Over the past few months David Walliams, Helen Skelton and John Bishop have completed the most amazing Sport Relief challenges, while Frank Skinner has embarked on his own personal quest to overcome a lifetime fear of swimming.

Freddie Flintoff has astonished the world by setting 14 records in 12 hours, including achievements for Most hot dogs made in 1 minute (9) and Fastest 100 metres on a pedalo, (1 minute 58.62 seconds).

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We've had members of the England football team battling it out in the Kitchen; Strictly Come Dancing going underwater and the stars of popular sitcom Benidorm coming up close and personal with Simon Cowell and the Britain's Got Talent judges.

Thre's also Frank Lampard and Fiancée Christine Bleakly appearing on TV together in a very funny sketch for Outnumbered; 20 of the biggest names in rugby limbering up to sing with JLS; World Champion Mo Farah being out-run by Misery Bear and 'tennis' star Miranda Hart embarrassing herself in front of the cream of British sport.

You can see it all in a quite incredible night of sporting entertainment starting at 1900 GMT on BBC One on Friday.

Seeing how stars from sport, music and entertainment have been so eager to give their time for free and get involved has been heart-warming - and believe me some of the things we have asked them to do have been pretty tough - did you see Gary Lineker as the back end of a pantomime horse?! And I'll never forget explaining to Sue Barker how we wanted to create a 'double of her' for a special round of Question of Sport called 'Who Barker'.

It's not just about the celebrities of course, and over the weekend more than a million people will also be doing the Mile for Sport Relief. We have BBC cameras at 17 flagship Miles across the UK, including three major Outside Broadcasts at the Mall in London and in Manchester and Glasgow.

You can watch it all unfold live on BBC1 from 1300 BST on Sunday. My family are in training for the Manchester Mile and my youngest daughter Daisy is really going to get a glimpse of Olly Murs who'll be performing at the event!

And don't forget everybody is getting involved with Sport Relief in order to help those people who need it most, both here in the UK and in some of the world's poorest countries.

The moving appeal films we make are a powerful reminders of the reason why people do the incredible challenges, why we make the funny sketches and why everyone has been signing up for Sport Relief Miles all around the country. The money really makes a difference.

I hope you enjoy both shows and if you're running in the Mile good luck and thank you.

The joint initiative between Comic Relief and the BBC started back in 2002 and has so far raised over £127m for good causes here in the UK and across the world's poorest countries.

As we celebrate the 10th Sport Relief anniversary in this very special year of sport we're hoping to get more than one million people doing the Sport Relief Mile, making it one of the biggest ever UK mass participation events.

This year you can do one, three or six miles - as a family team, with your friends, against the clock or just as a gentle stroll to enjoy the company - it should be lots of fun and encourage even more people to go the extra mile and help raise millions of pounds.

In 2010 the Sport Relief Miles were a great success and my children have been asking when they can run the Mile again ever since, although my youngest daughter Daisy will be walking it as she's only six! My son Reece wants to do it in his Everton top with his grandad, while Amy, my eldest, is too cool to do it with the younger ones and will be with all her friends from school.

My family will be running and walking the mile in Manchester, where the second largest event is taking place. They are also keen to swim the Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief in April - you can also do this as a team - although I think as all three of my children can only do a few lengths between them I'll have to swim a lot of it myself!

Before the Mile Show on Sunday, 25 March, Sport Relief will take over BBC television on Friday, 23 March with some hilarious moments planned and some of the UK's favourite stars from sport, entertainment and music booked in to bring them to you.

I'm also the editor of BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and was blown away by Smithy's (James Corden) Sport Relief performance two years ago where he shared a bath with David Beckham, had a beer on a pedalo with Freddie Flintoff and danced with Wayne Rooney before turning up at Sports Personality and insulting some of the biggest stars in sport to create one of my all-time favourite Sport Relief moments. Enjoy! 

Other things to look forward to on the night will be a special episode of Horrible Histories featuring Amir Khan and Jermain Defoe and plenty more that we are keeping under wraps for now.

Although Thursday, 19 January is the official launch day, things have already started apace. The incredible Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton is currently attempting a phenomenal challenge, traveling 500 miles to the South Pole by ski, bike and kite to raise money for Sport Relief and inspire children across the country to go the extra mile for Sport Relief too. Her diary makes for some frightening reading!

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off went out on BBC Two last week and was hugely popular. I thought it was a fantastic series and special congratulations to Anita Rani, who was crowned queen of the cakes after beating actress Angela Griffin and BBC Radio 4 presenter Fi Glover in the final. If you missed it, you can still catch up on BBC iPlayer. You can also see some tips on holding your own bake sale - a great idea, especially if you've got three kids!

Don't miss the BBC Radio 5 live Sport Relief launch show on Thursday night at 1930 GMT to look ahead to this year's events.

And don't forget the place to register for a Sport Relief Mile and keep up to date with all of the latest Sport Relief news from now until the weekend of the 23-25 March is the BBC Sport Relief website.

Good luck whatever you do to go the extra mile!

The 2011 show is going to be broadcast live from BBC Sport's new home at MediaCityUK, Salford, on Thursday 22 December and I'm really excited by what we have in store.

But waiting to get the top 10 from the sports editors is always an apprehensive time, as it's not until we get the line-up confirmed that we can really put together the show's running order and lots of the films for the night.

This year's top 10 is a phenomenal collection of some of the best sports stars in the world - and we are really excited by the films we can put together to reflect what has been an incredible year for British sport.

The top 10 contenders for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2011

Throughout the show, it will be fascinating to relive how Mark Cavendish achieved his dreams by winning the Tour de France green jersey and World Road Race, and how cricketers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook destroyed the Australians in the Ashes and then ruled the world as the number one Test side.

There's Dai Greene's journey to become a world champion hurdler and at the same championship Mo Farah's comeback from 10,000m disappointment to prove he's the best in the world over 5,000m.

