Once a year in December the B B C provides a two hour review of British sporting experience and achievement, culminating in the presentation of the Sporting Personality of the year, voted on by the public during the programme.
Early on an award was made for the Young Personality with three nominations mentioned. Tom Daly the 14 year old Olympic team Diver, Laura Robinson who was Wimbledon Youth Champion and Elle McPherson the school girl swimmer who won two gold medals at the Olympic games. Elle won which was as it should be.
There were several good nominations for coach of the year including Alec Ferguson at Manchester United and the coach of the successful Welsh Rugby team but the winner was also as it should be, David Brailsford the cycling coach.
The Welsh Rugby Team and Manchester United were also nominations for team of the year together with Team GB Olympic Games, but the winner for their performance in the World championships and the Olympic games was the British Cycling Team, as it should be.
There were ten nominations for the overall personality with Becky Adlington from swimming, Louis Hamilton who won the World Motor Racing Championship, and Andrew Murray from tennis, Joe Calzaghe from Boxing who won last year and Ben Ainslie from sailing, Christine Ohuruogu and four of the cyclists. Becky came third, Louis second and the winner as it should be Chris Hoy the winner for his 12 years of work, and three gold medals. The other two will have their chance again bring 19 and 22 respectively while Chris is 37.
The Helen Rolleson award went to Alistair Hicknell, who was a cricket and rugby Blue before becoming an international rugby player and cricketer. For the past decade he has suffered from multiple sclerosis but continued as a commentator to retire this year.
There are few football fans , if any, and most people in Britain, are familiar with aspects of the life of Sir Bobby Charlton who with his older brother Jackie came from the North East and both played in the 1966 World Cup Squad. Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash which killed the majority of the Manchester United first and has been a Director of the club for a decade or two. He was given a lifetime achievement award as it should be.
The programme attempted to make as many references as possible to other sports, Gymnastics, Rugby League, Horse racing, Golf, Cricket, Football and Boxing
There was only passing reference to Durham’s success. Now apart from the winners and Durham most of what happened will become submerged by new successes in 2009 which is also as it should be.
Earlier in the day I had Sunday lunch at the packed out not a seat to spare Old Tollgate Restaurant and Hotel, Bramber Steyning, near Brighton, Sussex. Every available seat was booked and over 100 dinners participated in the traditional Sunday spread. I did not get to view the hot starter such was the wonderful choice of pick and mix cold buffer. I selected several slices of wafer thin Italian salami with mixed olives and feta cheese, and the portions of prawns, smoke salmon, fresh salmon steak and two pieces of smoked mackerel. There must have been twenty to thirty dishes of meats, salads and fish.
There was a choice of turkey, chicken including poussin (26 days or less baby chicken) perk and beef . I had the beef with Yorkshire pudding roast potatoes, red cabbage, parsnips and some Swede. For afters the was an orange looking raspberry jelly, a good slice of Charlotte Ruse and a white chocolate cup, the latter was the only mistake at it had a sickly sweet finish. There was a variety of other sweets and puddings including a heavy black mini Christmas pudding and mince pies, custards ices and creams. There was also a complimentary cheese board but I had had my fill. It was a delicious and memory fare. I had driven down from Croydon in thickish fog which was rapidly burnt off by an extraordinary large sun.
On returning early evening I was unable to [park in the official car park or close to entrance but found a place around 10.30 after watching the third episode of Wallander. As with John Nettles and Midsummer Murders, there are too many killings for liking, and the finale very predicable. The programme was saved by another great performance by Kenneth Branagh as the tortured detective as he failed to save a tormented colleague and to save a mentally tortured young girl. Earlier in the evening I had seen the first hour or so of the last two episodes of Little Dorrit. It was not until the following evening that I watched the final part of the final part. Little Dorrit is not a Dickens that I recall knowing anything previously about. This TV adaptation commenced with a 60 minutes episode then 12 half hour episodes and then the final hour, 8 hours in total and a large cast of 50 including Tom Courtney as William Dorrit, Anton lesser and Amanda Redman as Mr and Mrs Merdle, Andy Serkis as Rigaud, John Alderton, Alun Armstrong, Sue Johnston, Annette Crosby, and Pam Ferris. I should have seen the rest and much if not all is still available but at present there is no inclination to do so.
