Which I guess means you and I are finished too. Thanks for your company, and enjoy what’s left of the weekend.
And that’s goodbye, apparently. Well done Ben Stokes, well done everyone.
Stokes congratulates the others nominees - I’d guess he’s prepared, because no way he couldn’t win. So now he thanks his team-mates and says how special it is sharing the moments with them, management and backroom staff - he wouldn’t be where he is without them. Two years ago he says he went through a tough time, thanks Harvey Fairbrother, his agent - “an incredible man, don’t know how you’ve put up with Andrew Flintoff then me.”
He moves onto his parents who live on the other side of the world so don’t get to do nights like this, but thanks them for all they’ve done for him and all the sacrifices. He thanks his wife and says his family are more important to him than what he does for a living, tells his kids he loves them, then comes back to his missus - “I’m so proud to call you my wife ... I guess I have to end on that.”
I love Ben Stokes.
AND THE BBC SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR FOR 2019 IS ... BENJAMIN ANDREW STOKES!
Of course it is! He kisses his wife, waits for a second kiss, doesn’t get one, so off he marches to the stage. We are privileged to be living in his time, we really are.
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In second place ... Lewis Hamilton
He already has his trophy on holiday.
In third place ... Dina Asher-Smith!
Up she comes...
Here come Princess Anne and Denis Law - the son of a fisherman from Aberdeen - to present the trophy.
We recap our challengers. I predict:
1. Stokes
2. Asher-Smith
3. Johnson-Thompson
Here comes Gareth Thomas with the trophy - he’s peddled a four-wheeled contraption 500 miles.
Eyes down for the final award!
Jason Roy says it was amazing to walk past so man smiling people, and it was amazing to inspire so many people.
England winning the World Cup wins moment of the year!
People have been voting the greatest sporting moment of the year:
1. Kompany’s goal v Leicester
2. Liverpool’s fourth goal v Barca
3. Lucy Bronze’s goal in the World Cup quarter final
4. The put that won the Solheim Cup
5. Stokes’ winning four at Headingley
6. England winning the World Cup
He says it’s amazing to be a part of such a great night, and the support they’ve had over four years has been great - he’s very grateful.
England men's cricket team win team of the year!
Here’s Eoin Morgan to collect the award!
Nicola Adams and Lizzie Yarnold now join us to present the team of the year award. I can’t see how this doesn’t go to England men cricketers, but you never know.
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We see a bit of Joshua, then pay homage to the amazing Nicola Adams and Josh Warrington.
Here’s KSI to talk us through the boxing year...
Tim Sanders emails with this soul-warming anecdote: “A friend of mine has just posted this: ‘Dina is lovely - my daughter was back from uni and went back to the local track to train with her old group, Dina was there and as ever chatted and treated them just like other club athletes, no diva but a phenomenal athlete”.
Gordon Banks, Billy McNeill, Stevie Chalmers, Harrison Dillard, Gordon Brand Jnr, Justin Edinburgh, Fernando Ricksen and Jordan Dawes are among them.
We move onto those who’ve passed this year; Lewis Capaldi is back.
What a performance that was by England against New Zealand, and what a performance by South Africa against England. You know what? I think sport is quite good.
Right, rugby world cup time.
Lucy Bronze says she thinks that Team GB will win Olympic gold.
What a wonderful reception for Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson - winner of BBC Sports Personality Lifetime Achievement award 👏
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 15, 2019
Watch #SPOTY 👉 https://t.co/Gx41WWN9KI pic.twitter.com/76FeTaDrgq
Emile Sande now sings while freestylers who are also dancers do their thing.
“For a brief moment it’s enough ... you’ve earned the right to celebrate,” says Rapinoe. “But is it enough? No!”
If I’m honest, I still find this slightly nauseating; a better, more qualified manager and I reckon England beat USA.
Time for a women’s football world cup section, narrated by Megan Rapinoe.
We watch a Champions League recap - what a ridiculous knockout stages we had, even if the final was a bust.
Oh goodo: we appear to have a section on VAR. I think Mike Riley is going to be given a special award.
Tanni Grey-Thompson wins the lifetime achievement award
She wipes a tear from her eye, and says she never thought, when growing up in Wales, that she’d be where she is now. She tried loads of sports growing up and wanted to play rugby, but eventually found one she was good at. She thanks all those who’ve helped her, stresses the importance of young people staying active and playing sport, then notes how far parasport has come since she went to Seoul.
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We’re told just how amazing Grey-Thompson is. She won at sprinting, then went and won at the marathon, and now she works in house of Lords to improve the lots of other disabled people.
Those Seoul 1988 British tracksuits were the absolute bomb.
Onto to our parasports slot now, which leads into Tanni Grey-Thompson’s lifetime achievement award.
Some skateboarding takes place. It’s Sky Brown, who is set to become Britain’s youngest-ever Olympian and won a bronze at the world champs. She is absolutely loving this, and says skateboarding has taught her never to give up.
