It’s fair to say that the censors had plenty to keep them busy during this year’s Brit Awards.

Saturday night’s Brits broadcast saw the sound being pulled on numerous occasions due to a variety of comments that were made over the course of the event.

One such moment came during musician Max Bassin’s acceptance speech, after he accepted the International Group Of The Year prize on behalf of his band Geese.

Choosing to keep things short, he began his speech by stating simply: “What’s up, ‘the Brits’? I just want to say, free Palestine…”

However, after Max said the word “free”, the audio was pulled, resulting in the rest of what he had to say being cut from broadcast.

It later emerged that Max concluded his speech: “Fuck ICE, go Geese.”

Many Brits viewers were quick to voice their upset at what appeared to be ITV censoring Max’s politically-charged speech right as the drummer was about to speak out in solidarity with Palestine.

However, in response to this backlash, the broadcaster has indicated to HuffPost UK that Max’s speech was censored due to his language after his pro-Palestine message – in other words, his use of the word “fuck” – rather than because of his political statements.

Earlier in the night, the Brits also pulled the sound when Jack Whitehall made a seemingly unscripted joke about Peter Mandelson, after spotting Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Labour minister Lisa Nandy in the awards show’s audience.

“I wonder who else is here,” he quipped. “I think I saw Peter Mandelson on the list. Oh wait, that was another list…”

Check out our round up of all the must-see moments from the 2026 Brit Awards ceremony here.

Brit Awards viewers were left scratching their heads on Saturday night, when the sound suddenly cut out just as Jack Whitehall was delivering a joke.

Early on in the ceremony, Jack was seen mingling in the Brits audience at Manchester’s Co-Op Live arena, at which point he spotted the city’s mayor, Andy Burnham at one table.

“This is the only party he’s allowed into these days,” he quipped, in a nod to the recent drama surrounding the Gorton and Denton by-election, before he noticed that Labour MP and culture secretary Lisa Nandy was on the same table.

Jack then joked that “this must be the politicians’ table” before pondering: “I wonder who else is here…”

However, at this point, ITV cut the sound from the broadcast, meaning viewers didn’t get to hear the rest of his comment.

Viewers in the audience have posted on X that Jack’s joke continued: “I think I saw Peter Mandelson on the list. Oh wait, that was another list…”

Jack was referencing the former Labour minister’s recent arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following accusations of passing on market sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein when he was business secretary.

Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing.

This year’s Brit Awards saw several moments being censored during the live broadcast.

Shortly after Jack’s remark about Peter Mandelson, the sound was dipped when social media personality Angry Ginge jokingly referred to London as a “shit hole”, and US band Geese were censored after musician Max Bassin declared “free Palestine” and “fuck ICE” during his International Group Of The Year acceptance speech.

Towards the beginning of the ceremony, Jack also took a shot at the BBC amid the ongoing scrutiny the national broadcaster is facing in light of the controversy surrounding its coverage of this year’s Baftas ceremony.

The 2026 Brit Awards are officially underway – celebrating the biggest achievements in music from the last 12 months.

Going into Saturday night’s ceremony – which, for the first time in Brits history, was held outside London, at Manchester’s Co-Op Live arena – UK stars Olivia Dean and Lola Young were leading the way with an impressive five nominations each, fresh from their respective wins at the Grammys earlier in the month.

Just behind on four nominations was Sam Fender, the winner of last year’s Mercury Prize, who is facing competition from Lily Allen, Wolf Alice, Dave and the aforementioned Olivia Dean in the coveted Album Of The Year category.

It’s not just about the British stars, though, with plenty of international artists also in the running for prizes.

Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift are among the overseas megastars to have multiple nominations at this year’s Brits.

Take a look at our full list of winners from the 2026 Brits so far below – and make sure you keep checking back over the course of the night because we’ll be updating our list over the course of the night as more are announced…

Sam Fender and Olivia Dean – Rein Me In

International Song Of The Year

Rosé and Bruno Mars – APT.

Meanwhile, several other winners were announced weeks before the Brits even took place.

Jacob Alon beat Rose Gray and Sienna Spiro to the Critics’ Choice prize, with PinkPantheress making history as the first woman to be named Producer Of The Year.

Noel Gallagher was awarded Songwriter Of The Year, in a controversial move considering he hasn’t actually released any new music in 2025, while the Outstanding Contribution prize went to Mark Ronson.

Days before the ceremony, it was also revealed that Ozzy Osbourne would be posthumously bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement title.

Harry Styles got this year’s Brit Awards off to an especially classy start on Saturday night, looking extremely dapper as he walked the red carpet.

But Harry being Harry, the outfit had a fun little touch you might have missed at first glance.

The chart-topping singer was seen posing for photographers on his way into the event, sporting an eye-catching pinstripe suit with a shirt and tie.

Our favourite part of the whole look, though, were the ballet pumps on his feet.

Harry is a six-time Brit Award winner, notably scooping Album Of The Year in 2023 for his third solo collection, Harry’s House, the same year he picked up the same distinction at the Grammys.

In addition to this, he has an additional seven more Brits, from his time in One Direction.

Given he didn’t release any new music in 2025, Harry isn’t up for any prizes at this year’s Brits, but he is one on the list of A-list performers, which also include the likes of Olivia Dean, Raye and Robbie Williams.

