UK Sport plays both Santa and Scrooge
It is still a remarkable statistic that more of us tuned in to watch (23.95m), than saw when England crashed out on penalties to Argentina (23.78m).
The British public's love affair with ice dance began with , was nurtured by , and peaked with Torville and Dean.
It has been on the slide (ahem) ever since and, to be honest, it is now properly on the skids. Ice dance will no longer receive any funding.