The UK continues to be the centre of the golfing universe, with Rory McIlroy taking the US Open, Darren Clarke the Open and Luke Donald the world number one spot.

Local boy Amir Khan's star continues to rise and is duly recognised, while Andy Murray has once again come agonisingly close to securing that elusive first Grand Slam triumph.

It's also a slightly odd time. As editor, I have control over most things that happen in the show, but the top 10 is one area where I relinquish this and hand it over to the professionals from a wide variety of publications, who work in British sport day in, day out.

This year's nominations have thrown up something that I've not seen in the six years I've been editor of the show - and that's an all-male shortlist.

It's a shame not to see Keri-Anne Payne, Chrissie Wellington or Rebecca Adlington get in the top 10, as they've all had great years and are wonderful role models - and all three came close to being in the 10. However, the vote is carried out independently of the BBC and by very knowledgeable individuals.

Giving publications that are read by such a wide breadth of the public the opportunity to shape the UK's biggest and most prestigious sports awards show still feels the right way to reflect the UK's favourite sports stars and the best sporting moments of the year.

I also think what matters is that only the general public will decide the actual winner as they vote in their huge numbers to crown the Sports Personality of the Year 2011 live on the night. We extended the shortlist to 10 from six in order to give the public far more choice than in years gone by.

There is no doubt that list itself is oozing with incredible talent. It is one of the strongest fields I have ever seen during my time on the show and the race itself is too close to call. The winner could easily be any of the 10.

Other sporting achievements from the past year will be featured throughout the show, with awards for Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Unsung Hero, Lifetime Achievement and the Helen Rollason Award - as well as the Young Sports Personality of the Year award, for which the top 10 was announced last week.

I sit on the panel to decide the Young SPOTY award - and this year the candidates were the highest calibre I've ever seen. Choosing a winner will be unbelievably tough, and when former winner Amy Spencer, John Inverdale, Jake Humphrey, Sonali Shah, Ore Oduba and I - along with our good friends in Youth Sport Trust - start debating the final three, we could be going for a very long time.

There will be some very special moments in the show again this year, which are not to be missed, ranging from the emotional to the high energy. Many of these will be kept secret until the day. (More secrets!)

So we are all set for a huge Sports Personality of the Year show - make sure you join Gary, Sue and Jake on 22 December. Who will follow AP McCoy as the 58th Sports Personality of the Year? That will depend on your votes.

It is fantastic that one of the first major events to come out of the new site will be one of the BBC's longest running and best-loved flagship shows.

We've also launched the Unsung Hero Award, which is always my favourite moment of the night, when someone most deserving gets a chance to share the spotlight with the biggest names in sport.

The studios in Salford are great and having seen the new set design for this year's show I know SPOTY will once again be one of the most exciting live productions on television.
I'm delighted to say that Gary Lineker, Sue Barker and Jake Humphrey - who have loved presenting the show - will be back again.

In recent years we've broadcast the event from arenas around the UK, in cities like Sheffield, Liverpool and Birmingham and we're thrilled to once again be moving to an area that boasts such a great sporting heritage, with some of the world's most successful teams and best facilities.

City and United are just part of the story, but what a part they play! There's also Lancashire County Cricket Club, top class Rugby League and Rugby Union teams, the British Cycling team, Aintree and so much more.

The area is simply mad about sport, but as well as that, in these challenging economic times, it works better for us to present the show from our new home than opting for the more costly arena options.

Of course the drawback with moving back to the studio is a smaller audience, but while there will be no public sale of tickets for Sports Personality, we're really happy that thousands of people will be able to get involved in the build up to the big night as we launch 'Celebrate Sport', a 14-day event which runs through to SPOTY on Thursday, 22 December.

BBC Celebrate Sport will take place in the two weeks prior to Sports Personality of the Year 2011

Once design plans are finalised we will also make some free tickets available to the public for the main Sports Personality TV show. These will be distributed fairly through a public ticket ballot. More information will follow on that soon.

One of the key missions of BBC Sport moving North is to involve more people in what we do and we hope a huge number of people, including many local schools and groups, will be able to experience some of our best-loved shows and meet our most well-known faces during that two week period and beyond.

For the first time there'll be a chance to be in the audience for 5 live's 606 Football phone-in, Monday Night Club and 5 live's Sports Personality of the Year backstage show.

To complete the 5 live line-up, Fighting Talk will also be recorded in Salford with a studio audience, while we'll also be holding a special evening with Question of Sport presenter Sue Barker and captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell.

We'll be planning some special events with the Match of the Day and Football Focus teams, while there will be a chance for youngsters to meet some of their CBEEBIES favourites, who are also new Salford residents.

The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra will be involved, hosting a special concert for Christmas with an appearance from the Manchester United choir, while the National Football Museum will have an exhibition on site here at the BBC Studios in Salford leading up to the festive period and through to their opening in Manchester next year.

More details about how to get involved in the celebration will follow on the BBC Sports Personality web site over the next few weeks and you can register your interest in attending events now at https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/showsandtours/shows/shows/celebrate_sport.

The Celebrate Sport finale will be Sports Personality of the Year and this year's programme promises to be packed with drama following an amazing year of sport.

Who would have thought Northern Ireland's finest would dominate golf's majors?
The stories of how Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy ruled the world are heart-warming and inspiring.

Talking about ruling the world, that's exactly what England's cricketers are doing and we hope to have many of the team with us for SPOTY.

Elsewhere, Mark Cavendish became the first Briton to win cycling's coveted green jersey at the Tour de France, while Dai Greene and Mo Farah took gold at the World Athletics and there's so much more to come with the Rugby World Cup, for example.

When I was growing up, SPOTY was always the first sign Christmas was coming and it certainly will be this year.

Once again the top 10 contenders will be nominated by 30 sports editors from across the country and we'll be announcing the top ten during The One Show.

The show itself is on the move from its traditional Sunday evening slot to a Thursday night.
Why? You might ask. Well we've worked really hard this year to avoid the show clashing with other big events in the busy Christmas schedule and are pleased to have secured a great prime-time slot, right in the heart of the Christmas build up.

