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The BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award is celebrating its 70th anniversary tonight. 

Established in 1954, Spoty does not necessarily reward the best sporting performance of the year but, as a public vote, recognises the ‘personality’ who has most captivated the British public over the past calendar year.   

What is it?

Spoty is an annual awards and review programme, organised and hosted by the Corporation, that began in 1954 by looking back at the year in sport before crowning a BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The use of the word ‘personality’ in the title is a throwback to when the term was used interchangeably with the word ‘person’. Contrary to popular perception, there is no requirement for the shortlisted candidates to have distinctive character. 

Now in its eighth decade, the show has mushroomed to incorporate seven other distinct prizes alongside the main award: World Sport Star of the Year, Team of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Young Sports Personality of the Year, Coach of the Year, Unsung Hero, Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year and the Helen Rollason Award, inaugurated to commemorate the life of the BBC presenter who died in 1999, and presented for “outstanding achievement in the face of adversity”.

When is it?

Spoty takes place tonight (Tuesday, December 19) and is broadcast live, with voting open to the public during the programme via phone, the BBC Sports app and website. The show is broadcast on BBC One.

Where is it?

The event is held at Media City in Salford, with tickets available on application to BBC Shows and Tours.

What time will it start?

Coverage begins at 7pm UK time and is due to finish at 9pm.

How can I watch it?

BBC One and BBC iPlayer will broadcast the show, presented, as it was last year, by Gabby Logan, Clare Balding, Gary Lineker and Alex Scott, live. You may also follow the event by reading our live blog.

Broad or Dettori would be worthy winners not just for stellar individual performances this year but for careers that stand comparison for both achievement and longevity with anyone in the history of their sports.

Had England won the Ashes, as they really should, then the overall case for Broad would probably have been unanswerable. As it is, Dettori, who was third in Sports Personality of the Year some 27 years ago in 1996, is probably more deserving following what we had thought was an extraordinary finale at the age of 52. A farewell tour that included wins in two Classics, the Gold Cup and the Champion Stakes has since been prolonged and he will ride on, largely in America, next year.

That leaves Johnson-Thompson, who would be my pick, not just for winning a second world heptathlon title in a truly global sport like athletics but for the manner of her comeback following four years of doubts after a career-threatening achilles tendon injury on her take-off left leg.

…and Jude Bellingham should have been on the shortlist

The howls of indignation over who is left off the list can already be heard. It was certainly better when there was a free vote without the BBC using a panel to narrow down the options. 

Britain’s swimmers, who have quietly enjoyed another fantastic year, will certainly feel aggrieved after Ben Proud also missed out last year, despite establishing himself as the world’s fastest front-crawl sprinter. Matt Richards is the most unfortunate this time after winning a World Championship double in the 200m freestyle and relay this summer at the age just of 20. He has the potential to be a major star at next year’s Olympics.

Then there is Jude Bellingham, who has taken European football by storm this year with his star performances for Real Madrid, as well as Josh Kerr, who did not just win the World 1,500m Championships but beat one of the sport’s all-time greats in a dramatic head-to-head finish with Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen.