[DE88]

I think this usually has its own thread, so tomorrow is the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year broadcast on BBC One. It will be hosted be Gabby Logan, Alex Scott, Gary Lineker and Clare Balding from MediaCity UK, Salford. It will be originally in a two hour slot, which is 15 minutes less than last year, but it will probably overrun anyway.

I guess the days of SPOTY touring the UK are well and truly gone now - this is the fourth straight year it's coming from Dock10.

Gary once again extends his records as the longest-serving and oldest SPOTY host (24th consecutive year, and he's just turned 63). Clare, meanwhile, hosts for a 12th consecutive year, and Gabby for an 11th.

Can't really disagree that four hosts feels too many - but then it *has* had at least three every year since 1994, with two exceptions (Sports Personality of the Century in 1999, when Steve Rider and Sue Barker were the main hosts while Gary, Clare and John Inverdale all had sideline roles, and 2005, when Gary and Sue were the only hosts after Steve left for ITV mere weeks beforehand).

It is rather unusal for the programme to be aired on a Tuesday. It is only the second time I can remember it not airing on a Sunday, after last year which was moved due to the FIFA World Cup final taking place the last Sunday before Christmas. I doubt I'm alone in not giving it my full attention tomorrow due to it clashing with the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, a problem that would likely not arise on Sunday evenings with so little domestic sport on Sunday evenings. It will be interesting to see how this affects ratings and wider interest.

In 1974, it was broadcast on Wednesday at 21:40 on BBC1, so it has been midweek before.

And in 2011 it was on a Thursday.

The nominees for the main award are:
- Cricketer Stuart Broad
- Jockey Frankie Dettori
- Footballer Mary Earps
- Wheelchair tennis player Alfie Hewett
- Athlete Katarina Johnson-Thompson
- Golfer Rory McIlroy

2023 wasn't the greatest year for British sport, was it? Man City did finally win the Champions League, and Europe did brilliantly win the Ryder Cup - but England didn't *quite* win the FIFA Women's World Cup; Stokesy and Co rather spectacularly failed to defend the (50-over) Cricket World Cup; and it was a surprise that England finished third at the Rugby World Cup (and came within three minutes of reaching the final, too).

The Ashes, though, were definitely a high point - it's still a great shame that England were only prevented from winning the series 3-2, having been 2-0 down, by the rain at Old Trafford. And Broady was the undoubted star - taking his 600th Test wicket (only the fifth man to do so), surpassing the legendary Ian Botham to become the highest wicket-taker from any nation against the Aussies, then bowing out of playing by hitting a six off the final ball he faced and taking a wicket with his final delivery...

So I'm quite surprised that he's a very distant second-favourite with the bookies, while Earpsy is heavily odds-on (as I type this she's 1/10 with William Hill and 1/12 with Paddy Power, while Broady is 8/1 with WH and 10/1 with PP). Mind you, in 2017 Anthony Joshua was the favourite to win, and missed the top three altogether (pipped for third by Jonnie Peacock by just 18 votes...).

If Earpsy does win, however, it'll be the first hat-trick of female winners since Anita Lonsbrough, Dorothy Hyman and Mary Rand in 1962, 1963 and 1964 respectively. (Notably, in '62 Hyman finished second and Linda Ludgrove third - still the only time the top three were all ladies, which obviously won't be the case this year since KJT is the only other female nominee.)