[Tejas]

Kyran Bracken is bringing his Ice Party shows back to Blackpool for 3 dates in the autumn and tonight he's announced a few of the celebrity skaters who will be joining him on Twitter. Depending on which day you go, you get to see someone different - presumably trying to get people to go more than once?

Matthew Wolfenden is appearing on Thursday 1st November (afternoon and evening), with Karen Barber skating with Dan Whiston on Friday 2nd November (evening only), and finally Chris Fountain is taking to the ice on Saturday 3rd November (afternoon and evening).

Pro skaters for the show haven't been announced yet but tickets are apparently going on sale this Thursday. Is anyone going? I've been the last two years running and I'm currently thinking about the Thursday to see Matthew.

[Tiger Rose]

I may go to Blackpool this year. It's a bit of a trek for me but it's not looking like they are having any shows elsewhere this year. Think I'll wait & see which pro skaters are doing it before deciding which day(s) to go. I like Matthew but have seen him on the tour this year so it's slightly less of a pull. Would love to see Chris skate again though.

[TraceyUK]

Well as I live in Blackpool its more than likely I'll be going to most if not all of the shows, funds permitting of course.

[Snow_Leopard]

I'd like to go, but it's a long trek by train. Have to be a matinee show if I do. At least there are full-length matinee shows though, unlike Hot Ice, which is only half the full show.

[Tejas]

Well my tickets are booked - I'm going to see Matthew on the Thursday. Bring it on! And I'm even more excited as Katie Stainsby has dropped some hints on Twitter that she's likely to be appearing in the show!

I still have mixed feelings on the different headline acts each day though - it seems a bit mean if people have to go to more than one show to see the people they want to, but then that's business I suppose. I'm also slightly uneasy that Daniel is being billed as a 'headliner' which implies that he's more important than the other pro skaters.

[Snow_Leopard]

Originally Posted by Tejas

Well my tickets are booked - I'm going to see Matthew on the Thursday. Bring it on! And I'm even more excited as Katie Stainsby has dropped some hints on Twitter that she's likely to be appearing in the show!

I still have mixed feelings on the different headline acts each day though - it seems a bit mean if people have to go to more than one show to see the people they want to, but then that's business I suppose. I'm also slightly uneasy that Daniel is being billed as a 'headliner' which implies that he's more important than the other pro skaters.

I know what you mean. Daniel isn't a C-lebrity! Probably they just can't get one for that date? Still not fair on the other pro skaters though. I do wonder if Matthew and Chris can only do the one show.

Matthew is my favourite to see anyway!

[TraceyUK]

Originally Posted by Tejas

Well my tickets are booked - I'm going to see Matthew on the Thursday. Bring it on! And I'm even more excited as Katie Stainsby has dropped some hints on Twitter that she's likely to be appearing in the show!

I still have mixed feelings on the different headline acts each day though - it seems a bit mean if people have to go to more than one show to see the people they want to, but then that's business I suppose. I'm also slightly uneasy that Daniel is being billed as a 'headliner' which implies that he's more important than the other pro skaters.

I think its more to do with Dan being local and the fact he is skating with Karen, at the end of the day Dan puts bums on seats so to headline him in the show he is doing will sell tickets faster.

[Tejas]

Originally Posted by TraceyUK

I think its more to do with Dan being local and the fact he is skating with Karen, at the end of the day Dan puts bums on seats so to headline him in the show he is doing will sell tickets faster.

Probably. But Kyran is dubbing this year's show 'Celebrity Ice Party' - having headline acts each day would seem to imply that they will be the most famous there. I think Friday's show will look weak to casual skating fans who are attracted by the DOI connection. In terms of celebrity status, the other two dates look more impressive as Matthew & Chris are both in major TV soaps.

I still think it seems a bit disrespectful to other pro skaters as well, I wonder if they will all be paid the same for appearing in the show?

[TraceyUK]

Originally Posted by Tejas

Probably. But Kyran is dubbing this year's show 'Celebrity Ice Party' - having headline acts each day would seem to imply that they will be the most famous there. I think Friday's show will look weak to casual skating fans who are attracted by the DOI connection. In terms of celebrity status, the other two dates look more impressive as Matthew & Chris are both in major TV soaps.

I still think it seems a bit disrespectful to other pro skaters as well, I wonder if they will all be paid the same for appearing in the show?

Well going on what I've heard most people are saying "who" when they find out about Matthew, most people OTHER than hardcore DOI or soap fans havent a clue who he is yet they know straight away who Dan and Karen are. So which will sell more tickets?? I guess time will tell

[Snow_Leopard]

Originally Posted by TraceyUK

Well going on what I've heard most people are saying "who" when they find out about Matthew, most people OTHER than hardcore DOI or soap fans havent a clue who he is yet they know straight away who Dan and Karen are. So which will sell more tickets?? I guess time will tell

That's strange, but perhaps they don't know Matthew with his real name, more as David from Emmerdale. The point is, Daniel and Karen are not celebrities. Otherwise Jennifer Ellison wouldn't have skated with Daniel in DOI! I suppose it doesn't matter really, but the Friday show just stands out in this respect.

