Battle of the Blades restarted on CBC

Battle of the Blades comes from Insight Productions

Canadian pubcaster the CBC is bringing back its competitive figure-skating reality show Battle of the Blades.

The Insight Productions series was cancelled in 2014 after four seasons, in tandem with a host of budget cuts and job losses announced by the broadcaster at the time.

The rebooted 8×60’ series will air on the CBC later this year and will once again be produced by Insight, of which Boat Rocker Media acquired control last May.

Hosted by Ron MacLean (Hockey Night in Canada), Battle of the Blades launched in 2009 and saw celebrities paired with professional dancers in a similar fashion to Dancing with the Stars. It took a two-year hiatus starting late 2011, but returned for a fourth season in 2013 before being axed.

Battle of the Blades has been one of the few original Canadian formats to really take root since the turn of the century. Canadian producers predominately focus on adaptations of existing successful international formats – making Canadian editions of shows such as MasterChef, The Amazing Race, Big Brother and The Bachelorette – and the country has struggled to create original formats that have travelled globally.

“This series has Canada baked into its DNA and unites two pastimes that Canadians not only revere but excel at on the world stage,” said John Brunton, Insight’s chairman and CEO. “We can’t wait to get audiences back into the arena for all the heart-pounding action.”