Here’s who’ll be playing ice dancing duo Torvill and Dean in new ITV drama
ITV has announced the cast for new one-off drama Torvill and Dean.
The two-hour TV movie will explore the early years of British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean.
The British, European, Olympic and World champions won gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo and became the highest scoring figure skaters of all time.
Will Tudor (Game of Thrones, Mr Selfridge) will play Christopher Dean and Poppy Lee Friar (Ackley Bridge, In the Club) will play Jayne Torvill.
They’ll be joined by Anita Dobson (Call the Midwife, EastEnders) as Jayne’s first coach Miss Perry.
Stephen Tompkinson (DCI Banks) and Jo Hartley (This Is England ’90) will play Jayne’s parents, with Dean Andrews (Last Tango in Halifax) and Christine Bottomley (In the Club) playing Chris’s parents.
Torvill and Dean is written by William Ivory (Made in Dagenham, Burton and Taylor) and began filming last month.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean commented: “We feel very honoured that ITV have commissioned this film based on what was a very significant period in each of our lives. We have thoroughly enjoyed the time we have spent with William Ivory and the team at Darlow Smithson sharing experiences of our passion for skating, the life long friendship that came through our sport and everything that it took to achieve our eventual goal of becoming Olympic champions.”
Executive producer Emily Dalton added: “24 million people in Britain watched Chris and Jayne win gold with Bolero in 1984. They are iconic but also enigmatic: we’ve all speculated about their relationship off the ice. I think viewers will be moved and surprised by the heart-breaking – and backbreaking- journey they’ve been on together. We’re really grateful to them for sharing it with us, and to William Ivory for capturing it and crafting it so beautifully.”
Torvill and Dean is expected to air on ITV in the UK in early 2019.