The most controversial – and awkward – Brit Awards moments
1. Rick Astley gets cut off by The Who (1988)
The last ceremony before the “BPI Awards” were rebooted as the “Brits” brought the awards’ first major controversy.
The ceremony was being broadcast on BBC One, and was already threatening to overrun the start of the Nine O’Clock news when Rick Astley won the last award of the night – and then had to negotiate his way down to the Royal Albert Hall stage from a box in the gods to collect it.
Producers hurried The Who into starting their live performance before Astley had a chance to collect his award, but even this didn’t prevent the delay of the news for over a minute.
2. Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood present (1989)
Quite why the inexperienced duo of Fleetwood Mac’s Mick Fleetwood and singer/former Page Three girl Samantha Fox were chosen to host the Brits in 1989 is anyone’s guess.
Naturally, the ceremony was a complete debacle – with cues being missed, pop stars bowling up to the stage at the wrong times, and the diminutive Fox and giant, barrel-chested Fleetwood looking ridiculous throughout. If anything, however, the nightmare ceremony saw the Brits reborn, reviving interest in the event after years away.
3. The KLF machine-gun the audience (1992)
Anarchist dance duo The KLF made it their mission to sabotage the Brits in 1992. Initially, the band – who had been booked to open the show – had hatched a plan to throw buckets of blood at the audience.
They eventually abandoned the prank on the advice of lawyers, and instead fired blank rounds from a machine gun at spectators before leaving the stage with the message “KLF have left the music industry”.
Later that evening, they dumped a dead sheep with the message “I died for ewe – bon appétit” tied around its waist at the official post-awards dinner.
4. Noel Gallagher and Michael Hutchence (1996)
Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher embarrassed INXS counterpart Michael Hutchence, who had just presented the Manchester Britpop quintet with an award, by saying “has-beens shouldn’t present awards to gonna-be’s”. Oasis’s love affair with Brits controversy had begun.
5. Jarvis Cocker wiggles his bum at Michael Jackson (1996)
It still may be the quintessential Brits controversy. Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker interrupted Michael Jackson’s performance of Earth Song, in which a white-robed Jackson performed surrounded by children in rags. Cocker clambered onstage and wiggled his behind at the moonwalker.
He later said: “My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing. I just ran on the stage. I didn’t make any contact with anyone as far as I recall.”
Following complaints from some of the children on stage, Cocker was detained and interviewed by police on suspicion of assault, but was released without charge.
6. The Spice Girls and Geri’s Union Jack dress (1997)
Ginger Spice Geri Halliwell performing in a Union Jack minidress became one of the defining images in British culture in the 1990s. That you could see her underwear didn’t hurt the picture’s longevity.
7. Prescott gets drenched (1998)
Another infamous 1990s incident saw Danbert Nobacon, of anarchist pop band Chumbawamba, hurl a bucket of iced water at then-deputy prime minister John Prescott.
Luckily Nobacon made a hasty exit before Prescott, a former amateur boxer, could exact his revenge. Prescott was left with a drenched suit, and a face like thunder.
8. Ronnie Wood vs DJ Brandon Block (2000)
The same year, a clearly well-refreshed DJ Brandon Block, egged on by his friends, mistakenly took to the stage to collect an award, while Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood was trying to present the Best Soundtrack Album gong.
The pair squared up to each other and traded insults, before Wood threw a drink in Block’s face and the DJ was ejected by bouncers.
9. Liam and Robbie for celebrity boxing? (2000)
Not to be outdone by his older brother, Liam Gallagher was involved in an incident of his own in 2000, when Robbie Williams upped the ante in a feud which had been bubbling since soon after Williams’s departure from Take That in 1995.
After collecting an award, the former Take That singer challenged the Oasis frontman to a televised boxing match for ￡100,000.