It's a great opportunity for the family to get together and be part of the celebrations. It will also enable the One Show to get involved with the SPOTY red carpet, bringing you the excitement, glamour and nerves as the stars arrive, which is fantastic.

Hopefully SPOTY will once again represent a chance to settle down with a mince pie and wrap the last of your presents as you watch the best of sport from 2011.

And to mark 'one year to go' until the torch arrives, two major announcements are being made regarding the evening stops the torch will make during its 70-day journey and the nomination process to decide who will run with it.

There will be extensive coverage across the BBC with details about where the main evening stops will be in your local area, plus details about how you can nominate someone to be a torchbearer.

As much as I'd love to make my children happy, sadly I don't have the power to decide or have any influence over the route - nobody at the BBC does, it's down to the London 2012 team who have spent a long time planning a very complex operation.

Torchbearers Wang Ning and Colin Giles exchange the flame during the Olympic torch relay in Beijing in 2008. (Getty)

The announcements made today will not actually reveal the full details of the route, but instead concentrate on the final destination the torch will visit each day. There will, however, be more details confirmed in the coming months.

The evening stops are being planned to be extremely exciting and if the recent royal wedding is anything to go by, a terrific opportunity for communities to get involved again!

What the BBC torch relay team is concentrating on is planning the most exciting and ground breaking coverage possible. Coverage-wise, things will have moved on quite dramatically from 1948 when the Games were last in London and we'll reflect that with our extensive operation throughout the dramatic and wonderful 10-week journey.

We'll also involve a wide range of the BBC's best loved programmes and some of our best known faces.

You may have seen our wonderful interviews with some of the torchbearers from the 1948 London Olympics. The significance of their role 63 years ago still lives on in their lives today.

They all still have their treasured torches, which they were allowed to keep as personal mementos of their two-mile leg in the build up to the long-awaited, post-war Games, and they have now become family heirlooms.

Chosen as representatives of their local athletics clubs, they all still share a passion for athletics and some of them are still regularly running and they all believe in the spirit of the Olympic Games.

Back in 1948 there were some rather entertaining criteria surrounding the selection of torchbearers, with torch relay organiser, commander Collins specifying that the first person to carry the torch on British soil should be: "reasonably youthful looking, neither bald, nor too fat."

The 2012 relay promises to be much more inclusive - with up to half the runners young people aged between 12 and 24.

And what can they expect?

Well, in the words of one of those 1948 torchbearers, 81-year-old Charles McIlvenny from Berkshire: "I think it will be run on a different scale to what it was when I ran with it. The ballyhoo will be a lot more. I'm getting on a bit now to do any running but... I realise now I was really lucky to do it. Savour it. You'll never get the honour or chance again. It will live in your memory forever, as it has in mine."

And so say all of us.

I was brought up in a sports mad family and idolised the legendary classic sports commentators from an early age. The king of them all was the one and only David Coleman.

He commentated on all the big events and at the time was host of A Question of Sport.

Little did I know at the time that I would soon be working with the man most people would agree to be the finest sports commentator, presenter and journalist of all time.

I hate to think now what those commentaries sounded like! My voice had hardly broken, but great professionals and human beings that they were, Charles and Clive would write back to me every time encouraging me to keep going.

David Coleman on Sportsnight With Coleman in 1969

Eventually (probably tired of getting the tapes) Charles relented and took me on at BBC Radio Merseyside to help out behind the scenes on the Saturday sports programmes. I worked all the way through school, A Levels and University gaining great experience and working with some of today's biggest names.

At the end of my University degree and through the contacts I'd made at Radio Merseyside I was offered the chance to go and meet the executive producer of Question of Sport at the time, Mike Adley.

Mike was a Question of Sport legend who devoted much of his life to the programme and oversaw the golden era of the show with Coleman at the helm. I was introduced to Mike by Dave Ball, a Liverpool school teacher and a walking encyclopaedia of sport, who worked part-time as a researcher on QofS as well as with me at Radio Merseyside.

I got the job as researcher on QofS and straight away was set to be working with the legendary commentator David Coleman, the man I had idolised for so many years. I was 21 and quite wet behind the ears to be honest.

My first working day was a Sunday in Manchester with three programmes being filmed in one go. It was my first meeting with David and one I would never forget.

We were sent to his dressing room at 8am to discuss questions and I was introduced to him straight away by Dave Ball. There were no pleasantries and my vivid recollection from that first day is that I got out of the room as quick as my young legs could take me, physically shaking.

David was the ultimate professional and at the start of the day he was only interested in making sure he had the best questions possible and more importantly that they were factually correct.

Coleman didn't know me from Adam and he wasn't about to let me jeopardise his reputation as the number one commentator and sports presenter of the era.
He dispatched me in no uncertain terms with one mission - to get a simple quick-fire football question for the One Minute round.

He baulked at my first 20 suggestions, but eventually I convinced him that one of the athletes on the programme was an Everton fan and I'd come up with a simple question around Everton being nicknamed the Toffees.

To my relief, he seemed to buy it - albeit reluctantly, but only on the grounds that I rang John Motson at home! It was 8am! Another of my idols and all on the same day! Why, I thought, did I have to call Motty up about a simple question? I was an Everton season ticket holder after all, it was an insult to me I thought.

I got Motty's number from the legendary QofS contacts book and rang him up. Not best pleased to be woken so early in the morning, Motty did laugh quite a bit when I explained the story to him. He knew what David was up to. He was testing me out to make sure I understood the golden rule - check everything and not just once but one hundred times.

I now understand that David was not only broadcasting to 300 people in the Television Studio, but to 10 million people at home, who were watching one of their favourite shows. The reputation of David, the programme itself and all those working on it would be seriously damaged by a question that wasn't factually correct.

