THE highlight of Torvill and Dean’s Dancing on Ice tour, which last week played four dates at Birmingham’s NIA, came at the opening of the show, as the legends of ice dancing performed Bolero to a capacity audience well aware of the rare privilege they were enthusiastically enjoying.

Then came the other celebrity skaters - the ones we’d cheered on from their first faltering outings on the ice to increasingly assured performances or, in Todd Carty’s case, his still-faltering steps on the ice. In the first half, the nine celebs - Jessica Taylor, Roxanne Pallett, Zoe Salmon, Melinda Messenger, Todd Carty and champion Ray Quinn from series four, Kyran Bracken, champion of series two and last year’s winning finalist Suzanne Shaw and runner-up Chris Fountain - skated their hearts out in search of those elusive sixes from the judges, with Ray once again pulling in a perfect score from every one of the five and Chris Fountain a tantalising half point behind him. The audience vote put the two into a final Bolero skate-off for the trophy, but not until we’d seen a truly spectacular second half featuring second dances from all nine celebrities, with a stand-out performance from Suzanne Shaw, a joyful Wake Me Up Before You Go Go from the entire company and Torvill and Dean wowing the fans with Save the Last Dance for Me. The professional skaters, now celebrities in their own right and getting cheers as loud as their partners, wowed the vocal crowd with an intricately choreographed and energetic dance that saw Frankie passed mid-lift from Matt to Daniel in Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Two Tribes, and husband-and-wife team Fred and Mel skated a breathtaking, and very hot, Fever.

The audience raised the roof as Ray raised the trophy for another flawless performance and then it was party time, with celebrities, their partners and the great Torvill and Dean taking to the ice one last wonderful time with Walking on Sunshine, a perfectly fitting finale to a hugely entertaining evening that gave us one last glorious infusion of the Dancing on Ice we’d loved so much on TV - a perfect six of an evening.

For ticket availability for remaining tour dates, visit dancingonicetour.co.uk