What the papers said about . . . T & D

'Torvill and Dean generated more passion on ice than 60 teams of footballers muddying their jockstraps . . . This was the real Match of the Day. Not Stockport County v QPR, but the pairing of a former police cadet with a girl from the building society.' Daily Mirror

'The special pleasure of the Saturday of the third round of the FA Cup is the chance of seeing some famous names falling flat on their bum. There was never the remotest possibility of that happening at Sheffield Arena.' The Guardian

'No one was disappointed in Torvill and Dean. That would have been out of the question, for their dancing was sheer perfection. Rather, there were those who felt disappointed in themselves for not having been transported on a different plane. To them, that row of 6.0s had lacked the asterisks of magic.' The Daily Telegraph

'It was all over in 10 seconds, as clear as walking into Asprey's from a street market . . . They dispense magic with every movement, focusing so intensely on each other that you hardly notice they are consuming huge areas of ice in exquisite strides. They twist and turn and lean with precise delicacy and outrageous extension of physical probability, and do it all with such relaxed ease that they might indeed be window shopping in Bond Street.' The Sunday Times

'When Dean puts on his white tie and matching tuxedo to lead Torvill on to the ice for the finale at the European Championships in Copenhagen, the judges should be singing their praises in a song of six points.' The Independent

'There is no story, no great crescendo and no dramatic intensity. The audience's tear ducts are not exercised and those among the 8,000 who looked in their eyes missed what mattered. The action that separates them from the opposition is at ice- level in the complexity of their footwork.' Daily Mail

'This was The Good Life on ice; familiar and unthreatening. Forget the confrontation: give us celebration.' The Observer

'In an imperfect Olympic world Torvill and Dean cannot be said to be returning solely for the glow which comes with standing on the mountain top once again. Their exposure in Norway will generate immense publicity, immense marketability. But it will also - and the idealists should not forget this - create vast worldwide pleasure.' Daily Express

'Ice work if you can get it.' The Sun