So for the next two years David made my life hell. He never trusted me one bit, chopped and changed questions for fun and ran me a right merry dance every filming day - and in particular during the week leading up to the recordings.

All of us on the production team also knew not to have too much to drink or stay out late the night before a recording because you had to be at your very best to handle David the following day.

Ian Botham, David Coleman and Bill Beaumont on A Question Of Sport in 1994

Those two years had the greatest influence on my career without any shadow of doubt. David taught me about professionalism. He is the most professional person I have ever worked with and he set the standards that everyone has since followed.

To the tiniest detail everything was checked out. I remember once tracking down the head of the BBC Pronunciation unit on holiday in India to check out the correct way to pronounce an athlete's name.

Hours I spent tracking down this respected BBC employee up in the hills in the middle of nowhere and, don't forget, those were the days before mobile phones.
Proud of myself for getting hold of him I beamed up to Coleman with the news. Expecting a big pat on the back for my tireless work I soon got a shock. He already knew. He'd spoken to the guy before a big athletics meeting months earlier. He was just checking that I was checking!

Then one day, two years later, our relationship changed. Suddenly he was extremely pleasant to me and stopped insulting me. Suddenly he stopped checking that I was checking. Suddenly he'd believe me if I said Everton were nicknamed the Toffees. David knew I'd served my thorough apprenticeship and learnt the important lessons that he had wanted me to.

To this day I value his professionalism more than anything in my career. I also got to know a very special man indeed.

His relationship with sports stars was something I've never witnessed before and never will again. The biggest names of the day would come in for Sunday lunch when we were filming QofS. And they were all in awe of David. They'd grown up with him themselves as young men or women wanting to be sports stars. They respected him more than anything and anyone in the business.

David is a very private man and would never let me do a documentary on him. And boy did I try.
For years I tried and tried. It wasn't for him the celebrity life which he could have enjoyed as the star and host of every major sporting event, QofS and even Spitting Image.

He very rarely gave interviews - even though he interviewed just about every top sports star in the world himself.

I once begged him to do an interview for a QofS documentary I was making and he repeatedly said no. Unusually for me, I had admitted defeat. But just before the programme needed to be finished and a few days before I was about to get married, he rang me up and said he wouldn't let me down and did the interview. That was the nature of the man. I changed my stag weekend plans to go and do it!

I was very sad when he left QofS and I have the fondest of memories working with him. My wife worked on the programme as well. She was more on the financial and organisational side and not the editorial. He was always nice to Rachel. And never gave her a rollicking over questions!

Over the past few years we've kept in touch and he will ring the family home to see how we are all doing and how my three children are getting on.

He always has a lovely chat with Rachel and the kids and then as soon as I pick up the phone he'll berate me for a guest we've had on a programme I might have made. I always take it in good grace and always know that it's just David making sure I'm not getting too big for my boots and that I'm always setting the highest standards possible.
Eventually, like Clive Tyldesley and Charles Lambert, I wore David down and last year he agreed that I could make a documentary on him.

David is above all a family man and devoted to his lovely wife Barbara, his six children and many grandchildren and we've interviewed his wonderful family that he adores as well as some of the biggest names in sport today like HRH Princess Anne, Sir Bobby Charlton, Lord Coe and Sir Ian Botham.

He was the pioneer of modern sports broadcasting. He set the standard that everyone else has since tried to follow. I was very fortunate to spend the day with him recently and we laughed about old times and old rollickings. He's 85 this year but is still sharper than anyone I know.

The documentary looks back at a remarkable career which saw him cover 11 Olympic Games and just about every major sporting event from the World Cup, to the FA Cup final, the Grand National, Grandstand, Match of the Day, Sportsnight with Coleman, Sports Personality of the Year, the list goes on. Television will never see an all-rounder like David again.

He's also a great example to anyone starting off on a dream in any walk of life. He had an incredible work ethic and professionalism that was vital for success.
Above all, though, he cared greatly about everything he did. It was because at heart he was a sport fan.

At times he was very difficult to work for and although he probably wouldn't admit it publically, it was because he cared greatly about those who worked with him. He wanted us all to do well in our private and professional life.

I hope you enjoy the documentary. I know David will watch it and probably be the first person on the phone to discuss what we could have done better!
Happy birthday to the Quite Remarkable David Coleman.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2011/04/the_quite_remarkable_david_col.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2011/04/the_quite_remarkable_david_col.html BBC Sport Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:51:09 +0000 The fact that BBC Sports Personality of the Year provokes so much debate is one of the main reasons I love being editor of the show.

In the SPOTY office, we are worse than anyone, constantly guessing who might make the top 10, checking who are the favourites, discussing and disagreeing on who the 30 sports editors might nominate. So as soon as we get the results through, I really look forward to announcing the top 10 contenders in order to hear people's reactions.

It is also great because finally the waiting is over and we can look ahead to exactly who might lift the trophy in Birmingham on 19 December.

]]>The 2009 Sports Personality of the Year winner, Ryan Giggs, exclusively revealed the top 10 contenders during The One Show on Monday.

I'm sure you'll agree with me that it really is an outstanding list. In fact, that's better illustrated by taking a look at those people who just missed out.

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Giggs recalls his 2009 Sports Personality of the Year win

Andy Murray reached a Grand Slam final, Beth Tweddle clinched another World title and Mo Farah was a double gold medal winner at the European Athletics Championship.

Not forgetting Rebecca Adlington and Phillips Idowu, who again had great years. Yet none of those fantastically talented sports stars have made it into the top 10 this year - the competition was just that strong.

I have enormous sympathy for those I have just mentioned but our independent judging panel have really come up with something special with the names they have selected.

Just to reiterate, the top 10 is chosen by 30 sports editors from a range of publications. They send us their top 10s and we simply count the nominations for each sports star - you can see who each of the publications went for by following this link.

After the disappointment of the World Cup, we sometimes forget what a vintage year it has been for British sport.

