Wardrobe malfunctions, political statements and shocking celebrity feuds, the Brits stage has seen them all over the last 40 years, with plenty of iconic pop culture moments taking place at the awards ceremony each year.
We’ve rounded up the good, the bad and, indeed, the ugly for you, and hand-picked our 24 most memorable Brit Awards moments…
Adele proves why you don't rush a superstar (2013)
Best British Album is the category every UK artist wants to win at the Brits, so it’s understandable that Adele would want to soak up the moment.
Sadly for host James Corden, it looked as though her acceptance speech was going to overlap with Blur’s performance, and as he tried to hurry her along, a frustrated Adele wound up flipping the bird before leaving the stage.
Michael Jackson's performance gets an uninvited guest (1996)
The King Of Pop performed at the Brits just once in his career, and given what happened in 1996, it’s no surprise he decided never to come back.
While MJ was performing Earth Song, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage and pointed his bum at MJ, before being removed by security. He later claimed he’d been upset by the pop icon’s choice to make himself appear Christ-like during the performance.
After the show, Jarvis was arrested – and subsequently released without charge – as he was accused of hurting three of the children on stage. Drama!
Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood Host The Show (1989)
It’s now been 30 years since this happened, but we’re still puzzled as to exactly who thought that teaming up two completely unrelated non-presenters to host one of Britain’s biggest TV events was a good idea.
The excruciating evening was dogged with guest mix-ups, autocue fails and jokes that went down like lead balloons. So all in all, not a great night, but it is still being talked about, which surely counts for something, right?
Eugene Adebari/REX/Shutterstock
Robbie Williams vs. Liam Gallagher (2000)
They’d already been swapping insults in the press for a while, but things between Robbie and Liam came to a head at the Brits in 2000.
Our favourite part of this video is right at the end, when the late Caroline Aherne muses that her money would be on Liam…
What is Tony Blair doing at the Brit Awards? (1996)
What seems like a strange move looking back, David Bowie chose the then-leader of the opposition Tony Blair to welcome him to the stage, when he was awarded Outstanding Contribution in 1996.
Cat Deeley declares: 'Rock is back!' (2004)
Largely inspired by the success of The Darkness, Cat Deeley opened the Brits in 2004 with a bold declaration about the return of rock music and how Brits bosses had lifted the alcohol ban in place for the previous few years (hence the champagne bottle).
However, the night was hardly a rock-heavy occasion, with performers on the night including 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and… Dido.
PA
Kanye West keeps the Brit Awards censors busy for five minutes (2015)
Yeezus blessed the Brits audience in 2015 with a debut performance of a new track, All Day.
Unfortunately for viewers at home, most of it was censored due to Kanye’s repeated use of the n-word (though the censorship didn’t stop some viewers from complaining regardless).
Justin Timberlake invites a surprise A-list guest (2003)
The Brits is famous for its live collaborations, whether it’s Rihanna and Klaxons, Dizzee Rascal and Florence Welch or the Bedingfield siblings teaming up for a slightly uncomfortable love song.
In our eyes, though, Justin Timberlake and Kylie Minogue’s performance of Rapture is the one that stands out the most, showcasing two stars absolutely at the top of their game with great chemistry.
Geri Halliwell's dress becomes immediately iconic (1997)
The legend goes that Geri and her sister made her infamous Union Jack dress with a tea-towel, adding a peace sign on the back so as not to offend anyone.
Years later, the iconic garment went on to sell for a record-breaking £41,320 at an auction.
Alan Davidson / Silverhub/REX/Shutterstock
Stormzy makes a powerful point with his performance (2018)
By the end of the 2018 ceremony, the night already belonged to Stormzy, who had picked up Best British Male as well as the top award of the night, Best British Album.
It was fitting, then, that he should also close the show, putting on an elaborate performance of Blinded By Your Grace, pt. 2. It was what came next that grabbed headlines, though, as he launched into a freestyle rap calling out Theresa May’s government for their reaction to the Grenfell tragedy, as well as highlighting injustice and racism.
As if that wasn’t enough, off came the t-shirt and on came the rain, for an energetic run of Big For Your Boots. Incredible stuff, that even won praise from Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Joss Stone raises eyebrows with her "jokes"… and accent (2007)
Admittedly, she’d been off the scene for a little while by the time she hit the stage to present Best British Male at the 2007 Brits, but last we checked, she was from Devon, not the East Coast of America?
Joss also created a stir for her tribute to Robbie Williams, as well as her joke about Russell Brand’s past rehab stint.
