Sports Personality of the Year 2020

Yes and I’m suggesting this of all years is the one when changing the criteria slightly would be the appropriate move and would help to justify the name of the award.

Well his inclusion is questionable regardless.

Jonathan Rea won the World Superbike Championship for the sixth consecutive year. He wasn’t nominated. Had he been English there’s no doubt he would have been nominated.

I'm sure he's been nominated before.

Indeed he has - in fact, he finished second in 2017, less than 3,000 votes behind Mo Farah.

Anthony Joshua was the bookies' favourite that year - he ended up missing out on the top three by just eighteen votes. The conspiracy theorist part of me can't help but wonder how much of a factor this was in the BBC deciding to stop making the voting figures public (the official reason for this move, of course, was to bring SPOTY in line with Strictly)...

No doubt there'll be both delight and, ahem, fury that Tyson's request to be removed from the shortlist has been declined (and no doubt either that the explanation given is also the explanation for Rashford's omission):

https://www.bbc.com/sport/sports-personality/55162164

The first-ever quadruple-headed SPOTY (not counting sideline roles) - and the first with three female presenters in any capacity - unsurprisingly opens with words from Captain Sir Tom, a lengthy musical performance and an intro from Joe Wicks.

I'm not the only one watching... am I?

(Not saying anyone else has to, of course. And if Rick Astley puts you off, fair enough. )

Lewis understandably staying at home, and no surprise that Ronnie has done likewise. As for Tyson cutting himself off completely... safe to say that's it's going to be even more awkward now if he wins.

I wonder when was the last time the programme finished on time.

The winner deserved it - that much isn't a spoiler.

And those who complain when it overruns... certainly can't do so this year.

By home I'm assuming Monaco for tax purposes.

I was watching it on BBC One NI HD tonight. BBC SPOTY 2020 was a actually better looking production, presentation wise, within a smaller studio setting this year given the circumstances that surrounds the UK right now with Covid. No major problems were being seen in the production either which is another big positive. The graphics on the show were great & looked as beautiful as ever.

As well as Lewis Hamilton winning BBC SPOTY. I would like to say congratulations to, Captain Sir Tom Moore, Tobias Weller, Liverpool FC & Jurgen Klopp, Marcus Rashford, Sgt Matt Ratana & Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix. You are all worthy winners. Well done to you all.

Well, that *and* he's had you-know-what recently.

Only right that Frank Bough was included in the In Memoriam segment - and a nice touch to end it with a few Peter Alliss quotes over the last few bars of the song.

And I reckon that Tyson was happy, too, that he neither won nor finished in the top three. Of course, just like last year and the year before, we'll probably never know the voting breakdown.