Dancing on Ice's Stephen Mulhern is 'pure magic' as Wicked villain

He channelled the green-skinned witch Elphaba for Movie Week.

Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby dressed up as Wicked characters for Dancing on Ice's Movie Week (ITV screenshot)
Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby dressed up as Wicked characters for Dancing on Ice's Movie Week (ITV screenshot)

Dancing on Ice's Stephen Mulhern stole the show as Elphaba Thropp during Movie Week.

Now in its third week, the ITV competition returned to our screens on Sunday, 26 January, with the judges, hosts, celebrities and professional skaters all dressing up as cinematic delights, including Ken (from Barbie), Men in Black, Beauty and the Beast, James Bond, Deadpool, and Demi Moore's Molly Jensen (Ghost).

Going the whole hog in green body paint and black fingernails, Mulhern's Wicked Witch of the West went down a treat with viewers writing on social media site X, who seemed pleasantly surprised by the costume's quality.

Wicked  Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba in Wicked: Part One (Universal Pictures)

In the wake of Vanessa James and Dan Edgar's opening performance, judge Ashley Banjo nipped in with a quick laugh at Mulhern's expense.

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"Sorry, I'm struggling with this a little bit Stephen," he smirked, as the co-host clapped back by urging him to "get on with" his comments.

Then, as Mulhern introduced Ferne McCann and Brendyn Hatfield's "weird little creatures from a weird little world", Holly Willoughby added: "AND... they still look less ridiculous than you!"

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On the show's X hashtag, here was one of the many fan reactions: "Stephen Mulhern pulling it off as Elphaba! Loving the look!"

Somebody else wrote: "I'm absolutely here for Stephen Mulhern being dressed as Elphaba."

Originating in the Wicked stage musical, which is a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Elphaba is the close friend of fellow sorceress Glinda, yet the two eventually go their separate ways as forces for evil and good.

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The movie adaptation's Elphaba actress Cynthia Erivo is up for an Oscar this year.

Ferne McCann and Brendyn Hatfield were sent home (ITV screenshot)
Ferne McCann and Brendyn Hatfield were sent home (ITV screenshot)

Meanwhile, The Only Way is Essex personality McCann was sent packing by the voting public this time around, following the elimination of Chelsee Healey last week.

"So gutted, so gutted, but it is what it is," she told Mulhern and Willoughby. "We were having so much fun, I'm really sad."

Hatfield went on to share: "We've had just the best time skating together and learning and growing, and she had so much more in her."

Dancing on Ice airs Sunday on ITV1 and ITVX.