The BRITS - Random Facts

The 28th Brit Awards on February 20 can trace their history back to 1977, when the first shindig was known as the less catchy British Record Industry Centenary Britannia Awards.

 

Founded by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade association, they marked the 100th anniversary of recorded sound. They were also intended to celebrate the strong growth of the UK music industry and coincided with the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

 

Now known and loved for raucous celebrity behaviour, the awards were initially a more sober event, with the refined broadcaster Michael Aspel at the helm and guests in black tie dress at Wembley Conference Centre.

 

The first winners included Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard and The Beatles as best female, best male and best group, with Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade Of Pale and Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody named as joint best British single "of all time".

 

Paul McCartney and co also won best British album for Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and an Outstanding Contribution award.

 

There was a five-year hiatus after the inaugural awards, which returned in 1982 as the British Record Industry Awards and became an annual event.

 

It finally became the Brits in 1989 - the year Page Three girl Sam Fox and Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood's turn as hosts saw such a veritable carnival of cock-ups that the ceremony was not broadcast live again until 2007.

 

With Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne announced as the hosts of this year's live broadcast, producers will have a finger hovering permanently on the swearing beeps button.

 

Other previous runs of the awards have featured toe-curlingly bad gags from Frank Skinner, Ben Elton dancing (like a physics teacher), and Cat Deeley on a giant champagne bottle - but Chris Evans has hosted the shindigs more than anyone, having doled out the gongs a total of four times.

 

Robbie Williams has won the most awards to date with a staggering 15, including his four with Take That.

 

The most successful female artist at the Brits is Annie Lennox with eight - one of those as part of Eurythmics - while the band record is held by U2, with seven.

 

The biggest losers are Jamiroquai, whose 15 nominations to date have failed to result in a single gong.

 

The majority of category winners are voted for by more than 1,000 members of the Academy, including BPI members, DJs, music journalists, radio and TV presenters, record companies, lawyers, accountants, promoters and student unions.

 

Profits from the Brits go to the Brit Trust, which was established in 1989 and funds youth development in music, including the Brit School in Croydon - the only non-fee-paying performing arts school in the UK, and the establishment that produced Leona Lewis. The Brit Awards alone have raised over £7 million for the Trust.

 

The best rock act, best urban act and best pop act categories were dropped last year after some of the nominations caused controversy in 2006.

 

Girls Aloud and McFly were caught up in the hullabaloo when they were denied a slot on the best pop shortlist because the award was based on single and album sales, which meant the likes of Katie Melua and James Blunt, the eventual winner, received nominations - despite protests they were not really pop acts.