Early on an award was made for the Young Personality with three nominations mentioned. Tom Daly the 14 year old Olympic team Diver, Laura Robinson who was Wimbledon Youth Champion and Elle McPherson the school girl swimmer who won two gold medals at the Olympic games. Elle won which was as it should be.
There were several good nominations for coach of the year including Alec Ferguson at Manchester United and the coach of the successful Welsh Rugby team but the winner was also as it should be, David Brailsford the cycling coach.
The Welsh Rugby Team and Manchester United were also nominations for team of the year together with Team GB Olympic Games, but the winner for their performance in the World championships and the Olympic games was the British Cycling Team, as it should be.
There were ten nominations for the overall personality with Becky Adlington from swimming, Louis Hamilton who won the World Motor Racing Championship, and Andrew Murray from tennis, Joe Calzaghe from Boxing who won last year and Ben Ainslie from sailing, Christine Ohuruogu and four of the cyclists. Becky came third, Louis second and the winner as it should be Chris Hoy the winner for his 12 years of work, and three gold medals. The other two will have their chance again bring 19 and 22 respectively while Chris is 37.
The Helen Rolleson award went to Alistair Hicknell, who was a cricket and rugby Blue before becoming an international rugby player and cricketer. For the past decade he has suffered from multiple sclerosis but continued as a commentator to retire this year.
There are few football fans , if any, and most people in Britain, are familiar with aspects of the life of Sir Bobby Charlton who with his older brother Jackie came from the North East and both played in the 1966 World Cup Squad. Bobby was a survivor of the Munich air crash which killed the majority of the Manchester United first and has been a Director of the club for a decade or two. He was given a lifetime achievement award as it should be.
The programme attempted to make as many references as possible to other sports, Gymnastics, Rugby League, Horse racing, Golf, Cricket, Football and Boxing
There was only passing reference to Durham’s success. Now apart from the winners and Durham most of what happened will become submerged by new successes in 2009 which is also as it should be.
Earlier in the day I had Sunday lunch at the packed out not a seat to spare Old Tollgate Restaurant and Hotel, Bramber Steyning, near Brighton, Sussex. Every available seat was booked and over 100 dinners participated in the traditional Sunday spread. I did not get to view the hot starter such was the wonderful choice of pick and mix cold buffer. I selected several slices of wafer thin Italian salami with mixed olives and feta cheese, and the portions of prawns, smoke salmon, fresh salmon steak and two pieces of smoked mackerel. There must have been twenty to thirty dishes of meats, salads and fish.
There was a choice of turkey, chicken including poussin (26 days or less baby chicken) perk and beef . I had the beef with Yorkshire pudding roast potatoes, red cabbage, parsnips and some Swede. For afters the was an orange looking raspberry jelly, a good slice of Charlotte Ruse and a white chocolate cup, the latter was the only mistake at it had a sickly sweet finish. There was a variety of other sweets and puddings including a heavy black mini Christmas pudding and mince pies, custards ices and creams. There was also a complimentary cheese board but I had had my fill. It was a delicious and memory fare. I had driven down from Croydon in thickish fog which was rapidly burnt off by an extraordinary large sun.
On returning early evening I was unable to [park in the official car park or close to entrance but found a place around 10.30 after watching the third episode of Wallander. As with John Nettles and Midsummer Murders, there are too many killings for liking, and the finale very predicable. The programme was saved by another great performance by Kenneth Branagh as the tortured detective as he failed to save a tormented colleague and to save a mentally tortured young girl. Earlier in the evening I had seen the first hour or so of the last two episodes of Little Dorrit. It was not until the following evening that I watched the final part of the final part. Little Dorrit is not a Dickens that I recall knowing anything previously about. This TV adaptation commenced with a 60 minutes episode then 12 half hour episodes and then the final hour, 8 hours in total and a large cast of 50 including Tom Courtney as William Dorrit, Anton lesser and Amanda Redman as Mr and Mrs Merdle, Andy Serkis as Rigaud, John Alderton, Alun Armstrong, Sue Johnston, Annette Crosby, and Pam Ferris. I should have seen the rest and much if not all is still available but at present there is no inclination to do so.
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