Even for Britons and their penchant for becoming overnight sporting savants, Valentine’s Day 1984 was something else. More than 24 million people are said to have tuned in to see Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean win Olympic gold in the ice dance in Sarajevo. Watching rink-side was their acting mentor, Michael Crawford, of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em.
Torvill, once an insurance clerk, and Dean, formerly a police constable, were named BBC Sports Personality of the Year (Spoty) — the only time it has been awarded to more than one person — having been runners-up in 1983. It was part of a trend in Olympic year: in 1980 Robin Cousins was Olympic singles figure-skating champion and Spoty winner; four years before that, John Curry
