SUPERSTAR gymnast Max Whitlock hit the right notes when wowing the crowd with a spellbinding display at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards night.

The Basildon based 22-year-old showed off his skills on top of a piano while dressed in a suit in front of a sell out 7,500 crowd in Belfast.

And he later went on to claim eighth in the main award of the night, finishing just below Olympic champion Mo Farah in the pecking order.

Whitlock, who became Great Britain’s first male gymnast to win World Championship gold in October, received 25, 952 votes and also spoke to host Gabby Lohan on stage about his historic season.

Whitlock won his world gold on the pommel horse having already helped Great Britain secure silver in the team final.

The gymnast, who trains at South Essex Gymnastics Club, attended the awards with his coach Scott Hann and members of his family.

Whitlock will now be bidding for more success at the Olympics in Rio next summer and thoroughly enjoyed his evening rubbing shoulders with a number of sporting stars.

He tweeted: Thanks so much to @BBCSPOTY. We had an amazing night. Honoured to be there.

Vange’s Stuart Bingham, who won the World Snooker Championships earlier in the year, was also among those in attendance to see tennis player Andy Murray crowned Sports Personality of the Year.