Sharon Osbourne vs. Vic Reeves (2008)
She’d been (surprisingly) on her best behaviour all night, but Sharon lost her patience when Vic Reeves struggled with the autocue while presenting the biggest award of the night.
Despite being blasted as a “pisshead” and a “drunk bastard”, Vic later insisted he hadn’t been drinking.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Arctic Monkeys went on to hit out at the Brits school in their acceptance speech immediately afterwards, though this was cut from the final broadcast.
Peter Kay vs. Liam Gallagher (2010)
Britain’s favourite stand-up comedian Peter Kay might seem like a surprising choice to host the Brits, but he actually wound up being responsible for one of the ceremony’s most rock ‘n’ roll moments of the past decade.
When Liam Gallagher defiantly threw his Brit into the crowd – having already snubbed brother Noel in his acceptance speech – the ‘Phoenix Nights’ star put him down with a simple “what a nobhead”.
Not the wittiest of lines, admittedly, but effective all the same.
John Prescott gets a soaking (1998)
Proving that politics and pop aren’t always the best companions, when then Labour Cabinet Minister attended the 1998 bash, indie band Chumbawamba thought they’d let him know exactly how they felt about him getting an invite by throwing a bucket of iced water over the MP.
Despite the fact the record label apologised, the band were unrepentant, saying: “If John Prescott has the nerve to turn up at events like the Brit Awards in a vain attempt to make Labour seem cool and trendy, then he deserves all we can throw at him.”
PA
Alex Turner gets some stuff off his chest (2014)
When Arctic Monkeys won Best Album in 2014, frontman Alex Turner left us all baffled with his odd “that rock and roll, eh?” acceptable speech.
This ended in him telling Brits bosses, “invoice me for the microphone,” before dropping it on the floor and walking off.
Belle And Sebastian's win confuses everyone (1999)
First off, underdogs Belle and Sebastian had released a total of three albums when they were announced as the winners of Best British Newcomer in 1999, beating actual newcomers Steps, who had been heavily tipped for the award.
Their confusing victory led the national press to accuse them of rigging the vote in their favour by encouraging university students to vote online (which was still a fairly radical idea in 1999), though they insisted at the time this was not the case.
Brandon Block vs. Ronnie Wood (2000)
That very same year, Ronnie Wood was presenting Best Soundtrack when suddenly he was interrupted by confused DJ (and future ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ walker) Brandon Block, who had been jokingly informed by his friends he’d won an award.
After Ronnie called him a “c***” for interrupting, the two squared up, drinks were thrown and security were called.
It was all super awks, to be honest.
Russell Brand divides viewers (2007)
He was always going to be a controversial choice, but Russell’s jokes about the war in Iraq and the queen’s (his words) “naughty bits” definitely weren’t for everyone, sparking more than 300 Ofcom complaints.
It didn’t exactly hurt his career, though, and a year later he was brought in to host the MTV VMAs, which he did for two consecutive years, launching his career in the States.
ITV/Rex/Shutterstock
Sadie Pinn crashes Ant and Dec's presenting spot (2016)
Still, despite the model’s sudden appearance – and her eye-catching outfit – the boys barely broke a sweat.
Such pros.
Harry Styles almost misses One Direction's Global Success Award (2014)
In 2013, the Brits faced a backlash for the introduction of the Global Success award, which some suggested was just a ploy to give 1D a prize on the night.
A year later, they won in the same category, though most of their acceptance speech was conducted as a four-piece, as Harry Styles was preoccupied in the lavatory at the time.
Björk's acceptance speech is pure Björk (1998)
After being swung around by Alexander McQueen, Best International Female winner Björk told the crowd: “I am… grate…ful… grape… fruit.”
Adorable.
Andy Bell makes a subtle protest (1989)
After Erasure won Best British Group, frontman Andy Bell kissed presenter Boy George on the cheek, a subtle move by today’s standards, but one that he claimed was a deliberate action against Section 28, which had been introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government the previous year.
Jack Whitehall reminds us what the Brits should be about (2018)
In the 2010s, the Brit Awards played it safe with its hosts, which ranged from James Corden to Ant and Dec, finally ending up with Dermot O’Leary and Emma Willis.
We’ll admit we didn’t exactly have high hopes when Jack Whitehall was announced, but after a decade of chumminess, it was so refreshing to have a host who would poke fun at the famous nominees, while successfully managing not to cross the line into nastiness.
Madonna falls down some stairs during 'Living For Love' performance (2015)
Will we ever be able to watch this without cringing?
Probably not, no.
