THERE was always one Sunday evening, in the lead up to Christmas, when everything that needed doing in the Weir household was completed by a certain time.
It was, of course, so everyone could sit and watch the BBC Sports Personality of the Year programme.
David Hemery, who won the 400m hurdles at the 1968 Olympics, would have been the first SPOTY winner I could recall, and, work out why he’d won it having watched his super run in Mexico City before I went to school one morning.
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While I say Hemery, I vaguely remember Bobby Moore winning that accolade in 1966, only because at one point he did a bit of a juggling act with the trophy and the World Cup, which he had also been given to hold. And with the programme being screened live, even me, at that young age, understood how calamitous that could have turned out.
A live show, now an arena production since the Beeb decided to tour the country with it, is still fraught with danger. But for host Gabby Logan, her concerns in the last week have been much more old fashioned.
“The worst thing would be if we were snowed in – and given the time of year the show is staged, and what happened just last weekend, it is always at the back of your mind,” she admitted.
“I said to Kenny [her husband] last Sunday, that I was thankful it was then and not forecast for this weekend. If there was a snow storm, you could have the guest list decimated. And no-one would want that, especially from a viewers point of view.”
Logan now qualifies as something of a SPOTY veteran, both in terms of presenting and as a fan.
“This will be number five for me,” she admits. Does that then entitle her to a watch, or a medal or a badge?
“I think I need to get to ten before I get a goody bag. But it is just such an honour to do the show, and be part of it, every year,” who like so many, was never without Sports Personality at home.
“It must have been in the 70’s I was first aware, as dad [Terry] would watch it. I was born in ’73, so I can’t claim to remember Brendan Foster in 1974, with the plaster on his chin after he’d cut himself shaving. I’ve seen that since.
“But I’ve been aware of it for as long as I can remember. During the 80’s, you had Torvill and Dean winning it after their success in the ’84 Olympics, and I remember that. I’ve always been a fan, and always watched it. It has been part of the schedule, building up to Christmas.”
Today, Logan will be in rehearsals, another indication of what an extravaganza SPOTY has become.
“For me, the night is made with all those amazing faces in the audience; every camera angle, every shot, every link we do, in the background there is some kind of world, Olympic or European champion sat there.
“I think, in the new arena format, having those who have achieved world recognition, they really make it.”
While nothing is left to chance, the unexpected can’t be plan for. I mean, what happens if someone turns up wearing the same dress?
“Claire Balding and I do quite a bit of conferring in advance. It would be quite funny if someone like a Lifetime Achievement Award winner arrived wearing the same outfit – and funnier as I tried to keep them out of camera shot. Actually, it did happen to me before – I’m talking about having the same dress, not keeping someone off stage – but you’d have to live with it.”
From what Gabby said, I deduced Gary Lineker is likely to be in his regular and more traditional suit.
Talking to so many of those directly linked with the programme, you can’t help but appreciate that in terms of logistics, appeal and where it appears on the scheduling, that the Sports Personality of the Year is a big ticket item for the BBC.
But the best thing is the end result still rests with the public, who ultimately, always get it right.