FWIW only skating fans have heard of Daniel and Karen in my experiences.

[Tejas]

Originally Posted by TraceyUK

Well going on what I've heard most people are saying "who" when they find out about Matthew, most people OTHER than hardcore DOI or soap fans havent a clue who he is yet they know straight away who Dan and Karen are. So which will sell more tickets?? I guess time will tell

I guess it will depend on who you know. If you talk to people who go to ice shows like Hot Ice, then of course they'll know who Dan is. There are a hell of a lot of people who watch the soaps though and Matthew did win DOI this year - so he's undeniably popular with the public. Having Matthew's picture on posters will probably help as people might recognise him from Emmerdale even if they don't know his name, as Snow_Leopard rightly said.

Anyway, people have the choice of seeing celebrities or an extra pro skater this year - I guess the audiences may be quite different.

[Tiggergirl]

Actually speaking to people I know they are going on the Friday because it is Dan and Karen and they see that as being a sufficient draw to go that night rather than the other nights. Also thats not hardcore skating fans that I am talking to regards the show but people who do watch the soaps and so on as well as DOI and on hearing the line up thought the biggest draw was Dan and Karen.

While you may not see it I would say Karen is probably well known enough in her own right to justify being the headline draw whether she was skating with Dan or not and it seems from previous Ice Party shows that Dan and Karen skating together was popular and a draw and them skating together on tour when she had to fill in during the Team Challenge also seemed to go down well.

It seems as usual with regards to this subject that it simply because it is Dan that it is an issue. Had Kyran announced that it was Matt Evers and Karen on the Friday or any other pro skater as a headline act would there still be complaints? or would that be ok because its not Dan.

Blackpool is Dans home town and he used to skate in Hot Ice at the arena so he is obviously going to be well thought of there and is going to be a big local draw which is essential if people are not wanting to travel to see the show. I haven't made a decision on Ice Party yet depends how things go later in the year but my preference for attending would be on the Friday to see Dan and Karen over the others announced so far.

[Snow_Leopard]

No Tiggergirl, it's nothing to do with it being Dan at all.

[Tiggergirl]

Snow Leopard you haven't actually answered my question as to whether you would still have issues if it was one of the other pro skaters being promoted for the Friday show? which makes me think you have issues with Dan and Karen specifically and certainly and from what I remember of your posts during the show you certainly had issues with Dan and Jennifer although more so Jennifer and IIRC you aren't a fan of Karen and again I think Tejas may have issues with Karen as well so it does seem as though it is only because its them there is a problem and there would not be complaints if say Kyran had announced Matt Evers was the headline act on the Friday.

Plenty of people loved seeing Dan and Karen skate on tour and it has been popular the previous years at Ice Party and on Kyrans twitter plenty of people were asking for Dan and Karen to skate again and people I know are now going to go back to see them skate again that were disappointed that they weren't involved last year.

All that to me suggests that it has been reasonable for them to be headlined on the Friday night.

[Tejas]

Originally Posted by Tiggergirl

Snow Leopard you haven't actually answered my question as to whether you would still have issues if it was one of the other pro skaters being promoted for the Friday show? which makes me think you have issues with Dan and Karen specifically and certainly and from what I remember of your posts during the show you certainly had issues with Dan and Jennifer although more so Jennifer and IIRC you aren't a fan of Karen and again I think Tejas may have issues with Karen as well so it does seem as though it is only because its them there is a problem and there would not be complaints if say Kyran had announced Matt Evers was the headline act on the Friday.

Plenty of people loved seeing Dan and Karen skate on tour and it has been popular the previous years at Ice Party and on Kyrans twitter plenty of people were asking for Dan and Karen to skate again and people I know are now going to go back to see them skate again that were disappointed that they weren't involved last year.

All that to me suggests that it has been reasonable for them to be headlined on the Friday night.

I will admit that I don't like Karen and was a bit dismayed to see her announced as a headliner - though as she's on a different night to "my" show I accepted it. I actually like Dan a lot, IMO he's a brilliant skater and having met him at a previous Ice Party show I also think he's a really nice bloke. I just feel uneasy when he gets put on a pedestal as if he is better than other pro skaters - he probably doesn't think that he is but I get the impression that some people do. Things like this could actually put people off him IMO, which would be a shame as he should be judged on his talent. I would be equally uncomfortable if it was Matt headlining, or Brianne, Frankie etc etc.

As for being local though, Katie is probably in the show as well. Granted she wasn't in DOI this year but she is also local and still appears in Hot Ice - so should she be promoted to headline status? She didn't even appear on the promo posters for Ice Party last year even though she was fresh from doing well on DOI!

