Olympic ice skater Robin Cousins kept a watchful eye from the audience as Holiday on Ice turned the Brighton Centre into a winter wonderland.

The gold medal winner, who is based in Brighton, choreographed the show which opened last night in front of a delighted crowd.

Extravagant costumes and stunning skating set to exciting stage and lighting effects provided a spectacle worthy of the event's 60th anniversary.

Titled Celebration, the show is two hours of non-stop skating from some of the world's top performers in their field.

Their efforts won praise by their choreographer. He said: "A couple of things went wrong, but even I could not fault the skating."

Sussex celebrities and business people were among the first-night crowd as well as fans from across the county who flocked to the must-see performance by 60 international dancers.

David Van Day, singer with the chart-topping group Dollar, said: "It is an amazing spectacle."

David Courtney, who set up the Brighton Walk of Fame at the Marina, said: "It is a fantastic production and all credit must go to Robin Cousins."

Actress Dora Bryan, Hove MP Ivor Caplin and radio presenters Terry Garoghan and Ambrose Harcourt were also in the crowd.

The audience showed its appreciation with a cheer as Robin Cousins and the stars of the show were presented with a bouquet of flowers during the finale in which fireworks cascade on to the ice.

Robin also joined Brighton Centre general manager Steve Piper to present a cheque for The Argus Appeal from a special offer on ticket sales for the opening night.

One of the largest amounts donated to the appeal from a single event, a cheque for £8,470 was handed to Howard Scott, managing director of Newsquest (Sussex), which publishes The Argus.

Holiday on Ice runs until Sunday, January 25. On Saturdays there are three shows a day at 1.30, 4.30 and 7.30pm, and two on Sundays at 1.30 and 4.30pm, with evening and matinee shows throughout the week. There are no shows on January 12 and 19. For further details, call 0870 1602847.