The legendary Torvill & Dean will be skating into Manchester on their final-ever tour next year.
The ice skating icons will be performing at the AO Arena as part of their ‘Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance’ farewell tour – a poignant moment, as the duo were the arena’s first ever show back in 1995.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean are record-breaking figure skaters, perhaps best-known for their gold medal winning performance at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics 1984.
The pair have returned to Sarajevo today, 14 February, to commemorate their historic performance to Ravel’s Bolero 40 years ago to the day.
That performance had a TV audience of 24 million people in the UK alone, becoming a defining moment for figure skating and British sport.
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As well as returning to the setting of their iconic Olympics effort, Torvill & Dean have announced their retirement from skating together.
Although the pair will continue to work together off the ice – they are the head judges on ITV’s Dancing on Ice – their 2025 tour marks the end of their 50-year skating partnership.
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The Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance UK tour will kick off in London on 12 April, before heading across the UK on a 28-date tour, including a night at the AO Arena in Manchester.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean said: “Following the kind invitation from the Mayor, we are thrilled to be back in Sarajevo 40 years on from that memorable day.
Torvill & Dean have announced their farewell tour on the anniversary of their iconic Olympics victory
“Returning to the city which provided such a life-changing moment for us is incredibly nostalgic and brings back so many wonderful memories.
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“We’re also feeling very emotional as we announce our 2025 farewell tour: ‘Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance’. Whilst we will continue to work together off the ice, this will be the final time we will skate together following our 50-year partnership.
“But not without celebrating one final time with all of our incredible fans across the UK, who have supported us constantly over many years.
“We promise to put on an amazing live show – and we really hope to see you there!”
Tickets will go on sale at 8am on Wednesday 14 February.
Torvill & Dean: Our Last Dance 2025 tour dates in full
‘Breathtaking’ new 360° immersive dinosaurs exhibition to open in Manchester later this year
Emily Sergeant
A ‘breathtaking’ new immersive dinosaurs exhibition is set to open in Manchester later this year.
Fresh off the back of announcing its programme of events for the upcoming autumn-winter season last week, Factory International has now revealed that another new Lightroom experience will be arriving later this year, and it’s one any budding paleontologist will want to keep an eye on.
Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs blends iconic moments from Apple TV’s Emmy nominated Prehistoric Planet with never-before seen content.
It’s set to take audiences back in time to experience dinosaurs closer than ever before.
Narrated by critically acclaimed actor, Damian Lewis, the new 360° immersive experience is a celebration of our natural world told through captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and groundbreaking technology, with visitors will be transported back in time, 66 million years ago, to experience dinosaurs up close.
Damian Lewis guides audiences through the fascinating role dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures have played in shaping our world – from Ammonites and Mosasaurs, to the Tyrannosaurus rex.
Lightroom’s state-of-the-art 360 projections will allow viewers to see these majestic animals at an awe-inspiring scale and travel alongside them through volcanoes, soaring skies and the deep sea.
As escapist as it is educational, audiences will not only experience some of the most beloved scenes from seasons one and two of Apple TV’s Prehistoric Planet, but they will also be immersed in exclusive extended CGI sequences and bespoke illustrations that bring the show to life in entirely new ways.
And to make it even better, the experience is set to an original score by multi-Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer, alongside Anže Rozman, and Kara Talve for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs opens at Aviva Studios, and tickets go on public sale tomorrow (Friday 26 June).
Featured Image – Supplied
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Prestigious Edinburgh TV Festival to move to Manchester for first time in 50 years
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester will become the new host city for the TV Festival from 2027 onwards it was announced today.
For the first time in five decades, following an extensive consultation and competitive bidding process – which was launched in 2025 – the prestigious festival is set to move from its home in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh to our region from 2027 onwards, beating out other major northern cities like Newcastle in the process.
As part of a UK-wide strategic review into the event’s long-term future, the Festival’s board of directors say the review was undertaken in order to ‘examine how the TV Festival could continue to grow’ amid increasing challenges around accessibility, affordability, and sustainability across the television industry.
Greater Manchester‘s ‘successful and comprehensive’ bid included commitments around affordability, infrastructure, industry partnership, and long-term growth potential.
Plans include holding the Festival in locations in the newly developed St. John’s creative and cultural district.
“Greater Manchester presented a vision for the Festival that combined genuine creative ambition and future-facing energy with practical accessibility and affordability for delegates,” commented Campbell Glennie, who is the CEO of the TV Festival and The TV Foundation.
“This means we can radically reduce the costs associated with attending the Festival as well as the cost of passes.
“The city reflects the expanding ambition of the UK television industry, while still offering the scale, connectivity and unique cultural identity needed for an event of this significance – it gives us the strongest platform to grow the Festival’s reach and impact in the years ahead.”
Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council, said being chosen as TV Festival hosts is ‘brilliant news’ for Greater Manchester, adding: “It speaks to the growth, success and strength of our screen sector in the city region and the strong partnerships and talent we have here.”
The final Edinburgh edition of the TV Festival will take place this August, and dates and further details for the TV Festival in 2027 will be shared later this year.
Daisy Jackson -
14th February 2024 
