Thrills and (blood) spills: Gary Lineker slices his hand on Sports Personality of the Year trophy as Andy Murray wins and Tyson Fury apologises for homophobic slur at the liveliest awards in years

BBC Sports Personality of the Year presenter Gary Lineker momentarily lost his cool last night when he cut his hand on the award's trophy just seconds after walking on to the stage (pictured inset top). The Match of the Day presenter was tasked with carrying the main award out at the SSE Arena in Belfast on Sunday night, but he appeared to slice his hand open on one of its sharp edges. Undeterred, the former England striker carried on, making light of the situation as he spoke while blood dripped down his hand and onto the stage (main picture and inset bottom). The incident marked the beginning of one of the most lively Sports Personality of the Year award ceremonies in recent years - with considerable controversy over Tyson Fury's inclusion (right). It ended with Andy Murray being named the winner after inspiring Great Britain to Davis Cup glory, seeing off competition from Jessica Ennis-Hill and rugby league player Kevin Sinfield, who finished third and second respectively (pictured with Murray bottom left). It was the first time the event has been staged in Northern Ireland, and it was attended by dozens of celebrities, including Niall Horan from One Direction and swimmer Rebecca Adlington (together top left).