Before tonight's show, which you can follow live on BBC One from 7pm, you may have noticed the recipients of some awards have already been announced.

Let's take a look at who will be honoured, and why...

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport on the red carpet

The stars are coming down quickly on the red carpet now.

One of tonight’s main award contenders Alfie Hewett is currently speaking to media, with Michael Owen following behind him.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong also stopped by earlier with his son, while Fatima Whitbread posed for a photo for me after speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live.

If you look closely you can see Rebecca Adlington being interviewed in the background.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Sports Personality of the Year is, of course, not just about the main award.

Before this year's winner is crowned, there are several other achievements for us to celebrate.

Here is a reminder of the full list of awards to be handed out this evening:

• Sports Personality of the Year
• Young Sports Personality of the Year
• World Sport Star of the Year
• Unsung Hero Award
• Coach of the Year
• Team of the Year
• Helen Rollason Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award

David Beckham has been reflecting on his favourite Sports Personality of the Year moments, having been crowned winner of the main award by the public in 2001 before going on to win the Lifetime Achievement award in 2010.

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps and ex-England cricketer Stuart Broad, who are shortlisted for Sports Personality of the Year, have arrived.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport on the red carpet

Sprinter Harry Aikines-Aryeetey won Young Sports Personality of the Year in 2005 and this year was part of the panel to decide the 2023 recipient.

Looking very dapper in his red suit, Harry is one of the new Gladiators who will be seen on our TV screens in the New Year.

Image source, BBC Sport

Matt Tattler: Come round very quickly but looking forward to watching SPOTY and very good contenders in the running to the trophy. Always a joy to watch.

As announced last week, there are six athletes in the running for Sports Personality of the Year 2023.

They are:

• Stuart Broad (cricket)
• Frankie Dettori (horse racing)
• Mary Earps (football)
• Alfie Hewett (tennis)
• Katarina Johnson-Thompson (athletics)
• Rory McIlroy (golf)

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport on the red carpet

Image source, BBC Sport

England and Manchester City star Esme Morgan stopped to have a chat with me on the red carpet.

She’s excited to see team-mate Mary Earps among the nominees tonight and admitted she will be “fan-girling” over all the celebrities and athletes here.

“I’m so excited to be here. I always used to watch SPOTY when I was growing up.

“I’ve just met Nile Wilson, who’s YouTube videos I used to watch, so that was exciting!”

It’s no surprise that her highlight of the year was going to the World Cup with England and reaching the final.

I asked if she would be joining Earps in the after party…

“Oh yeah definitely. I’ll be there regardless, whether she wins or not!”

Do keep your sporting highlights from 2023 coming in - and please remember to add your name to any texts or WhatsApp messages!

BBC Sport's Personality of the Year was first held in 1954.

But who will be the next to join the illustrious list of previous winners as the 70th winner of the main award, won most recently by:

• 2022 - Beth Mead
• 2021 - Emma Raducanu
• 2020 - Sir Lewis Hamilton
• 2019 - Ben Stokes
• 2018 - Geraint Thomas
• 2017 - Sir Mo Farah
• 2016 - Sir Andy Murray

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport on the red carpet

Mia Brookes is here with her mum Vicky, dad Nigel and nan Tina.

She only arrived home from the USA yesterday after winning the World Cup crystal globe for snowboard big air.

Brookes is in contention for the Young Sports Personality of the Year, alongside wheelchair basketball player Charlie McIntyre and archer Penny Healey.

“She’s so excited about the occasion” mum Vicky told me. “She’s a bit jetlagged but didn’t want to miss this.”

Image source, BBC Sport

Last year, you crowned England and Arsenal forward Beth Mead as the 2022 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

Mead became the first women's footballer to win the award at the end of a year in which she was named the player of the tournament and top scorer at Euro 2022, as the Lionesses claimed England's first major women's football trophy.

In the public vote, England cricketer Ben Stokes placed second, with Winter Olympics curling champion Eve Muirhead third.

But who will be your winner this time?

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport on the red carpet

Image source, BBC Sport

I’ve just been catching up with Rebecca Adlington, a former Olympic swimming champion, who is a “huge fan” of the Sports Personality of the Year awards.

She said it was a brilliant opportunity to highlight sports and athletes who don’t usually hog the limelight and she also praised the unsung heroes who have all been nominated tonight.

“It’s an event I want to come to every year. I mark it in my calendar! It’s a night like no other,” she said.

“In an Olympic and Paralympic year it just goes up another level.”

Among the people she hopes to see tonight are familiar faces Ellie Simmonds, Jess Ennis-Hill and Katarina Johnson-Thompson.

Let's test your knowledge of sport over the past 12 months, shall we?

I'm going to leave you with six questions - and I'll share the answers a little later on. No cheating!

• What was the name the winner of the 2023 Grand National at Aintree?
• Whose late goal gave West Ham victory over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final to secure a first major trophy for the club in 43 years?
• Who became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women's singles title with victory over Ons Jabeur?
• Who became the first British man for 20 years to win an individual sprint medal in the 100m at the World Championships by claiming bronze in Budapest?
• How many successive Grand Prix victories did Max Verstappen record before his record streak was ended in Singapore in September?
• Emma Hayes announced she would leave Chelsea at the end of the Women's Super League season before being confirmed as head coach of which international team?

Image source, Getty Images

It is a landmark edition of BBC Sports Personality of the Year, with this the 70th awards show.

Here's a look back on those winning moments over the years, with words from some of our 69 previous winners...

The stars are starting to arrive here in Salford ...

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport on the red carpet

The red carpet opened at 4.30pm and there have been a lot of early arrivals, especially those who are nominated in the Unsung Hero category, with the overall winner announced this evening from 15 regional winners.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Let’s refresh our memories with some of the headlines from 2023.

The Lionesses went agonisingly close to following up their Euro 2022 triumph as they reached the World Cup final, losing 1-0 to Spain in the Sydney showpiece, while on home soil Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City completed a remarkable Treble by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Europe’s golfers regained the Ryder Cup from the United States in Rome, after the Solheim Cup was retained in similarly dramatic circumstances in Spain. Over in Budapest, the British team equalled their best-ever haul at a World Athletics Championships by matching the 10 won in 1993.

Image source, Getty Images

England reached the semi-finals of the men’s Rugby World Cup, losing to eventual winners South Africa. Hopes of England’s cricketers pulling off a remarkable Ashes comeback were heartbreakingly ended by rain in Manchester, and Australia capped a successful year by triumphing at the men's Cricket World Cup.

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen completed the most dominant season in Formula 1 history, winning 19 of 22 races, and tennis star Novak Djokovic took his Grand Slam tally to a record-equalling 24.

And we've barely begun to scratch the surface.

Image source, Getty Images