Brum's in spotlight for TV showcase; Mail TV Editor Graham Young reflects on the region's most important night on the telly for nearly a decade.FAN-TASTIC! That's the armchair verdict on the 53rd BBC Sports Personality of the Year The BBC Sports Personality of the Year award is given to one sportsman or sportswoman, usually British, every year. The award was originally devised by the BBC producer Paul Fox in 1954 and continues to be organised annually by the BBC. award, brought live to the nation last night from Hall 9 of Solihull's National Exhibition Centre. Or the "NEC (NEC Corporation, Tokyo, www.nec.com, www.necus.com) An electronics conglomerate known in the U.S. for its monitors. In Japan, it had the lion's share of the PC market until the late 1990s (see PC 98). NEC was founded in Tokyo in 1899 as Nippon Electric Company, Ltd. in Birmingham" as the show referred to it three times. Plus, Gary Lineker Gary Winston Lineker, OBE (born 30 November 1960 in Leicester) is a former English international football striker who scored ten goals in two World Cups for the England national team and is currently a sports broadcaster for the BBC. said: "As we are in Birmingham tonight, we thought we'd bring-along-a-Brummie - and here he is, Adrian Chiles Adrian Chiles (born 21 March 1967 in Birmingham, England) is a British television and radio presenter. His journalistic training and love of football has resulted in a career in two streams of broadcasting, fronting general and notably business programmes such as ." The Baggies' fan joked: "A token Brummie... that's political correctness for you." On Friday, NEC staff said national attention before last night's event had already delivered great publicity. Some 3,000 public tickets had been sold nationwide in less than an hour on October 16 at a not-for-profit pounds 25 per head, surely guaranteeing the show's annual return to boost the region's coffers. Hall 9 looked sensational on TV and nobody could have asked for a bigger name than Bjorn Borg to turn up in mid-December. "The biggest and most spectacular show we've ever staged," said Lineker, and the swirling introduction of boxer Ricky Hatton was particularly impressive during the West Midlands' biggest night since the Euro vision Song Contest in May, 1998. Little-known gymnast Beth Tweddle cheekily elevated herself to third place with a splendid live routine but darts' legend Phil "The Power" Taylor only had seconds on a chair to champion his astonishing 13 world titles, while Chiles was unduly interested in cyclist Nicole Cooke's accident record. Golfer Darren Clarke came second following an early, party political broadcast-style, soft-focus featurette. My choice, Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe, only appeared briefly at the end. Though undefeated and unmarked after 42 fights, he was left undeservedly un·de·served adj. Not merited; unjustifiable or unfair. un  de·serv unplaced last night.
Winner Zara Phillips came from mid-pack. But Sports Personality of the Year? Here was a girl born with horse-riding genes and silver spoons galore and who's had some right royal training. Yet the European and World Champ's speech featured six "erms" and four "amazings" and no mention of any significant help - like her horse. And we thought footballers were bad. Wayne Rooney... come on down! CAPTION(S): CONTENDERS...Beth Tweddle, Darren Clarke and Joe Calzaghe. |
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