ITS glamorous costumes, dazzling routines and hard-to-please judges - not to mention the chance to see celebrities take a tumble - have made it a must-watch TV show.

And Dancing On Ice, which began its third series on Sunday, is also having a big impact on rinks across Scotland. Where to go to get your skates on . . . EAST KILBRIDE ICE RINK Public skating session and lessons run Thursday to Sunday on the rink, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Skate hire is free and public sessions cost from £3.10 for adults and £2 for children. The Learn to Skate class on Sundays costs £25 for five weeks - if you're willing to wait. Call 01355 244065.

BRAEHEAD ARENA Classes run Mondays-Wednesdays at 5pm, depending on other events.

Open skating sessions run throughout the week, with up-to-date sessions listed at www.braehead.co.uk Skating costs £3.50 for children and £4 for adults, with £1 skate hire.

Call 0141 885 4611 noon to 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am-2pm on Saturday.

TIME CAPSULE, COATBRIDGE Lessons run Sunday to Fridays in six week blocks costing £29.20.

Public sessions run daily and include an ice disco on Friday and Saturday evenings 6-9pm. Admission costs £3.35 for children and £4.40 for adults, with £1.95 skate hire. Call 01236 449572.

MAGNUM LEISURE CENTRE, IRVINE, AND AUCHENHARVIE LEISURE CENTRE, STEVENSON, AYRSHIRE Public skating sessions are held throughout the week. Admission costs £3.20 for adults and £2.80 for children. Classes, run by Kyle Figure Skating Club and Ayr Figure Skating Club, run on Saturdays and also use Ayr Ice Rink. Visit www.kfsc.co.uk or www.afsc.org.uk or call 01292 263024.

WATERFRONT LEISURE CENTRE, GREENOCK Group Learn to Skate classes run on Fridays 4pm-6.30pm and Sundays 10.30am-12.30pm. Public sessions run Friday- Sunday. Admission, including skate hire, is £5 for children, £4 for adults or £14 for a family ticket. Call 01475 797979.

LANARKSHIRE ICE RINK, HAMILTON Public sessions run on a Saturday from 3pm-5.30pm, with lessons running from 11.45am to 1.30pm. Admission is £3.80 for adults and £1.60 or children, with £1.60 skate hire. Call 01698 282448.

GALLEON CENTRE, KILMARNOCK Public skating sessions run Thursday- Saturday. Call 01563 524014.

But budding skaters keen to emulate the stars on the ITV1 show face a wait of up to two years to learn how to master the glamorous sport.

Ice rinks are besieged by budding Torvill and Deans keen to learn how to do toe loops, spins and axels by taking classes.

Not since the pair won gold at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics with their Bolero routine has the sport has such a high profile.

Leisure bosses also report a rise in the number of people joining public skating sessions when the Sunday night show, which is presented by Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, is running.

And with one of the best line-ups since the series started - with model Melinda Messenger, former EastEnders star Todd Carty and X Factor finalist Ray Quinn taking part - the ice-cool sport is only set to become more popular.

The Time Capsule in Coatbridge has a year-long waiting list to join classes, which already welcome 270 people, and it's growing fast.

Coach Gemma Stark said: "With Dancing On Ice starting it's going to be closer to two years within a few weeks.

"It's always been a very popular sport and when Dancing On Ice starts it highlights it. The fancy costumes and the hair and make-up add to it as well. It's a great way to get fit."

East Kilbride Ice Rink reports a wait of between a year to 18 months for a place on its Learn to Skate course on a Sunday, as well as private lessons running Thursday to Sunday.

It has five resident coaches and welcomes 130,000 skaters a year.

Kilmarnock's Galleon Centre has more than 140 on a waiting list for beginners lessons, with people expecting to wait at least a year.

Anyone keen to learn should keep in touch with the centre about future class dates.

Greenock's Waterfront Leisure Centre also reports a surge in numbers every time the show starts, though the wait to get on the ice for lessons is only a few months.

The only rink which doesn't have a waiting list is Braehead Ice Arena, where 300 people - mostly children - are enrolled in lessons.

Keith Horton, general secretary of the National Ice Skating Association, which runs many of the lessons in Scotland as part of its Skate UK scheme, said the impact of the TV show had been similar across the country.

Mr Horton added: "Undoubtedly, Dancing On Ice has been great for the sport." Dancing On Ice is on Sundays at 7pm on stv.

Dance skills on the slide EVENING TIMES feature writer Barry McDonald tries his hand at ice dancing at the East Kilbride rink...

IT was my Dancing on Ice moment but there was none of the glamour of the TV show.

Granted, there was ice, but that was it.

No TV cameras, no eager audience, no presenters, no dramatic lighting.

Just me, in a dapper suit, my partner and a smattering of people in the food court at East Kilbride's Olympia Shopping Centre.

I was feeling a bit rink rusty, after all it had been 15 years since I'd put on a skate, which might explain why I was worried about falling on my face, and clung to the side wall for dear life.

Our coach for the day, Leanne Mullen, took us through a few "simple" dance moves all of which ended in us grabbing onto each other for support.

We tried to skate together quickly with our feet in synch, but ended up looking like Laurel and Hardy after a drink too many!

"You need confidence, co-ordination and rhythm to be good ice dancers," said Leanne, clearly spotting that my partner and I lacked any of these attributes.

"It takes a lot of time, skill and commitment to make all the moves and routines look effortless.

"But when you see someone gliding over the ice doing a flawless routine it sends a shiver down your spine. It's a beautiful thing."

We decided to split off to practise our moves individually before coming together for a final flourish.

After a spell of determined practise, I managed a tight turn and twirl the kind of which Christopher Dean would have been proud to execute.

But our big finale was marred when my legs decided to widen beyond control.

My balance and dignity collapsed in the space of a second.

But at least the spectators gave me the biggest cheer of the day.