Now. In England.

ITV’s “Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life,” a reality show filmed at Mountain Lake Hotel in Pembroke this summer, is the biggest commissioned show launch ever for the United Kingdom’s Living Channel, according to series producer Andrew Robertson.

The show, which first aired Oct. 17, comes on at 9 p.m. Wednesday nights and has a rating 50 percent higher in the slot than average.

The 10-episode series follows the lives of 16 British dancers who learn and perform routines similar to those performed in the cult classic “Dirty Dancing.”

The movie, which was partly filmed at Mountain Lake, celebrated the 20th anniversary of its release this year.

In the reality show series, the couple who most emulates Johnny (Patrick Swayze’s character) and Baby (Jennifer Grey’s character) wins a contract with Bloc talent agency in Los Angeles.

Although locals who attended the filming already know which couple won, it will be December before viewers in England find out. According to Robertson, the winning dancers will begin their one-year contract with Bloc in 2008.

Working it

In each episode, dancers pick a partner and compete in a weekly dance competition performing “dirty” routines to pop music or music from the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack. One couple was sent home each week.

Dancers Nick Galligan and Alex Bryan were partners early in the contest.

“It’s really crazy watching myself on the show,” Bryan wrote in an e-mail. “It feels like it was years ago that it was filmed. I do cringe when I come on the television and I hear myself speaking, but I am just so grateful I got to take part in this amazing opportunity and experience.”

She said that she ha s gotten a lot of positive feedback from the show.

“I get people coming up to me when I’m on nights out who recognize me.”

Bryan and her fellow dancers’ fates in the show were determined by three judges — British soap star Jennifer Ellison, Canadian dance choreographer Sean Chessman and Miranda Garrison, the original assistant choreographer from “Dirty Dancing” — at 10 public dance-off rounds. Garrison also starred as Vivian Pressman, an older woman who tries to seduce Johnny in the film.

Dancers also had to complete a weekly challenge during each episode, such as performing the movie’s classic water lift scene and working various jobs at Mountain Lake resort, which is known as Kellerman’s in the movie. Romantic relationships ignite among the contestants throughout the show.

There were a few twists and turns leading up to the final edited project, Robertson wrote in an e-mail, including a muddy lake bottom that made staging the water lift scene difficult. The TV crew ended up shooting the scene in the New River.

Meanwhile, limited cellphone service and Internet access made it hard for the contestants to keep in touch with their families without racking up a huge phone bill.

To top it off, the original plan to bring alternate dancers failed, and producers were at a loss of what to do when contestant Carly Baker injured her leg and could not continue the competition. Dancers competed in pairs.

The TV crew decided that the remaining female contestants would each pick a partner, and the odd man out would have to go back to England with Baker, said Buzz Scanland, general manager of Mountain Lake hotel.

Scanland said he interacted with the TV crew at least once a day during their five-week stay.

“They were all super nice people … you couldn’t say enough good things about them, really,” he said.

Bryan said she was impressed with Mountain Lake and the people in Southwest Virginia.

“They were so encouraging and made us feel so welcome, really made our stay an enjoyable one. I still keep in touch with a few friends I made over there.”

A sequel?

Scanland said the reality show series has had a positive impact on Mountain Lake. It brought visitors to the resort to watch the filming of the dance competitions every three days. Plus, since the first episode aired in England, Scanland has received countless inquiries from English travelers and travel agencies interested in vacationing at Mountain Lake.

“The dollar is dropping compared to the e uro so it may be cheaper for them to come here to visit,” Scanland said.

He said that while he ha s not seen any of the episodes yet, he hopes to get a copy of the completed show to present at Mountain Lake in the summer. Scanland and Robertson have also discussed shooting 10 more episodes of “Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life” after Memorial Day.