ITV hopes new dance show’s "epic" special effects will allay Strictly comparisons

ITV itself is staying tight-lipped on its new six-part output, but we know it’s coming from the same company that makes The Voice, Talpa Media, which the broadcaster now owns.

The show has aired already in the Netherlands, so you can get an idea of the format from there. But sources tell us to expect familiar faces partnering up with their chosen partner (friends, loved ones, colleagues) to re-create iconic dance routines. Think Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Gene Kelly’s Singing in the Rain. The big selling point is those special effects and augmented reality, so expect a visual feast.

"Celebrities and their partners will recreate much-loved numbers with the use of the most up-to-date technology on a truly epic scale," our source said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89IicLtVx3g

This is of course still a reality dance show, so there’ll be judges and vote-offs, too. No one is dishing on names, but it seems it’s not been decided yet whether the panel will be made up of unknown experts (think music video choreographers and the like) or those more well known (Jason Gardiner and Louie Spence must be circling, right?).

As for the celebrities, a show insider informs us that, rather than any comedy element, they will be looking for "famous faces who have rhythm and can dance". We’ll leave Harry Hill to make the rest of that point for us.

But the general message seems to be that this is big, ambitious and different from what’s already out there, which would be welcome.

The series is expected to air early in 2017