Lee Westwood toppled Tiger Woods to become the world number one in golf, while Graeme McDowell, along with Lee, helped Europe win the Ryder Cup. Graeme also won one of golf's majors, the US Open.

In darts, 15-time world champion Phil Taylor continues his phenomenal success, while Mark Cavendish makes the list again after winning five stages of the 2010 Tour de France.

Amy Williams gets her reward after winning gold at the Winter Olympics, while heptathlete Jessica Ennis, third last year, features again following a hugely successful 2009.

Jockey AP McCoy finally ended his Grand National hoodoo and is deservedly chosen, alongside world heavyweight boxing champion David Haye fresh from his victory over fellow Briton Audley Harrison.

Graeme Swann is currently in Australia looking to add to his blossoming reputation as one of the best spin bowlers in the world, while 16-year-old diver Tom Daley features yet again after his golden performances in Delhi.

Try and pick a winner from that lot! It promises to be the closest race for years and whoever wins will be a very worthy victor.

Over the next three weeks we'll be covering all 10 contenders equally and extensively with family features during The One Show, interviews with the contenders themselves during BBC Radio 5 live's breakfast show and an extensive spin-off show on all 10 with Gabby Logan on 13 December, which will also feature interviews with every contender.

And, as always, the BBC Sport website will cover all 10 extensively, with each contender having their own individual day when they will be featured.

We hope that by the time the show comes around on 19 December in Birmingham, you will know all you need to know about our top 10 and you will be able to decide your favourite.

The vote takes place during the show itself and is decided by the public alone.

What a list, what a night it is going to be.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/11/let_the_sports_personality_deb.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/11/let_the_sports_personality_deb.html Sports Personality of the Year Mon, 29 Nov 2010 14:32:12 +0000 With less than two months to go until the 57th BBC Sports Personality of the Year is crowned, the second wave of tickets for this year's event in Birmingham have gone on sale.

And what a show we have lined up. The 2010 event will be the biggest ever, with more than 12,000 people at the LG Arena on 19 December. Thousands of tickets have already been snapped up but you can still be part of the audience - full ticket details are here.

]]>The show itself is really taking shape and many of the biggest stars in sport have already agreed to be part of a spectacular evening's entertainment.

There will be an incredible stage performance, which everyone involved with the show is really excited about, and we will also have two very special awards that definitely should not be missed.

There has been a lot of speculation about the contenders for the main award - and it looks like being one of the closest races in years.

That should make for a really exciting public vote on the night as we wait to see who is chosen to emulate last year's winner Ryan Giggs.

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We will announce the top 10 during the One Show on Monday, 29 November. Once again, the list of 10 will be decided by more than 30 top sports editors from the national press.

We always try to give a feel of the sporting year throughout the show, too, and 2010 has been an absolute rollercoaster, encompassing more highlights and lowlights than most years.

Like a lot of people, I was so disappointed with the performance of England's footballers at the World Cup in South Africa and was particularly upset for my seven-year-old son.

It was the first World Cup he had really been fully immersed in and was devastated when England went out, although, as an Everton season ticket-holder, he predicted we would do badly when Fabio Capello did not take his beloved Leighton Baines.

Despite England's disappointing display, there has still been much to celebrate.

We expect many of the world's top golfers to be with us in Birmingham as we look back on Europe's Ryder Cup triumph - a performance that was undoubtedly one of the sporting moments of the year.

It has been a great year for British athletes, with glory for stars like Jessica Ennis and Mo Farah. There was plenty of drama in Delhi before the Commonwealth Games began, too, but the Home Nations still brought home a great haul of medals. It might seem a long time ago but who could forget Amy Williams' incredible gold medal in the skeleton bob at the Winter Olympics in February?

In football, it has been an extraordinary and dramatic year. Chelsea did the double, Blackpool made the Premier League and Fulham a European final - and not forgetting all the off-the-field dramas involving Liverpool and Manchester United.

In darts, Phil Taylor continues to dominate the PDC, while Martin Adams is the king of the BDO. There was a great Grand National and Tour de France, while the thrilling climax to one of the most exciting Formula 1 seasons in memory is still to come.

And don't forget the Ashes.

There have been so many sporting success stories this year that it would be impossible for me to mention them all here. But I can tell you that the BBC team are working hard behind the scenes to make sure we reflect the best of them in this year's show.

We will be re-living all the drama with leading figures on the night but don't forget to get your tickets soon if you want to be there because the event is likely to sell out quickly.

I really hope that, if you cannot be in the audience, you will follow all the drama on BBC One, BBC Radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/11/more_tickets_released_for_bigg.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/11/more_tickets_released_for_bigg.html Sports Personality of the Year Tue, 02 Nov 2010 08:01:01 +0000 Following on from our recent programme about Brian Clough, BBC Sport's documentary team have made another poignant film which charts the life and times of the remarkable Alex 'Hurricane' Higgins.

Alex Higgins: The People's Champion is the first major documentary to be shown on television since his death a few weeks ago.

We've received full support from Alex's close family and we'll hear from his daughter Lauren and his two sisters in Belfast, Jean and Anne. It must have been very difficult for the family to take part at a time when they are still grieving, but they were very keen to ensure that we gave an honest and fair account of his life.

]]>I have personally been heavily involved with Lauren's exclusive interview and she has given us a very personal and emotional account of life with Alex. I've seen first hand how much her Dad means to her and how proud she is of his many achievements. No snooker fan can forget the pictures of Alex celebrating his second World title in 1982 by beckoning his then wife Lynn and baby Lauren onto the floor of the Crucible for celebratory photographs.

Higgins was often seen with a cigarette in one hand and cue in the other

However, Lauren also recognises he was absolutely no angel and we'll certainly see that during the programme which looks back at his many scrapes with authority including the head butting of an official and threatening to have Ulster rival Dennis Taylor shot, plus his very colourful personal life.

