Reigning champion Selby, who beat O’Sullivan 10-7 in the final last year, begins the defence of his title against Basen Eltahhan.

Selby has his heart set on lifting the UK title for a third time, as he said: “Being world number one for two years makes me want to work harder to see how long I can stay there.

"I have won the Worlds three times and the Masters three times and the UK is only two at the moment." 

O’Sullivan meanwhile, will go in search of his sixth UK Championship title and opens his tournament against Welshman Jackson Page.

The winner of the UK Championship will collect a cheque for £170,000.

But how can you watch the action live?

How to watch the UK Championship on TV

BBC 1 and BBC2 will be sharing coverage throughout the tournament. Both channels will show the live sessions.

BBC 2 however, will have full highlights each day.

The live coverage is expected to start on BBC1 on Saturday.

How to watch the UK Championship online

All the action can be followed on your desktop or laptop via the BBC player app, which if you’re an existing customer, is also available on iOS and Android smartphone and tablet devices.

BBC iplayer is also available on a number of platforms including iPad, Mac computers and laptops, Playstation 3, PS4 and Xbox One.

The BBC Sports app, available to download on iOS and Android devices, will also be providing live text coverage and updates.