AN iconic Bolton dance hall is taking centre stage in a new three-part BBC documentary series.

The BBC Two show will see renowned choreographer Jack Murphy turn his attention to the people of Bolton as he tries to revive the days when people up and down the country danced arm in arm in dance halls.

Mr Murphy will be taking over the once glamorous dance hall the Palais de Danse — most recently the Ikon nightclub — and tracking down some of the original patrons who last danced at the Palais in the late 1950s.

The venue once hosted Come Dancing and was at the heart of Bolton's social scene until it became a discotheque in the late 1970s.

While to many the hall, and what it stood for, has been resigned to history, Mr Murphy wants to help recreate the heyday in the hope of throwing open the doors once more.

The show will also be trying to get a new generation of Boltonians to swap the pub for the tango, waltz and jive, and asks if they get the moves will they stick to the dance hall etiquette of old, where women were asked to dance and booze was banned.

The show is being filmed under working title Dance Hall Days and is due to be broadcast next year.

Rachel Ashdown, BBC commissioning editor said: “Jack brings genuine passion, enthusiasm and expertise to the show and I’m looking forward to seeing how he plans to bring partner dancing back to the heart of a local community in one of the most iconic dance hall locations in the region.”

Mr Murphy has a 30 year career in film and theatre, specialising in historical dance, and has taught the likes of Daniel Craig to jive and Emily Blunt to waltz.

His choreography credits include Young Victoria, Vanity Fair and Bridget Jones.

He said: “It is an absolute privilege to be involved in Dance Hall Days for the BBC as it is deeply personal.

"My parents met in 1952 at a Dance Hall called Palais De Danse in Portstewart, Northern Ireland.

"This project gives me the wonderful opportunity to meet my parents before they met me.”

Did you dance the night away at the Palais de Danse? E mail your photographs and memories to rosalind.saul@nqnw.co.uk