Zero Chill, the new ice skating drama set in SheffieldZero Chill, the new ice skating drama set in Sheffield
Zero Chill, the new ice skating drama set in Sheffield

The Sheffield filming locations as new teen drama Zero Chill comes to Netflix on Monday

Netflix’s new ice skating show Zero Chill, which was filmed in Sheffield, is set to hit screens next Monday, March 15.

One of the rinks at iceSheffield was transformed into the fictional Hammarström Ice Hockey Academy for the teen drama, shooting for which also took place at sites around the city, including Park Hill, Broomhall, Sheaf Valley Park, the Cholera Monument Grounds and Norfolk Heritage Park.

The 10-part series follows the fortunes of 15-year-old figure skater Kayla MacBentley, played by Grace Beedie, who is upset at being uprooted from Canada to England when her twin brother Mac (Dakota Benjamin Taylor) wins a place at a legendary ice hockey academy.

The show also features a number of skaters living in and around Sheffield as extras and doubles.

Zero Chill has been brought to the screen by Lime Pictures, which also produces Hollyoaks, The Only Way is Essex and double Emmy award-winning children’s drama Free Rein, about a girl’s relationship with a mysterious horse.

It was created by Doc Martin and Free Rein writers Kirstie Falkous and John Regier, with a writing team overseen by Ackley Bridge’s Adam Usden, and Angelo Abela and Tim Compton as executive producers.

“When you collide the two worlds of ice hockey and figure skating, the stories and the visuals are incredible,” said Tim Compton.

“And with Zero Chill the audience are right there in the arena, amidst all the conflict and spectacle. We’ve assembled the best in fresh writing talent and after an extensive search we’ve found a truly international cast, who are as exceptional on screen as they are on the ice. The result is a uniquely exciting drama for the family audience.”

The cast were selected not just for their acting ability but for their talent on the ice too, with their audition tapes having to show them skating, as the makers were determined the action sequences would appear as realistic as possible.

They were then put through an intensive nine-week training course to hone their skills before filming began.

The show is not explicitly set in Sheffield but asked why they chose to shoot in the city, Angelo Abela replied that there were ‘many practical reasons’.

"Sheffield is one of the UK’s major ice-skating hubs and we visited the city’s iceSheffield arena to get some advice from the former Team GB figure-skating head coach, David Hartley, who works there,” he said.

"While there, the arena’s general manager said ‘why don’t you shoot the drama here?’. Amazingly, he offered us complete access to one of their three rinks for the duration of filming and we were able to hire David as our head coach at the same time!

"We also found a ready-made skating community from where we could find our extras and doubles. Plus, the city has a particularly good ice hockey team of their own, The Sheffield Steelers, and we were able to get two former members of their team to coach for us too. It really did all fit together like a magical jigsaw.”

Viewers’ appetites were whetted by a two-minute trailer released last month, and Netflix has now shared these photos as a teaser.

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