Sports Personality of the Year 2018: When is it on and how can I vote?

Lights, camera, action: it's time for the Sports Personality of the Year awards 2018.

On Sunday, the great and good of the sporting world will gather under one roof in Birmingham to celebrate another memorable 12 months.

But when is it on? How can I follow it? And where can I vote?

What is Sports Personality of the Year?

BBC Sports Personality of the Year - or Spoty for short - is one of the most coveted awards in British sport. That's because it is voted for by the general public.

Past winners include Sir Mo Farah, Sir Andy Murray, Andrew Flintoff, David Beckham, Paula Radcliffe and Bobby Moore.

The show is an opportunity to celebrate another brilliant year of sport, with seven other awards to be handed out on the night.

What other awards will be handed out?

Other awards to be given out on the night are Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, World Sport Star of the Year, Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year, Unsung Hero, and Lifetime Achievement.

In addition to those, the Helen Rollason award will be presented for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, while Young Sports Personality of the Year was awarded to Kare Adenegan in October.

When can I watch it and how can I follow on social media?

Get build-up and buzz from the red carpet on the BBC Sport website and the Red Button from 17:00 on Sunday, before the show gets under way at 19:00 (on both BBC One and the BBC Sport website).

We will also have additional coverage from BBC 5 Live from 19:15.

There will be behind-the-scenes action on @bbcspoty's Twitter account, with live updates, videos and reaction from Sunday's show on @bbcsport.

Meanwhile, on @bbcsport and @bbcfootball Instagram accounts, there will be backstage takeovers from BBC Radio 1Xtra's Sideman and Youtuber Craig Mitch.

How can I vote?

Voting will open as announced in the show. There are two ways to vote - by phone or for free online.

If you vote online, you will need a BBC account. You can find more details here.

If you want to vote by phone, numbers will be displayed throughout the show and online, but only pick up the phone when voting has opened.

And do not vote if watching on demand!

For full terms and conditions, go here. You can find our FAQs on voting here.

Who is on the shortlist?

We can't say just yet because for the first time, the award's shortlist will be unveiled during the show, before viewers are invited to vote for the recipient later in the broadcast.

So who has decided who should be on the list for the main award? The panel are:

  • Sir Chris Hoy (former Olympian & Spoty winner)

  • Barry McGuigan (Former boxer & Spoty winner)

  • Amy Williams (former Olympian & Spoty nominee)

  • Caroline Barker (Broadcaster)

  • Alex Scott (former footballer & broadcaster)

  • Emma Boggis (chief executive, Sport & Recreation Alliance)

  • Claire Tolley (sport features editor, Guardian)

  • David Gurney (sports editor, Metro Newspapers)

  • Howard Wheatcroft (group head of sport, Express Newspapers)

  • Barbara Slater (Director, BBC Sport)

  • Philip Bernie (Head of TV Sport, BBC Sport)

  • Carl Doran (Executive Editor, BBC Sport)

As well as the main award shortlist, the panel also decided:

  • Shortlist for World Sport Star of the Year

  • Shortlist for Greatest Sporting Moment of the Year

  • Winner of the Team of the Year

  • Winner of the Coach of the Year

What about the musical acts on the night?

There will be live musical performances from George Ezra, Paloma Faith and Freya Ridings, plus a live performance of Three Lions by The Lightning Seeds featuring Baddiel and Skinner.

What has happened in previous years?

The show itself is never just an awards ceremony - there's always plenty of talked-about moments.

In 1977, Grand National champion Red Rum dropped into the studio for a 'chat'. Yes, a racehorse in a television studio! Watch it for yourself below.

SPOTY @60: Red Rum pays a visit to the studio in 1977

In 2012, 14,000 people did the Poznan in the ExCel Arena in London and, in 2007, World Superbike champion James Toseland performed a stunning piano solo.

But often the standout moments are those that remind you how sport can mean so much more than winning or losing - like the moment Muhammad Ali was named the Sports Personality of the Century, or when Martine Wright was presented with the Helen Rollason award having lost both her legs in the London bombings on 7 July 2005, only to compete in the Paralympics in 2012.

And who can forget last year's show when Farah was upstaged by his young son?

What surprises await us this year? Join us to celebrate another fantastic year in British sport on Sunday, live on BBC One at 19:00.

Watch: SPOTY winner Farah upstaged by son