THE WEEK AHEAD: SPORT ON TELEVISION

TODAY

Terrestrial

07.10-08.50 BBC2 Match of the Day Repeated from last night.

10.00-11.00 C4 The Morning Line Racing magazine.

12.30-15.30 C4 Racing From Kempton - including the King George VI Chase - Wetherby and Leopardstown.

17.20-18.30 BBC1 The Other Half Celebrity Special A neurotically completist impulse compels me to record that the grating Kriss Akabusi plays some part or other in this programme.

19.25-20.00 C4 Today at the Test Highlights from the second day of the third Test in Durban, anchored by Mark Nicholas.

03.20-03.50 ITV World Sport Special

00.30-01.00 C5 NFL Update

01.00-03.20 C5 Fedex Championship

03.20-05.00 C5 US Major League Soccer Championship decider between LA Galaxy and Washington DC United.

Live on satellite

12.00-15.25 Sky Sports 1 Football Celtic v Rangers.

15.00-17.30 Sky Sports 2 Basketball Uniball Trophy quarter-finals.

TOMORROW

Terrestrial

12.55-15.15 C4 Racing From Kempton Park, where the Christmas Festival continues with, among other races, the Christmas Hurdle at 2.20, and Leopardstown.

13.00-15.00 BBC2 Racing Four-race card from Chepstow, including the Welsh Grand National.

16.50-17.10 BBC1 Final Score

19.00-19.35 C4 Down Wembley Way Brian Moore looks back at over 70 years of the national stadium.

19.00-19.35 C4 Today at the Test Third Test, third-day highlights from Durban.

19.30-20.00 ITV Down Wembley Way Brian Moore looks back at over 70 years of the national stadium.

22.30-23.50 BBC1 Match of the Day Arsenal v Leeds is the main match.

23.50-00.30 BBC1 They Think It's All Over Repeated from Christmas Day.

01.25-04.25 C5 NFL Game of the Week New York Jets v Miami Dolphins.

04.25-05.00 C5 NFL Game of the Week Replay Minnesota Vikings v Green Bay Packers.

Live on satellite

07.30-15.30 Sky Sports 2 Cricket Third day of the third Test.

11.30-14.00 Sky Sports 3 Football Huddersfield v Charlton in the First Division.

14.00-17.30 Sky Sports 3; 19.00-23.00 Sky Sports 2 Darts First day's play of whichever World Championship it is, from Purfleet. With the legendary Sid Waddell.

18.30-20.00 Eurosport Equestrianism Third day of the Christmas Horse Show, from Mechelen in Belgium.

19.00-22.30 Sky Sports 1 Football Sunderland v Manchester United.

WEDNESDAY

Terrestrial

07.15-08.35 BBC2 Match of the Day Repeated from last night.

11.00-11.50 BBC1 Alliss in Golfing Land The esteemed commentator, who took a bit of a critical kicking during the Open Championship this year - as if people had only just realised, after decades and decades, that his style was folksy to a fault - takes a personal trip down the fairway of nostalgia. With contributions from the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

19.30-20.00 C4 Today at the Test Third Test, fourth day.

20.00-20.35 BBC1 A Question of Sport Thirtieth-anniversary programme features John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Tim Henman and Ilie Nastase. Might be worth watching for once.

22.15-23.15 BBC2 The Best of Clarkson They've somehow contrived to find an hour's worth of "best of" clips of this intensely annoying and mystifyingly popular celebrity's alleged interviews. Worth watching, if only to scream at the screen when Will Carling's appearance is reprised.

00.50-05.00 C5 Live and Dangerous: NHL Ice Hockey Christmas Review With the splendid Todd Macklin.

Live on satellite

07.30-15.30 Sky Sports 2 Cricket More from Durban.

19.00-22.30 Sky Sports 1 Football Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday.

13.00-17.00 Sky Sports 3, 19.00-23.00 Sky Sports 2 Darts First day's play of whichever World Championship it is, from Purfleet. With the legendary Sid Waddell.

THURSDAY

Terrestrial

00.00-00.35 C4 Today at the Test Third Test, final day. Just what the hell are Channel 4 playing at? Sometimes their highlights are on in the early evening, sometimes they're relegated to the midnight hour. Having paid all that money, why do they then chuck away their coverage as if they were slightly embarrassed by it? On their showing so far since they bagged the rights, did they really deserve to usurp the BBC? No must be the resounding answer to that.

Live on satellite

07.30-15.30 Sky Sports 2 Cricket More from Durban.

13.00-17.00 Sky Sports 3, 19.00-23.00 Sky Sports 2 Darts Second day's play of the World Championship.

FRIDAY

Terrestrial

13.00-15.55 C5 Football Review of the Year Steve Scott presents. The extent of this programme's ambitions may be indicated by the fact that the main guests are Iwan Thomas and Steve Redgrave, who have as much to do with football as my underpants.

13.50-16.15 C4 Racing From Cheltenham and Fontwell.

22.20-23.50 BBC2 Goodbye to the Nineties Expect a fair bit of sport in this, review of the decade. There's a bit of Posh `n' Becks, for example, if that qualifies as sport.

SATURDAY

Terrestrial

13.20-13.50 C5 NFL Gameplan

13.50-15.30 C5 Football Review of the Year Part 2.

SUNDAY

Terrestrial

08.30-09.00 C4 Nokia Snowboard FIS World Cup What's a Nokia snowboard? One you can make calls from while you ride it?

15.15-16.15 ITV Murray and Martin's F1 Christmas Special Messrs Walker and Brundle look back on what for Formula One was an interesting season.

00.00-00.50 C4 Today at the Test First day of the fourth Test, in Cape Town. And it's back to the middle of the night for Channel 4's highlights package.

Satellite highlights

07.30-15.30 Sky Sports 2 Cricket More from Durban.