Winners and losers

Aussie celebration (TCB website)

The BBC has been trumpeting this as the big "results" weekend - with the finals of Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, and the great event Sports' Personality of the Year. Oddly enough there's been less said about England's trouncing in the third Test Match in Perth. A margin of 267 runs.... It has at least brought the Ashes series back to life. It's not going to be walk-over after all.

I'm writing this before "the personality" is decided, but I just caught the awarding of the Helen Rollason award to the remarkable Frank Williams, the disabled co-owner of our local Williams F1 team. "It's been a great journey, one I'd love to do again if I was younger. I wouldn't try and do anything different except try and avoid the accidents," said Williams, accepting the award (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/sports_personality_of_the_year/9301832.stm). His is the third most successful team in F1 history, after Ferrari and Maclaren, a remarkable achievement for a man who was paralysed from spinal cord injuries in a car accident in March 1987 and was pushed up in a wheelchair to receive his award. No giving up for him! 

Contrary to what some friends think, I'm not a Strictly addict. I could do without a lot of its show-biz flummery, but I was pleased that Kara Tointon won with her partner, Artem Chigvintsev. For one thing she was the best dancer. I'm sure the BBC were relieved that risking the final decision to the public vote ended with a conclusion with which the professional judges would have agreed. She was incredibly musical and expressive - and of course well choreographed. But for me she also represented special needs. She is painfully dyslexic. If you saw the programme she presented on dyslexia, you'd have seen the extraordinary lengths she has to go to in order to learn dialogue for acting parts. She's a great example of someone with a hidden handicap. She's very attractive - and yet has an immense weakness, to which she doesn't give in. And she also shows her emotions - which in my book is a strength. I disagree with those who reckon that she and Artem played for the sympathy vote with the injuries! Anyway, I was glad she won and thought she deserved it.

The rumba (BBC website)