On a slightly seperate note I see the show tickets have that day's headline act printed on them. I hope nobody pulls out for the sake of the skaters and their fans, but if they do I wonder if ticketholders would get their money back due to their names being printed on the tickets? I really hope this doesn't come back to bite the organisers as I love Ice Party but I'm a bit concerned!

[TraceyUK]

Originally Posted by Tejas

I will admit that I don't like Karen and was a bit dismayed to see her announced as a headliner - though as she's on a different night to "my" show I accepted it. I actually like Dan a lot, IMO he's a brilliant skater and having met him at a previous Ice Party show I also think he's a really nice bloke. I just feel uneasy when he gets put on a pedestal as if he is better than other pro skaters - he probably doesn't think that he is but I get the impression that some people do. Things like this could actually put people off him IMO, which would be a shame as he should be judged on his talent. I would be equally uncomfortable if it was Matt headlining, or Brianne, Frankie etc etc.

As for being local though, Katie is probably in the show as well. Granted she wasn't in DOI this year but she is also local and still appears in Hot Ice - so should she be promoted to headline status? She didn't even appear on the promo posters for Ice Party last year even though she was fresh from doing well on DOI!

On a slightly seperate note I see the show tickets have that day's headline act printed on them. I hope nobody pulls out for the sake of the skaters and their fans, but if they do I wonder if ticketholders would get their money back due to their names being printed on the tickets? I really hope this doesn't come back to bite the organisers as I love Ice Party but I'm a bit concerned!

Katie has appeared in a few Hot Ice productions, Dan appeared in at least 7, Katie has done one series of DOI, Dan has done 7 series of DOI, Dan had also won DOI twice, so hardly the same thing, and i say that as someone who knows both of them and has watched them both perform for a number of years now.

Dan had always been popular locally and has always been a favourite with the locals, so to me it makes sense to headline the local boy at the end of the day he wll be a draw and by teaming him with Karen as a headline act in response to requests to the organisers for this to happen then yes I think its a good move, last year Dan wasnt in the show and numbers were down on ticket sales, will be interesting to see which show is most attended this year.

[Snow_Leopard]

Originally Posted by Tiggergirl

Snow Leopard you haven't actually answered my question as to whether you would still have issues if it was one of the other pro skaters being promoted for the Friday show? which makes me think you have issues with Dan and Karen specifically and certainly and from what I remember of your posts during the show you certainly had issues with Dan and Jennifer although more so Jennifer and IIRC you aren't a fan of Karen and again I think Tejas may have issues with Karen as well so it does seem as though it is only because its them there is a problem and there would not be complaints if say Kyran had announced Matt Evers was the headline act on the Friday.

Plenty of people loved seeing Dan and Karen skate on tour and it has been popular the previous years at Ice Party and on Kyrans twitter plenty of people were asking for Dan and Karen to skate again and people I know are now going to go back to see them skate again that were disappointed that they weren't involved last year.

All that to me suggests that it has been reasonable for them to be headlined on the Friday night.

I thought I had answered? Ok then:

Yes, I would still think it's unfair whichever professional skater was billed as a headliner. The main point was that I didn't think it should have the " Celebrity " tag in this case.

[Snow_Leopard]

Originally Posted by TraceyUK

Katie has appeared in a few Hot Ice productions, Dan appeared in at least 7, Katie has done one series of DOI, Dan has done 7 series of DOI, Dan had also won DOI twice, so hardly the same thing, and i say that as someone who knows both of them and has watched them both perform for a number of years now.

Dan had always been popular locally and has always been a favourite with the locals, so to me it makes sense to headline the local boy at the end of the day he wll be a draw and by teaming him with Karen as a headline act in response to requests to the organisers for this to happen then yes I think its a good move, last year Dan wasnt in the show and numbers were down on ticket sales, will be interesting to see which show is most attended this year.

It's not a competition for best selling show. Plus the fact that Dan & Karen are only doing 1 show and the others are doing 2.

[Brunosgal]

Love it if kieron richerdson is there!!

[baileydt218]

im going booked our tickets the minute it was announced that Colin Ratushniak was appearing on it!

[karend0125]

Tickets booked for the Ice party, pretty impressed that Colin Ratushniak is there for all three nights. Hope he's back on doi this year!

[BoroJen]

Can't wait for Ice Party, Especially to see Colin Ratushniak.

[TraceyUK]

So its 4 weeks until Ice Party and we still have very little idea of who is actually taking part in it.
Is it just me that finds this a bit worrying/odd??
Most of the pros/celebs that have taken part before are commited to other projects just now so slightly concerned as to who we may end up getting.

[baileydt218]

well Colins doing it with Dan there as well plus the celebs skaters and Kyran i would imagine so its only a case of another couple!must admit i was impressed with steven cousins last yr so hope he does it again this time!but im going to see Colin primarily so im very very happy

[karend0125]

I think far from being worrying, this year's line up looks set to be fantastic. Colin's going to be skating with a new partner which is really exciting, Karen and Dan will be great together and I'm sure Scott and Kyran have got lots of other stuff up their sleeves. I can't wait.