10. Unfunny Russell Brand (2007)
Russell Brand hosted the 2007 show – the first Brits for a decade which had not been pre-recorded – and ITV received hundreds of complaints after the host made gags about the so-called “friendly fire” death of a British soldier in Iraq – as well as some misguided quips about the Queen’s “naughty bits”.
11. Don’t mess with the Osbournes (2008)
Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne hosted in 2008, assisted by children Kelly and Jack, and the famously foul-mouthed family were the model of decorum – until comedian Vic Reeves arrived on stage.
His quip about Kylie Minogue, saying she was ?all right, a bit of work there and she’ll be OK”, was met with silence. Then Reeves appeared to forget which award he was presenting, prompting Sharon to shout: “Shut up, you’re f**ked”, and call Reeves a “p***ed b*****d”.
12. Peter Kay and Liam Gallagher (2010)
Liam Gallagher put in a typically enigmatic appearance at the 2010 Brits. Collecting a special award for Best Album of the Last 30 Years – for Oasis’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – the singer proved that he was indeed the gobbier brother.
After thanking all of his bandmates apart from Noel, he gave the award to a fan and hurled his microphone into the audience. The reaction of host Peter Kay summed up the thoughts of many: “What a k**bhead.”
13. Corden cuts off a finger-flicking Adele (2012)
Under pressure from producers worried about the show over-running, presenter James Corden cut Adele’s acceptance speech for British Album of the Year short, much to the chagrin of the singer, who flicked a middle finger as the cameras panned away.
After the incident, Adele maintained the middle finger was “to the suits at the Brit Awards, not to my fans”. She later received an apology from the show’s organisers.
14. Alex Turner’s rock ’n’ roll philosophy (2014)
The Arctic Monkeys frontman was called everything from “pretentious” to “brilliant” after his esoteric speech about the transient nature of rock ’n’ roll when collecting the British Album award.
After referencing the cyclical nature of the universe, glass ceiling and hibernation, he dropped the microphone on the floor – but only after saying, “you can invoice me for the microphone if you need to.”
15. Kate Moss’s political stand-in for David Bowie (2014)
David Bowie’s fans weren’t expecting him to collect his Best British Male award in person. But what happened instead came as a surprise. The often-elusive Kate Moss, fitting into the Kansai Yamamoto rabbit-print jumpsuit that Bowie wore in 1972, had been sent by Bowie as “his representative on Earth”.
She read out a short speech, which controversially ended with a reference to the Scottish independence vote:
“Lovely. In Japanese myth, the rabbits on my old costume that Kate’s wearing actually live on the moon, Kate comes from Venus and I’m from Mars. So that’s nice!! I’m completely delighted to have a BRIT for being the best male. But I am, aren’t I Kate? I think it’s a great way to end the day. Thank you very, very much. Scotland, please stay with us.”
16. Madonna falls over (2015)
In 2015, the Queen of Pop returned to perform at the Brits for the first time in 20 years – but it didn’t exactly go to plan.
The show’s closing number saw her take a tumble while singing Living for Love. It later transpired that her cape had been tied on too tightly; when the stagehands tried to pull it off, they ended up accidentally yanking her offstage.
17. Kanye West puts the censors through hell (2015)
Kanye West’s fans were excited to hear the debut of his new song All Day (which he’d been teasing since 2013), but in spite of Kim Kardashian’s bubbly introduction the dark and challenging performance divided viewers.
It was also a nightmare for the live show’s censors: almost every single line ends with the N-word. ITV did their best to mute the sound at the right moments (i.e. every 10 seconds), but it was a struggle.
Fun fact: one of Kanye’s many hoodie-clad backing rappers was future Mercury Prize winner Skepta.
18. Katy Perry’s political puppets (2017)
Perry was upstaged by her co-stars: two enormous skeletons, whose taste in clothes resembled that of US President Donald Trump and then-prime minister Theresa May.
It was a satirical stunt calculated to shock, but the funniest moment came by accident: one backing dancer dressed as a house fell off the stage while jiving.
