Chris Hoy gets sports personality of the year

Despite the existence of a separate "Overseas Sports Personality of the Year Award", non-British nationals are not exempt from the main prize. For example Italian jockey Frankie Dettori finished in third place in the voting in 1996. Irishman Barry McGuigan won the Award in 1985 but he held joint Irish-British nationality and had held a British professional boxing title. Both of these men made much of their careers in the UK. Of the fifty-five awards given since 1954, forty-four of them have been to Englishmen/women, four to Scots, three to Welsh people, and two to Irish people.

In 1987, Fatima Whitbread came 1st, followed by Steve Davis (!!) and Ian Woosnam. Martina Navratilova won the Overseas award. Jaques Anquetil won it in 1963!

And of course we know that dear old Tommy Simpson won the main award in 1965.