External links
- Ice Warriors at IMDb
 | This article relating to a non-fiction television series in the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
| Ice Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Julian Grant Roy Scammell |
| Presented by | Dani Behr |
| Voices of | Neil Fox |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Production location | Manchester Arena |
| Running time | 45-60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | LWT |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 24 January – 21 March 1998 |
Ice Warriors is a British game show which aired on ITV from 24 January to 21 March 1998 and was hosted by Dani Behr. It had a similar format to Gladiators , except that the games were played on an ice rink installed at the Manchester Arena. The show's sponsor was 7 Up.
Although the series won a Bronze Rose for Light Entertainment at the 1998 Rose d'Or Festival, it was not successful with critics and viewers, receiving bad reviews and poor ratings. The show came to an end after one series. [1] [2]
The narrative of the show is explained in the opening title sequence:
After the millennium, a new ice age ravaged the Earth. Entire cities were destroyed, yet deep beneath the frozen ice plains mankind survived. An elite taskforce travelled back through time to prepare it by means of The Tournament. Their task: to ensure the survival of mankind. They were not indestructible, but instructors, not masters, but mentors. They were the Ice Warriors.
Each episode featured two teams of eight athletes and ice skaters, made up four men and four women along with a coach, representing different cities of the UK, competing in what was known as 'The Tournament'. Overseen by the ice master, Shem Jadier (Philip Ferrentinos), the tournament consisted of a series of challenges set on the ice, with each team competing against one other and the Ice Warriors, and were awarded points - or 'credits' as they were known - based on their performance.
The team that earned the most credits won the match and advanced to the final challenge, 'The Polar Pursuit', which was a chase race between four players on the winning team and four of the Ice Warriors. Each of the Ice Warriors that was caught by a player before the finish was worth money to the winning team, the value of which increased during the tournament.
After the six heats, the four teams that earned the most money in 'The Polar Pursuit' returned to contest two semi-finals, the winners of which then faced off against each other in the Grand Final to decide the series champions.
Early episodes also had an entertainment interval of a figure skating performance, but this was dropped mid-way during the series when its running time was reduced.
The show attempted to create backstory and lore for the characters drawn from elements of fantasy fiction. Some of those who appeared as the warriors were professional winter athletes. [3]
| Alias | Real name | Occupation | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azra the Ice Angel | Nichola Grant (Etgart) | ||
| Draygarr the Merciless | Bobby Brown | Stunt performer | "Always at the heart of the battle." |
| Kaalak the Drifter | Stefan Sanchez | "He came from nowhere with his past shrouded in mystery." | |
| Kisha the Starburst | Sandra Voetelink | Professional speed skater | "With the power of a supernova." |
| Krell the Tormentor | Hilton Ruggles | Ice hockey player | "The warrior that all challengers wish to defeat, an ambition that very few achieve." |
| Krystor the Enchantress | Katie Rothwell | "Her ability to bewitch and confound made her name legendary." | |
| Marax the Vixen | Fiona King | Teacher | "She was raised by beasts of the snow." |
| Morka the Fireblade | Jay Savage | "He came gladly to compete with the best and prove himself their better, as many have found to their cost." | |
| Rax the Destroyer | Marc Twaite | Ice hockey player | "Many come with dreams of victory, but many found that Rax has destroyed those dreams." |
| Sharak the Avenger | Tony Blaze | "Cross him at your peril, for he is not lightly called the Avenger." | |
| Taaraz the Renegade | Sarah-Jane Tait | "Strong, powerful and with a hunger for victory." | |
| Thorgon the Beast | Freddie Sixtensson | "A creature of the wilderness. A wild man, he battles his way through frozen wastes." | |
| Tyron the Deceiver | Tammy Sear | Figure skater | "Many underestimated her strength and skill, a mistake made by challengers before they faced her." |
| Zalan the Serene | Colette Zee | "None could disturb her serenity, for very few challengers were remotely her equal in the tournament." |
Heats (winners in bold)
Semi-Finals
Grand Final
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