Talking Sport: Petrolhead viewers give Lewis the edge

The viewers’ vote really does show the power of the petrolheads because Hamilton, who took the Formula 1 drivers’ title for the second time, won by a distance from the brilliant golfer Rory McIlroy, who should have won - and I don’t play the pitch and putt game.

Hamilton may have been the best driver but he also had by far the best car, underlined by the fact that his teammate finished second in the drivers’ list.

Let’s face it, without the planners, who came up with the idea for the car, and the mechanics, who were super-efficient, the drivers couldn’t do it.

So it’s a team effort, brilliant though Hamilton is.

Poor old Gary Lineker croaked his way through the event, giving the impression he’d spent Saturday night out carol singing in a cold and damp Glasgow to earn a few quid.

The best award went to 77-year-old Jill Stidever, who for 60 years has been helping disabled children to learn to swim. That means she started as a teenager.

There was also the Overseas award for Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who was said to be the best player on the planet, not merely the world.

He could be called the best in the universe unless the space dustbin we sent up discovers a good player on that comet.

Elsewhere, Premier League football was down to it’s usual standard of conduct with more clear diving and some awful fouls, many of which only seemed to receive a red card, depending on the club the offender played for.

Chelsea, Spurs and Newcastle should all have had players sent off.

I want to see Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho’s reaction if an opposing player gets away with the sort of thing his England ‘star’ Gary Cahill did against Hull.

Don’t forget Jose blamed the ball boys when his lot lost at Newcastle.

There was one delicious irony. Sunderland were awarded a penalty when Adam Johnson dived after a nothing challenge by West Ham’s James Tomkins and was awarded a penalty which his side scored.

This is the same Tomkins, of course, who at Everton fell clutching his face when an opponent pushed him in the chest. A great example of what goes around comes around.

Like it or not, Christmas is just around the corner.

They talk about the magic of it but see if you can find a smiling face in the shops.

At least it means Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams continue a rivalry at Mount Pleasant on Boxing Day that seems to have gone on since the dawn of time.

Ah, the smell of cigars and sharing a flask.

Except you can’t smoke in the stands, so now it’s the aroma of hot dogs and onions. That’s the Christmas spirit.