I would have been better if I'd made it clear that I agree with you, up to a point. There's a huge gulf between that Jayne and Chris can do and what the celebs could even hope to do; and I agree that lifts can make a routine more exciting.

I'm not someone who wants no lifts; but I think there are too many now, and that the skating potential of some of the celebs is being wasted by the amount of time and effort they have to put into learning the lifts.

Back when Hayley was in it, quite a few people said she was in lifts most of the time, and (even though I didn't like her as a contestant) I felt I had to defend her on that point. Unfortunately, the way the choreographers made her routines more impressive without what I'd call skating was by having her dance on toe picks, or while she wasn't moving across the ice, or when her feet just stayed in one position.

And such things have become more an more common, along with the an acted part at the beginning that might not even be on the ice.

So the show's moved in a direction that's the opposite of what I'd like, and even with two very accomplished skaters on the judging panel, the only time they've done much to move things back the other way was when Chemmy was given that unsuitable lift.