Phil to hand it over using one of those litter picker grabbers or something stupid! ITV do like adding these pointless extras. I don't mean giving someone a spot on the next show but having the physical golden ticket which does absolutely nothing apart from fill in a bit of time.
Also agree the judges all want to be the skaters best friends it seems. T&D especially should judge the skating properly but every week its just "I really enjoyed that performance" followed by a minor criticism and then another compliment.
Jason Gardiner did sometimes really annoy me, and later on in his time on the series he started to actually get nasty sometimes, but a lot of the time I did agree with what he said which the other judges didn't dare say, but they should be doing.
Also agree about lack of opening titles. The original look titles became so iconic and they could have easily adapted the style to the new look, it is great when you have a pre-opener vt then the titles building up to a big group routine to start off the show in style.
Also don't like how at the start of each celeb performance they are already on the ice now. No skate on or introduction like we used to get. Just feels so rushed.
Both the sped up stings and backing tracks sound so weird especially when they crash into a regular speed bumper.
The show does seem to make odd decisions. At launch in 2006 it seemed to launch straight off in the right way from set to scoring, from theme to team, since returning there is something that isn’t quite right, I expect things to be better by the next series, but they don’t seem to be.
It strikes me as an incredibly odd decision during a lockdown to use such prominent audience cheering effects when they should be sending the message to stay at home, ala the messages next to the ITV DOG. It didn’t seem to affect strictly, I don’t know why they think DOI would be different.
Well it always seems Dancing on Ice always tries to outdo or beat Strictly and they always fail. Last year their first same sex couple, was really nothing special, no one cared, and indeed no one warmed to H from Steps, who came across as arrogant.
Now in 2021, they are trying their best to show if Strictly can do it, they can, sadly Strictly had just the right balance, with a great band, great contestants, very decent judges, brilliant professional routines etc.
They also tried to show how like Strictly they had their bubbles etc, all of which we know happens.
Also, I don't think Strictly used canned cheering and applause. They simply had the crew cheer as much as they could, and possibly a virtual audience watching one or two shows.
This canned cheering, applause is truly appalling. ITV have gone down the American route, and it is dreadful.
ITV shiny floor and big entertainment shows have always been obsessed with having over the top screaming and cheering audiences so we should have known when they can't have an audience they'll still want the bloody noise from them!
One thing that has always annoyed me so much with DOI is when there is a powerful emotional dance and they do a lift and the audience still start clapping and cheering, totally ruining the emotion from the performance. I'm guessing they will still do that now! Why can't they see how annoying it really is? No idea who's idea on the show it is to add the canned audience but they need to go!
:-(
A former member
There is definitely a missing buzz that I’ve felt since it returned. I think the comparison to Strictly doesn’t help as you can tell that Strictly is infinitely better resourced. DOI has increasingly felt like a cheaper show - which is a shame for all the very talented people involved in it, but little things like the lack of titles, odd fonts for the name captions in the VTs, plus the lack of a live band, it has gone from looking and sounding incredibly slick to something that looks like it’s been designed by a talented amateur. It somehow also feels both rushed and padded at the same time. It’s quite an unsatisfying watch whereas Strictly, week in week out, feels like an event to watch with some wine and nibbles.
Lately I find myself facepalming my way through most of ITV’s entertainment programmes despairing at all the poor decisions made behind the scenes. I’d really like to chat with whoever the people are who make these odd changes!
I've no idea why they insist on splitting the couples into two groups for the opening two shows. It makes them feel incredibly padded, tonight's show was so drawn out. Six couples and not even a proper result in two hours is a ridiculous drag. They could easily have all 12 on the ice in the opening show and have the series hit the ground running. They must wonder why the audience drops off after the launch every year and the pace must be a major reason.
It was a mistake dropping Jason Gardiner as well, the show lacks any kind of edge or spice since he left. Torvill and Dean are the best experts you could find but are also dull as dishwater. To be fair Robin Cousins and Karen Barber were also incredibly bland, but at least back then Gardiner would add some interest.
It did tail off towards the end of the original run as well. It seemed to peak early on, it was 2010 when it started to fall back and then from 2011 onwards they made lots of pointless format changes to try and boost interest. Unfortunately it seems they didn't really learn many of the lessons from the end of the original run when they brought it back, with continued pacing issues and dull judges. It does usually get a bit better when all of them skate from week 3, but it would be nice if they could start with a bang for once.