ITV’s has been filmed at Bovingdon Airfield Studios since at least 2018. The studio, which has previously been described as a “bubble” for the show, is a purpose-built and semi-permanent ice rink.
Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire, has a training rink connected to the main show rink, which allows skaters to warm up before their performances. The location is apparently perfect to meet all of the show’s demanding needs.
It is home to a vast amount of space for multiple ice rinks, a live audience and an extensive production team. There is also a sufficiently strong weight-bearing floor to take the load of the rinks, ice machines, and a multitude of technical equipment.
Before moving to the RAF base, the popular has had a few filming locations over the years. Firstly, the George Lucas Stage at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire was the original DOI home, before cast and crew were then temporarily moved to Shepperton Studios in Surrey and then back to Elstree.
Many other popular shows have also been filmed at the Bovingdon studio, including The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Masked Singer and Dancer and .
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However, before the days of filming, the location played a prime part in some of World War 2. During the Second World War, the airfield was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force.
A unique mission undertaken at Bovingdon was the training of United States journalists to cover the air war over Occupied Europe. A group of military journalists underwent training in February 1943 to fly high-altitude missions in bombers, to shoot the flexible machine guns.
The journalists took part in a combat mission over Wilhelmshaven, Germany in February 1943 to attack the German Naval submarine pens there.
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Sadly, the mission saw heavy losses for the USAAF. It tragically saw the aircraft of Andy Rooney of the Stars and Stripes damaged by flak.
Meanwhile, journalist Robert Post of the New York Times was killed in action when his B-24 exploded. This ended the training of journalists to fly along with Eighth Air Force bomber crews.
After the war, Bovingdon was returned to RAF control on April 15, 1947.