Alex was - like so many geniuses - flawed. He may have been the sport's most popular star and hugely responsible for its golden era in the 1980s, but he struggled to cope with the demons of alcohol and gambling in particular. At the height of the sport's tobacco sponsorship, Alex could often be seen with a cigarette in one hand, a cue in the other and a pint of beer by his side.

For the first time we also look back properly at the sad final years of his life fighting cancer, losing his teeth, most of his money and even the ability to eat properly at times.

Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White join the many stars featured in a 60-minute journey through the life of snooker's rock-and-roll star which includes some incredible archive and a story which at times is sad and desperate, but often inspirational and uplifting.

O'Sullivan says that Simon Cowell would have loved to get his hands on Alex Higgins if he was around at his peak today. I remember when I was growing up we all used to play snooker at my friend Gary's house most afternoons after school. Everyone wanted to be Alex even though it was a Steve Davis snooker table.

Steve is someone I hold in the highest personal regard, but I'm sure even he'll admit that that is why Alex will be forever known as the People's Champion.

Watch Alex Higgins: The People's Champion next Wednesday at 2100 BST on BBC2, and afterwards on iPlayer.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/08/alex_higgins_the_peoples_champ.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/08/alex_higgins_the_peoples_champ.html Snooker Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:11:12 +0000 Inside Sport returns this week with a very special programme to celebrate Princess Royal's 60th birthday. The popular Princess gives a rare and exclusive interview to BBC Sport's presenter John Inverdale.

It's very fitting that the programme is being made by BBC Sport because so much of Princess Anne's life has been devoted to sport.

My earliest memory of Princess Anne is probably growing up as a young boy watching her appear on my favourite television programme at the time, A Question of Sport.

]]>It was very much a Royal first and clips of her explaining to the QS captain Emlyn Hughes that he had spelt yachting wrong during the home and away round have been replayed many times over. In fact, it was one of the most popular television programmes ever made, with over 18 million people tuning in.

Princess Anne's appearance was never a gimmick, though. She was very much a guest on the panel in her own right as European equestrian champion and a member of Great Britain's Olympic equestrian team in Munich. In fact, she famously won Sports Personality of the Year in 1971.

It must have been extremely rewarding for Princess Anne to see how her own two children, Zara and Peter, have also picked up the sporting bug. Zara, of course, followed in her mum's footsteps by winning Sports Personality of the Year herself in 2006, the year she became World equestrian champion.

The Princess Royal has links with a variety of sports

And during this Inside Sport special we'll be getting a personal insight from Zara and Peter as they are interviewed together for the first time about their mum.

We'll also see first hand how the Princess Royal devotes so much of her time to charity. She's a highly respected patron of more than 200 charities. I've actually been lucky enough to have been filming with Princess Anne on a day at Buckingham Palace and watched in awe as she goes from one event to the next and one charity to the next, sharing the same amazing enthusiasm for each one. It's not surprising that she has struck such a popular chord with the British public.

She also works tirelessly as a member of the London 2012 Olympic organising committee and patron of Scottish rugby. In our interview, she also talks personally and frankly about the London Games.

There's some fantastic archive of the Princess growing up and we also hear tributes from Dame Judi Dench and Lord Coe. It's a fascinating and intimate celebration of Princess Anne as she celebrates such a special birthday.

The programme also heralds the return of Inside Sport. We're establishing the brand as the documentary-making arm of our department's output. Over the past 12 months, we've produced documentaries on depression, apartheid and homosexuality in sport. Plus we were given exclusive access to Seve Ballesteros's battle for life.

We've also got some exciting projects in production and there'll be more news on our Inside Sport website.

In the meantime, I really hope you enjoy our intimate portrayal of the Princess Royal at 60.

Inside Sport : The Princess Royal at 60
Thursday 12 August; BBC ONE 2235-2315 BST
Sunday 15 August; BBC TWO 1400-1440 BST

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/08/inside_sport_returns_with_a_ro.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/08/inside_sport_returns_with_a_ro.html BBC Sport Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:53:15 +0000 We're announcing this week that the total money raised for 2010 Sport Relief has topped £40million mark. In fact it stands at a whopping £40,605 054 so far!

It beats the £28million figure from 2008 and overall Sport Relief has now raised an amazing £110 million since 2002.

This is absolutely incredible and beyond our wildest dreams and it's all down to the amazing generosity of you, the public.

The money is already being spent to help people living unimaginably tough lives around the world, and right here in the UK. Wherever you live in the UK I'm sure there'll be at least one Sport Relief project near you.

]]>It's still hard to imagine the Sport Relief weekend was over two months ago because wherever I go people are still stopping to ask me about Smithy aka James Corden, 'coach' to the world's leading sports stars including David Beckham, Jenson Button and Andy Murray.

My three children are still wearing their David Beckham designed t-shirts and asking when they can do the Sport Relief Mile again.

More than 175,000 people took part in hundreds of Mile events on 19 March and many thousand more elsewhere during the campaign, including at many schools.

James Corden and David Beckham enjoy a spot of pampering

Highlights from the big night of TV included Smithy; the Match of the Day boys going head to head in the kitchen in what Gary Lineker called 'Disasterchef' and sporting and entertainment legends from the 1980s joining the Ashes to Ashes team to solve the mystery of "who stole the Ryder Cup?". Cheryl Cole, JLS, Susan Boyle and Robbie Williams all joined in with the fun.

And who can forget the incredible sporting challenges our celebrities and sporting heroes took part in to raise millions of pounds for Sport Relief. The One Show's Christine Bleakley water-skied the channel despite having never really water-skied before. Rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio cycled across all the Six Nations venues, while marathon man Eddie Izzard defied belief running 43 marathons in just 51 days.

Former Army captain Phil Packer and Kate Silverton took on the Three Peaks, while David Walliams and his team of celebrity friends rode through the day and night from John O'Groats to Lands End.

There was a small matter of Helen Skelton kayaking up the Amazon as well.

Many members of the public completed their own personal challenges and the money just keeps on rolling in.

