Farah, 34, swapped his track spikes for road shoes in 2017, bowing out with a 10th global gold in the World Athletics Championships at London’s Olympic Stadium.

He also added 5000m silver before switching his focus to marathon training, which will also see him move back from his American base to train in the UK.

But Anthony Joshua, the two-belt heavyweight champion who filled Wembley and the Principality Stadium in 2017, had been a 1/8 favourite for the BBC gong before Farah beat Superbike champion Jonathan Rea and para-athlete Jonnie Peacock to the top spot.

Four-time and reigning world F1 champion Lewis Hamilton was supposed to be Joshua's nearest challenger - the race driver finished sixth.

Farah, who could not attend the ceremony due to an illness in his family, was present via a video feed that lasted long enough for him to clasp his hands to his face in shock before cutting out entirely.

The 25/1 shot said later: ”I honestly thought I wasn't going to win it.

"We have such amazing sports in the UK with people doing great Lewis Hamilton, Jonnie Peacock and Anthony Joshua.

"I thought my closest would be after London 2012. I guess anything can happen.”

The BBC’s gala evening had earlier celebrated 12 months of British sporting success at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, where nearly 11,000 people broke out into a spontaneous standing ovation when Bradley Lowery, the six-year-old Sunderland fan who lost a long battle with cancer in July, was posthumously honoured with the Helen Rollason Award for achievement in the face of adversity.

Roger Federer was also recognised with his fourth BBC Overseas Sports Personality of the Year in the same year that he sealed an eighth Wimbledon title while the World Cup-winning England women’s cricket team were handed their second major trophy in 2017 as they were named Team of the Year.