Christmas is coming for strongman fans in the US: the 2005 MET-Rx World's Strongest Man contest begins its broadcast schedule this weekend, with the first of the eleven shows airing Saturday afternoon, December 24, on ESPN.

Five more shows will follow on ESPN that day, and then, after giving viewers a rest day so that they can recover, the action resumes on December 26, as the programming switches over to ESPN2, with the final five shows beginning that evening. Please check your local listings to confirm the broadcast times in your area.

Pudzianowski, Marunde, Filou . . . all vying for the title; John Inverdale and Bill Kazmaier as the presenters, and Nick Halling and Colin Bryce providing commentary - you've been waiting for it and here it is.