I just voted for Benjamin Andrew Stokes; I’d happily have voted for Dina Asher-Smith, though.
That’s all six of our contenders enumerated - those of you wanting to vote can vote ... now.
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John Blackie, Asher-Smith's coach is coach of the year!
Can’t argue with that one. He’s been with her since she was eight, and tells all the volunteer coaches to set their sights high, because this is what you can do. He says Dina is a pleasure to coach, and is the first one to finish but at the media line is the last one there. She says that he gives the same attention to all his athletes, and sh cried when she heard he’d won.
We see the footage of her and her mum after she won in Doha, and she thanks her parents for all the sacrifices they’ve made for her. She wants to keep getting better, keep finding small things to improve, and is negotiating for Christmas Day off.
She is amazing, basically: phenomenally talented and equally joyful and pleasant.
My days what a run that was in the final. An absolute destruction of the field.
Were onto the wonderful Dina Asher-Smith now. She says she started for fun, and never expected athletics to be her life. Her coach says she’s got a bit bigger but has never changed.
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He’s asked about next year - when he’ll be trying to equal Michael Schumacher’s seven titles - and says he doesn’t think about record, just that when he was a kid growing up, he watched Schumacher and is honoured to be mentioned in the same sentence as him. He hopes he can inspire others.
Hamilton now does an interview, away with his family. He thanks his team, says that he’s the second-oldest driver now, but is still learning, and says it was special to win for Nikki Lauda, who died this year - “it was nice to have his spirit around”.
Billy Monger, who does the VT, says he’s the greatest sportsman of all time. Hmmm.
Onto F1 now – it’s Hamilton time.
Now we have an appeal to sport relief - Thomas explains how talking about his personal issues saved his life. Hands in pockets time, people.
Gareth Thomas is now with Kelly Holmes and Graeme Swann; he giveth and he taketh awat.
Now a quick bit on Le Tour, and what a race that was. It webbed me up this year, I must say.
Now we parse the Saracens situation, Man City winning the women’s FA Cup, Lyon winning the Champions League, the French Open tennis and other bits.
Thomson thanks his mum - “she’s been with me from the start” - I guess she has - and he thanks those who work with him, his young leaders, the young people who come to his sessions. And he thanks the parents who bring their kids to his sessions.
Thirteen years ago he got beaten up coming home from a house party, so now he helps kids avoid going down the wrong path like those who attacked him. He seems an absolute boss.
Keiren Thompson wins Unsung Hero of the Year!
Here’s why.
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“In this world there is a lot of beautiful things,” Kipchoge says. Preach, my man.
Here comes Eliud Kipchoge to present the award. I cant get my head around him either.
Right, unsung hero award time.
Catriona Matthew is with Clare Balding, talking about the brilliant Solheim Cup win. She’s looking forward to Inverness, Ohio in 2021.
“I always believed I could do it,” he says, but then he panicked when it got to single figures because he’d come so far. He talks about his time away from home, and that his family and friends keep him going. I can’t get my head around how good he is.
Now we move onto the miracle of Headingley. What an absolute hero. “People say this is an amazing year for Ben Stokes ... just trying to do my job,” he says.
“You got to whatever length you have to,” he says of winning the world cup. His wife says having kids made him see a world outside sport, and that’s helped with his performances.
Morgan says he was calm during the denouement, but Roy was going wild. Stokes says it was “one of the best days he’s ever had on a cricket pitch”.
One of them!
Here’s something to read on all that.
Here come Morgan, Roy and Stokes ... and the trophy. Thirty-three years of my life in there.
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“The eeriest thing” says Jason Roy of the silence as he went to field the final delivery and hurl it in. “It’s the only time the emotion of winning has ever got too much,” says Stokes. “I cried ... yeah it was cool.”
It really, really was.
“If it went right and we won, it wold justify every single thing we’ve ever done,” says Jos Buttler. “But if we didn’t win ... I really struggled with the other side of that.”
You and me both, Joseph.
In fact we’re onto cricket now, and there’s not a chance I can possibly hold it together as we recap the world cup final, Jason Roy and Eoin Morgan doing the talking.
I’d like to say it does one of the greatest finals ever justice, but I cannot.
Right, now onto Wimbledon.
He thanks everyone and says that as a Scottish rugby player in the 90s, this is the closest he ever got to a trophy. He dedicates the award to everyone who’s supported his foundation over the last three years, and says he’s raised nearly £5m trying to beat MND. Rugby and life have taught him to enjoy life, and I think he suggests there might be some thirst-slaking later on. He then thanks his wife in terrific style and now my eyeballs are definitely sweating.
She says that it’s a pleasure to see Doddie and talks about how much pleasure and pride he’s given people. She’s been patron of the Scottish motor neurone disease for 30 years, and knows what an impact he’s had.
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The Princess Royal now arrives to present the award.
Weir’s wife, kids and ex-team-mates take to the stage, and now so does he. I think my eyeballs might be sweating.