Thoughts are already turning to the next one in 2012 which will be the 10th anniversary of Sport Relief. It also promises to be even bigger and more exciting as the countdown to the London Olympics starts in earnest with Sport Relief . There will be plenty more surprise challenges and great TV you can be sure of that.

In the meantime, please keep the money coming in and from all the Sport Relief team can we say a huge, huge thank you for making Sport Relief 2010 the best ever.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/05/celebrating_sport_reliefs_hist.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/05/celebrating_sport_reliefs_hist.html Sport Relief Fri, 28 May 2010 11:50:57 +0000 Sports Personality of the Year is returning to Birmingham for 2010.

It was the first city to stage the event outside London back in 2006 and it was also the first time members of public were able to take a seat in the audience.

It is incredible to see how the show has grown over the past four years. The atmosphere generated by the live audience on the night has become a key part of the show and something I know the sports stars really enjoy.

We were in Birmingham in 2006 and 2007 and the Sports Personality team have very fond memories of our time there. We're thrilled to be returning with a show that should once again be very special.

]]>The West Midlands has a fantastic sporting pedigree. Next season the region will boast four teams in the Premier League with Aston Villa, Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion and Wolves all in the top flight. The city also recently staged the European Gymnastics where the British men and women's teams achieved great success.

Ryan Giggs wins Sports Personality 2009 ahead of Jenson Button and Jessica Ennis

This year promises to be a huge one for sport with major events like the World Cup in South Africa, the Winter Olympics, the Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games, the Ashes and plenty more in-between.

Because of that we were very keen to pick a venue that could cater for the large number of sports stars coming along and also to cope with the large demand for public tickets.
The decision to take the show on the road four years ago was hugely vindicated when tickets for the 2006 event sold out in less than an hour.

The LG Arena is one of the biggest and best arenas in the country and we'll have the biggest ever audience for a Sports Personality show this year, topping the 11,000 who made the event such a success in Sheffield last time.

While we are moving the show on once again, I'd also like to say a huge thank you to Sheffield who put on an amazing show in 2009.

Everyone in Yorkshire made us so welcome and there were some great moments to savour, like the incredibly warm reaction to Ryan Giggs winning the main award and James Corden's outrageous Sport Relief speech to the biggest names in world sport as Smithy the super coach.

The 2010 Sports Personality of the Year promises to be one of the most exciting years ever. Even before the start of the World Cup, Ryder Cup and Commonwealth Games we've got a plethora of potential candidates for the main award and for the team and coach of the year prizes.

You only have to look at the amazing weekend of sport we've just had with Chelsea completing the Double under Carlo Ancelotti and England's cricketers winning the ICC World Twenty20 which was their first ever major global trophy success.

Let's not forget earlier in the year Tony McCoy's fairytale story as he finally added the Grand National to his incredible list of achievements, while Amy Williams picked up Great Britain's first individual gold at the Winter Olympics for 30 years.
Roy Hodgson and Fulham won all our hearts on the way to the Europa League final, while the GB gymnastics teams emerged as a major force.

Wouldn't it be absolutely marvellous if we could add the England World Cup team, the European Ryder Cup players and a large number of our home nations stars at the Commonwealth Games to this already very impressive list?!

Former Sports Personality winners and local heroes Ann Jones and Anita Lonsbrough will be joining us in Birmingham on Tuesday to celebrate the news the event is coming to the area, alongside another former footballer Geoff Thomas who is a previous winner of the Helen Rollason award.

Tickets are likely to be in huge demand and will go on sale in September. We will announce further information on our Sports Personality website nearer the time.

]]> Carl Doran Carl Doran https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/05/taking_sports_personality_back.html https://bbcstreaming.pages.dev/blogs/sporteditors/2010/05/taking_sports_personality_back.html Sports Personality of the Year Tue, 18 May 2010 07:00:00 +0000

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We've been planning Sport Relief 2010 for two years and finally it's here.

We have the most amazing weekend in store for you, but as you know it has already been an incredible campaign. The fund raising has got off to a great start as a result of some astonishing sporting challenges:

There was The One Show's Christine Bleakley who water skied the Channel despite having hardly ever water skied before and who can forget Blue Peter's incredibly gutsy Helen Skelton who kayaked the Amazon, breaking world records on the way.

Fundraiser Phil Packer and Kate Silverton braved the Three Peaks, and in Scotland Fred MacAuley and Dougie Vipond paddled up the unforgiving Caledonian Canal.

Then on radio, we've had 5live's Danny Baker promoting The Shirt of Hurt - as an Everton fan I've managed to avoid wearing the red of Liverpool so far - and there's poor old Radio One DJ Scott Mills, who is rounding off the Sport Relief challenges with his extreme Miles this week, including doing one in a sewer!

And who did it all start with? Eddie Izzard. I still find it incredible to think he managed 43 marathons in 51 days.

They will all be featured during Friday's amazing night of TV starting at 1900 GMT on BBC One. And what a glittering line-up we have.

Its been great fun filming all the treats for you. James Corden is back as 'Smithy', coaching the biggest names in world sport and he makes a surprise appearance at Sports Personality of the Year.

My funniest moment of the filming happened at Manchester United's training ground - Smithy was wearing pink socks and a leotard, and all the players were doing aerobics in the background.

But then United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and the England manager Fabio Capello entered the room and wondered what exactly we were up to! Luckily they were great sports and left Smithy alone with the players!

We also have a very special edition of Ashes to Ashes which is not be missed - watch out for a host of sporting heroes, plus a great performance from Sir Michael Parkinson as you've never seen him before.

Meanwhile, the Match of the Day presenters rise to the challenge in Masterchef, which Gary Lineker affectionately keeps calling "Disasterchef" whenever I speak to him.

There are also special editions of Question of Sport, with Frank Skinner in the hot seat for one night only - Zara Phillips proves again what a great sport she is. Don't miss The One Show as you've never seen it before, while the England rugby union team gain inspiration from Stephen K Amos as Nelson Mandela.

