BBC Sports Personality of the Year is more the Oscars than It's A Knockout... has the overblown ceremony gone over the top?

• Lewis Hamilton was named the 2014 BBC Sports Personality of the Year
• The show leans heavily on the re-telling of the dramatic sporting moment
• Has the show become just too overblown for its own good? 

By Mark Webster for the Daily Mail Follow @@ItsMarkWebster

Published: 20:15 EST, 14 December 2014 | Updated: 06:32 EST, 15 December 2014

I reckon they missed a trick at the 2014 Sport Personality of the Year awards on BBC One on Sunday evening. It was clear for a while that this was not going to be Andy Murray's year. But I would have still arranged to have him on camera, stood alongside an empty swimming pool, looking rather sad and forlorn. Something that the lad can really pull off.

Every now and then, we'd go over to Andy, who'd be stood there silently and alone. When suddenly Lennox Lewis would stroll into shot, put one of those big, powerful paws on Murray's sagging shoulder and say 'sorry mate, not this year'. For a big slapstick finish, Lennox would then gently push Andy in to the pool like a mighty redwood being sent down the river.

There was a time when playing it for a few laughs was very much part of the SPOTY brief. But the hit or miss nature of some of the antics is probably why this approach has now been filed away under 'cheesy'. 

Lewis Hamilton receives the trophy as the F1 driver is named the 2014 BBC Sports Personality of the Year

Andy Murray pictured in Miami with the trophy last year after winning the famous award

What the event now leans on heavily is the re-selling of the dramatic sporting moment. Then endeavours to add the human touch through the conversations and speeches. So more the Oscars than It's A Knockout. But in the process, has it perhaps become a little earnest, just too overblown for its own good?

You could easily be forgiven for thinking so right from the top as the BIG ROCK of Simple Minds opened proceedings inside Glasgow's monstrous SSE Hydro Arena. A stadium band playing a home game. 

This was then underlined as the show's three hosts Clare Balding, Gabby Logan and Gary Lineker made a heralded catwalk entrance onto the epically proportioned, sparkling set. I could just imagine Simon Cowell watching from home and thinking 'even I reckon this is a bit over the top'. Although he would probably be quietly impressed by Gary's rasping Rod Stewart impression.

By this point, if you were actually still hankering for a few giggles, then your wish was soon to be fulfilled. And probably just as quickly quashed. All the eight-year-olds still up after 9:30 would have been thrilled to see one of their CBeebies heroes Hacker T. Dog disrupting proceedings from the audience. 

Scottish band Simple Minds kick off the awards ceremony at the SSE Hydro on Sunday night

Presenters Gabby Logan (left), Gary Lineker (centre) and Clare Balding are pictured on stage

But as I say, they are eight! They're allowed to find it funny. The rest of us, I imagine, just squirmed a little on our settees. Indeed, fifteen minutes later, as Gabby Logan introduced the latest contender from alongside the audience, Dickie Bird still looked so shocked, you feared if the wind changed, his face would stay like that.

Having said all of this, I will hand it to the puppet for one thing. It did voice the question that I had been asking myself from the start. Where WAS Sue Barker?

One thing that hasn't gone AWOL in SPOTY, though, is the top BBC film-making talent which is clearly still given full reign to conjure up those marvellous vignettes (Max Whitlock's "groundhog day" short being a prime example) that perfectly remind us of the excellence of the contenders. 

However, then taking these same athletes out of their sporting comfort zones, sticking them in some posh togs and asking them to chit chat casually in front of 12,000 people and a live telly audience is a big ask. And quite frankly, I found it often to be just be a little awkward to watch. I was uncomfortable for them.

Winner Hamilton (centre) speaks to the crowd in Glasgow after being announced as the winner

Indeed, I don't think the sheer scale of the event does the hosts many favours, either. These are three of our top sports broadcasters. Yet it would seem they might have been better off playing summer seasons in Vegas rather than welcoming us to the fields of play, so as to prepare themselves for the demands of delivering the biz they call show. Although I'm not sure ANYTHING could have prepared Gary for the moment when he was upstaged by an upped kilt!

Yet there was one man who did look like he belonged up there under the bright lights.

As Lewis Hamilton made his first appearance of the night, it came with a close up from the audience by Royal Appointment. So if he's good enough for Prince Harry...?

'How you doing Glasgow?' bigged up Hamilton, like he was on the European leg of his world tour. Before then trying to sell us all tickets to his girlfriend Nicole's gigs. His personality can appear as slick as the tyres he rips up around F1 tracks, but clearly that will to win rubbed off on the viewing audience, who made him their number one choice. That's a viewing audience that was able to see him win his championship live on the BBC, of course!

Prince Harry (left) presents the Lifetime Achievement award to former track cyclist Sir Chris Hoy

Mind you, he had his work cut out stealing this particular show from a man from the two wheeled game. Sir Chris Hoy had a genuine and emotional moment while picking up his Lifetime Achievement Award. Lest we forget, though, Lewis is a champ. And with a hug for his brother, Hamilton was back on the stage, and back on pole.

This time, however, the visor was up. And now we could see an emotional young man, his voice wavering, thanking his family, being 'proud to carry the Union Jack' and being honoured at 'standing with the greats'.

So, in those last few minutes, Sports Personality of the Year delivered what we have come to love about this telly institution. However, whether it wants to continue to present itself rather like the popular music singing contest the aforementioned Simon Cowell was involved in at the same time over on ITV, I think is a question well worth asking.

Lewis Hamilton wins Sports Personality of the Year 2014

Hamilton (centre) with runner-up Rory McIlroy (right) and third-placed Jo Pavey after the ceremony

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