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He tells us about motor neurone disease, and how muscles waste away until it’s not possible to walk, eat, drink and such. He’s trying to fight the disease and find a cure - “the best is coming out in him,” says Telfer, and we learn that he’s raised £4m to help others.
Jim Telfer says he was first struck by his athleticism and long levers; his wife says there’s never a dull moment and he’s a colourful character.
Doddie Weir is going to get the Helen Rollason award.
What a man.
We also learnt that before every game, he told Warren Gatland “Thank you for the opportunity”. He says he was well aware of what he represented - I think he means Wales, not the bald denial community - and he thanks all those who’ve supported him. He’s told that he can equal Richie McCaw’s caps record next year, notes that McCaw has two world cups, and that it’s not a numbers game.
Alun Wyn Jones is up now, and we’re told that he was very big as a kid, understood the game well, and delivered brilliant speeches. We also learn that he was at the centre of training-ground scuffles because he liked winning.
We move onto Tiger Woods, whose spectacular win at Augusta was one of the greatest moments of the year. I was rather hoping we were going to get a recap of the Masters, but instead we get some bloke in a deep voice attempting profundity.
“Shameful that this year’s shortlist for Sports Personality doesn’t contain a single Para-athlete,” emails Chris Page. “It’s as though Disabled sportspeople have been ‘cancelled’. The shortlist should be restored to the same number of candidates as last year.
And Lineker calling Man City “The Sky Blues (that’s actually Coventry City) is unforgivable!”
Yes, ahgreed on both counts.
She namechecks Denise Lewis as an inspiration and says she was ready to chuck the sport in, thinking her chucking wasn’t good enough and her body couldn’t take the rigours, but Lewis reassured her.
Out she comes, following a Liverpool and Scouse-based VT, confessing she’s feeling emotional and had a bit of a cry backstage.
I say that, but thinking about it I remember a row years ago when snooker was categorised with “minor sports”, and also that we’re no longer reviewing the sporting year but feting the sporting personalities. Now, we’re onto the wonderful Katarina Johnson-Thompson.
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Also awarded barely any time: one of the greatest final performances of all-time in any sport, namely Judd Trump in the world snooker. I don’t know, i really don’t – BBC even have the rights.
Darts is awarded precisely 1.29 seconds of time, likewise the Superbowl and various other bits and pieces.
We now have an interview with Sterling, who who tells us he’s driven on by winnings. He says he spoke out because he’d had enough of unfair headlines about him and how those sentiments had moved into grounds with people hating him for no apparent reason. Indeed.
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Walker then says he’s a top bloke and good enough to be the best in the world.
As for the importance of Pep Guardiola’s opinion on the matter, given how he responded to the Bernardo Silva tweet – well, I’ll leave that one for you to figure out. “I call him Martin Luther King,” laughs Kyle Walker.
Straight into Raheem Sterling now, and his work in fighting racism; what a hero.
No we have Vincent Kompany reading out some extremely average copy about the Premier League season, then we see that goal he scored against Leicester. Decent, you have to say. “Make mine a treble,” less so.
We start the review with James McAvoy saying nothing about Celtic’s treble treble, and see a few goals from weird angles. It’s exceedingly whatever.
It’s a while since I watched this show, I must confess: do they still have a spot where Airdrie’s reserve goalie participates in some kind of strange fairground activity or whatever?
The “iconic trophy” isn’t yet here because Gareth Thomas is proving, yet again, how hard and brilliant he is, schlepping it o hither and yon in order to raise money for sport relief.
Our hosts come out: Gabby Logan, Clare Balding, Gary Lineker.
Do we think “Lewis” is an omen? Or are we now getting spots from artists known as Katarina, Ben, Dina, Alun and Raheem. Oh I hope so.
“Lewis Capaldi” is now singing a song, I’m not sure why. He looks not unlike a slightly older and scruffier Paul Merton.
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Naturally, we begin with sportsfolk reading prepared lines about the profound nature of things, which I guess is slightly better than the bad pietry I was expecting.
Right, we’re away!
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Angelic! And, er, hirsute.
Oh my days, I could do this all night. Two more absolute legends, and what a coat from Colin!
I had the intense honour of interviewing this absolute hero a few months ago. He is every bit the man you hope that he is.
Doddie Weir – who is suffering with motor neurone disease – will receive the Helen Rollason award tonight, “for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity”. Well done him, and well done also for this suit, which is an absolute jazzer.
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Preamble
Who isn’t amped to celebrate the unrivalled, unremitting glory of this country? Oh yes. Go us! I’m choking up here.
On the shortlist for tonight’s gong are:
1. Dina Asher-Smith
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. Katarina Johnson-Thompson
4. Alun Wyn Jones
5. Raheem Sterling
6. Benjamin Andrew Stokes
Stokes is the overwhelming favourite and it’s hard to look beyond him for the moments of collective, eyeball-sweating ecstasy that he inspired. But all of these have done incredible things – some of them off the pitch as well as on it – and all of these deserve celebrating. So let’s give it a go – we can be ok when we put effort in.
Start: 7pm GMT
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