19. Stormzy freestyles about Theresa May (2018)
Delivering a medley of hits Blinded By Your Grace and Big For Your Boots, the grime superstar slipped in a verse about the then Prime Minister’s response to the Grenfell Tower fire. “Yo, Theresa May, where’s the money for Grenfell?/What, you thought we just forgot about Grenfell,” he rapped. “You’re criminals, and you got the cheek to call us savages/You should do some jail time, you should pay some damages.”
20. Little Mix are trumped by Harry Styles (2018)
There was a widespread online outcry after Little Mix, who had been leading the public vote for Video of the Year (for Touch), were unexpectedly pipped at the last minute by Harry Styles (for Sign of the Times).
The Brits batted away the accusations of “vote-rigging”, but were forced to issue a statement defending the awards. “The final leaderboard was displayed on The Brits website prior to the final count being checked and verified independently by Electoral Reform Services,”
21. Jack Whitehall’s awkward interview with Little Mix (2019)
The comedian and presenter is toe-curling at the best of times, and the cringe factor was dialled all the way up when he wandered into the crowd for a chat with Little Mix, during which he tried to reignite their supposed feud with Piers Morgan. “He didn’t like that picture where you stripped off naked … voluptuous chest and four chins, it must have been like looking in the mirror for him. Jesy, what would you say to that dutty wasteman?” The band didn’t know where to look or what to say.
22. Paloma Faith protests the lack of female nominees in the big categories (2020)
The lack of female representation at the Brits has been a subject of ongoing debate. In 2020, just four female artists were nominated in 25 non-gendered categories. Paloma Faith made her feelings known when she gave a shout-out to an “underrepresented group… men”.
23. Lewis Capaldi swears up a streak (2021)
Capaldi has been upfront about finding fame a challenge. But he’s always been charmingly unpretentious and didn’t put on any airs at the 2021 Brits, where he presented the Album of the Year award. “Shut up, shut up, shush, shut up,” he said. He added: “Hello motherf***ers! Listen guys… I’m f***ing sweating – it’s like a swamp down there, I’m telling you. Sweaty boll***s.”
24. Anne-Marie falls over Madge-style (2022)
Anything Madonna can manage, Anne-Marie can do, too – sort of. While Madonna’s notorious Brits fall was the full crash, bang, wallop, Anne-Marie’s was a more graceful slip – from which she immediately recovered as she descended a mini flight of stairs while singing Don’t Play.
25. ITV bleeping Sam Fender’s post-watershed performance (2022)
The North Shields Springsteen was riding high when he performed at the Brits. But despite going out very much post-watershed at 9.46pm, ITV nonetheless bleeped out all the explicit lines in Seventeen Going Under– robbing the tune of its gritty punch.
26. Sam Smith dresses as goth Teletubby (2023)
Smyth turned heads – and scrambled brains – arriving at the 2023 Awards in a black latex suit with inflated arms and legs. The bizarre outfit was the creation of menswear designer Harri, whose signature is outfits with huge puffy extremities. “The initial idea about the trouser came from this humorous thought of visualising me from my dog’s perception,” Harri told Vogue. “Thinking from his point of view. “How will he be seeing me?” “Am I like a giant figure with big legs and a small head?” Sounds barking – but look at all the attention it generated.
27. Wet Leg say “F** the Tories” (2023)
Having performed alongside Morris dancers and a giant owl earlier in the evening, the irreverent indie quartet were keen to make an impression at their first Brits. After receiving the award for Best New Artist, singer Rhian Teasdale quoted in full the 2014 Brits acceptance speech from their label-mates, Arctic Monkeys.
“That rock’n’roll, hey?” said Teasdale. “That rock’n’roll. It just won’t go away. It might hibernate from time to time and sink back into the swamp.” For good measure, the band later slipped in a cheeky “F**k the Tories” – of course, bleeped by ITV.