And if that wasn't enough, we've also got performances from the biggest names in music at the moment - Cheryl Cole, JLS with Lemar and Robbie Williams to name just a few.

It will be a jam-packed seven hours of Friday-night entertainment - all for a very worthy cause. Don't miss it!

Also on Friday, schools all over the UK will be doing so many amazing things to raise money which will go towards helping vulnerable people both here at home.

My three children will be doing the Mile over an assault course at their local school in Marple and they're taking part in the Manchester Mile on Sunday.

They are thrilled that they have the chance to run down Coronation Street! Thousands of you from all over the UK will also be taking part in events all over the UK. And for the first time ever, we have the first major international mile event in Cape Town, South Africa - sporting legends Alan Shearer and Kelly Holmes will be there for us.

You can watch it all on Sunday at 1605 GMT on BBC One with a special 90-minute show which culminates with the Sport Relief fundraising total revealed.

Fingers crossed we'll beat the 2008 figure of over £28m. Whatever happens it will be an incredible weekend which wouldn't be possible without all the support received from the stars of sport and entertainment and, most importantly, you the general public, for doing your bit by taking part and donating.

Since it began in 2002, the biennial event has raised over an incredible £60m for good causes in the UK and around the world.

We've been planning this year's Sport Relief since the last one finished and things are really taking starting to take shape now. We're so excited about what's happening over the next few weeks and there will be a series of phenomenal challenges and some unmissable programmes across TV, radio and online.

It all reaches a thrilling climax during Sport Relief weekend, 19-21 March, which will start with the Sport Relief Night on BBC One and BBC Radio 5 live, featuring a wealth of celebrities and films showing how your money helps to make lives better, and conclude on Sunday with the now established Sport Relief Mile event where thousands of people up and down Great Britain and Northern Ireland will run a mile, or even 3 miles and 6 miles.

As I mentioned above, there are some fantastic Sport Relief programmes coming up.

Remember when the England football team got some extra coaching from Smithy of BBC's Gavin and Stacey? Well, we have the sequel coming up featuring some of the biggest names in British sport.

Cult BBC children's classic We Are The Champions is being revived with Paddy McGuinness as host, the Match of the Day team are rising to the challenge in the kitchen in a special edition of Masterchef, while Dragons' Den will get a Sport Relief makeover.

There is a Question of Sport Relief, with comedian Frank Skinner taking over from Sue Barker in the famous hot-seat, and we also have a very special Strictly Come Dancing from the O2 Arena featuring two much loved celebrities very much out of their comfort zone!

Talking about celebrities being out of their comfort zone, the hilarious Let's Dance returns - with a host of celebrities donning on their dancing shoes and hoping to follow in the footsteps of comedian Robert Webb. Remember his tribute to Flashdance?!

The challenges this year are simply remarkable. For example, former England rugby star Lawrence Dallaglio will be cycling around every Six Nations venue, accompanied by celebrity friends and supporters.

Another equally spectacular cycling challenge will see comedy actor David Walliams, who swam the English Channel for Sport Relief, on an 875-mile bike trip from John O'Groats to Land's End. He'll be joined by the likes of comics Jimmy Carr and Miranda Hart on the epic journey, which he hopes to complete in just four days.

Christine Bleakley will leave the comfort of The One Show studios to water-ski across the Channel, while Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton is undertaking a monumental challenge - all will be revealed on Thursday's Blue Peter at 1635 GMT.

One man who began the ball rolling for this year's Sport Relief was Eddie Izzard. The comedian took everybody's breath away including me by running 43 marathons in just 53 days. I salute him and everybody else who is taking part in a challenge.

Of course we don't all have to go to such lengths. My three kids will be taking part in the Sport Relief Mile again along with thousands of other people. They're also getting excited because their schools are also coming up with their own fundraising ideas. My little boy is insisting on running in his beloved Everton kit and wearing his Marouane Fellaini wig!

So why are we doing it? You can find out at our website www.bbc.co.uk/sportrelief

I think you'll agree it's an outstanding list and underlines what an exceptional year it has been for British sport. Overall there are nine sports represented and for the first time since Steven Gerrard in 2005 we have a footballer on the list in Ryan Giggs.

You only have to look at those who just missed out like Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton, Tony McCoy and Andrew Flintoff to see how strong the line-up is. British sport is in tremendous shape as we get closer to 2012.

The show will be a great watch for the whole family with stars such as James Corden, Melanie Chisholm, Denise Lewis, and Patrick Kielty lending their individual support for our contenders.

Only you the British public, however, will decide the winner with a live vote on the night during the show.

There will be no judges involved - it is purely your decision. That brings me nicely to the news that this year Sports Personality will clash with the X Factor final for 90 minutes. I find this hugely disappointing.

Both shows are similar in the sense that they attract big family audiences and are seen as two of the main television events of the year.

My children love both shows and it's a huge shame that they will have to choose. Both are live events and a big part of the excitement is lost by watching a recording.

My children have promised me that they'll stay loyal to their dad and watch Sports Personality, but it's a shame they have to choose and so many households may be split down the middle on Sunday 13 December. A pity when so few programmes these days bring the family together like SPOTY and the X Factor.

For our part SPOTY has a long tradition in the Sunday evening slot and as a big public ticketing event we've been unable to move the date and time.

So is it worth missing Simon Cowell and his wannabes? Definitely.
We have the real thing with 10 stars at the top of their sport challenging for "the biggest prize in sport" as Sir Chris Hoy said so eloquently last year.

We've our best ever line-up and some amazing surprises for our biggest ever show in front of 11,000 people at the Sheffield Arena.

We have some very special awards that are likely to bring the house down, in particular our Lifetime Achievement Award which will honour a true world superstar.

There'll also be live performances, surprise appearances and the greatest collection of sporting talent you're likely to see in one place. Not forgetting one of the closest races for the main award for years.

The 56th Sports Personality of the Year will celebrate the very best of British sport and give you the chance to decide who really has the X Factor.