During the ceremony, Harry is set to give fans a taste of his upcoming fourth album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, ahead of its release next week.

The album was preceded by lead single Aperture, which topped the singles chart on both sides of the release upon its release, earning Harry his third solo UK number one.

Later this year, Harry will be embarking on his Together, Together world tour, which will include a record-breaking 12-night residency at London’s Wembley Stadium and a hefty 30 dates at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Before that, he’s also doing a one-off show at the Co-Op Live arena in Manchester, which also happens to be the venue of this year’s Brit Awards, marking the first time the ceremony has been held outside of London.

Check out our full round-up of this year’s Brit Awards red carpet looks here.

It’s almost time to roll out the red carpet for the 2026 Brit Awards, with some of the biggest musicians on the planet up for the night’s top awards.

Fresh from their respective victories at the Grammys earlier this month, Olivia Dean and Lola Young are going into this year’s Brits with the most nominations, racking up an impressive five each.

Just behind them is Mercury Prize winner Sam Fender, with four nods in total, with Wolf Alice, Lily Allen and Dave also in the running for the night’s top prizes.

Meanwhile, international nominees include Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

Here’s the full list of all of this year’s nominees…

British Album Of The Year

Dave – The Boy Who Played The Harp

Lily Allen – West End Girl

Olivia Dean – The Art Of Love

Sam Fender – People Watching

Wolf Alice – The Clearing

Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas – Blessings

Chrystal and Notion – The Days

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande – Defying Gravity

Fred Again.., Skepta and Plaqueboymax – Victory Lap

Lewis Capaldi – Survive

Myles Smith – Nice To Meet You

Olivia Dean – Man I Need

Raye – Where Is My Husband!

Sam Fender and Olivia Dean – Rein Me In

Skye Newman – Family Matters

British Artist Of The Year

British Group Of The Year

British Breakthrough Artist

British Alternative/Rock Act

Calvin Harris and Clementine Douglas

Fred Again.., Skepta, Plaqueboymax

British Hip-Hop/Rap/Grime Act

International Song Of The Year

Chappell Roan – Pink Pony Club

Disco Lines and Tinashe – No Broke Boys

Gigi Perez – Sailor Song

Gracie Abrams – That’s So True

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – Die With A Smile

Ravyn Lenae – Love Me Not

Rosé and Bruno Mars – Apt.

Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild

Taylor Swift – The Fate Of Ophelia

International Artist Of The Year

International Group Of The Year

In the run-up to the ceremony, it was revealed that Jacob Alon had beaten Rose Gray and Sienna Spiro to the Critics’ Choice prize, which honours emerging British talent.

Last year, the award went to singer-songwriter Myles Smith, with other past recipients including Adele, Florence + The Machine, Sam Smith, Sam Fender, Jorja Smith and The Last Dinner Party.

Meanwhile, PinkPantheress has made history as the first woman to be awarded Producer Of The Year, while Noel Gallagher has been named Songwriter Of The Year, in a controversial move considering he hasn’t actually released new music in the last year.

The Outstanding Contribution prize is going to Mark Ronson this year, while Ozzy Osbourne is to be posthumously bestowed with a Lifetime Achievement recognition.

The 2026 Brit Awards will take place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on Saturday 28 February.

Across the last four decades, the Brit Awards have been home to some seriously show-stopped performances that have had the whole world talking the next day.

In addition to all of the outrageous moments and attention-grabbing blunders that have become synonymous with the annual Brits broadcast, the awards show has repeatedly given artists a chance to create a true water-cooler moment by really nailing a performance.

The Brits are set to return on Saturday 28 February, with the ceremony taking place in Manchester for the first time ever, and performers on the line-up including Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice and Rosalía, as well as Mark Ronson, in honour of his Outstanding Contribution prize.

With more than 40 years’ worth of memorable on-stage moments to pick from, here’s a timeline of all the performances that have truly stood the test of time, starting with some classics and leading right up to the present day…

You didn’t know Elton John was responsible for what was arguably the birth of the “lip sync for your life”, did you?

Yes, as well as hosting the Brit Awards together in 1994 (something we’d argue people forget about all too often) the duo also lip-synced the house down to a disco-tastic mix of Sir Elton and Kiki Dee’s famous duet. It’s a comfort to know, if nothing else, that RuPaul has been rocking the exact same moves for the last 30 years.

For their first ever Brit Awards performance, Take That paid homage to the OG British boyband.

At this point Take That were very much still on the come-up, and threw it right back to the swinging 60s, performing three of The Beatles’ early hits while dressed in replicas of the Fab Four’s iconic blue suits.

Take That star Robbie Williams would go on to become the undisputed King Of The Brits, racking up more wins than any other artist in history (although Adele is now hot on his heels).

Yes, you might think you’ve already seen this Spice Girls footage a million times over, but when was the last time you sat down and properly watched it?

Do it now – we promise it’s even better than you remember, and there’s a lot more to love than just that iconic Union Jack dress.

The indisputable king of the Brit Awards, Robbie Williams has a fair few impressive performances under his belt from over the decades.

For his debut as a solo artist, he roped in a musical legend to help him really make an impression, performing a string of tunes with Sir Tom Jones.

What 90s disco was complete without this one, eh?

Next time someone tries to tell you that Geri couldn’t cut it as a solo artist, you show them this video.

As if she hadn’t commanded enough attention when she was still in the Spice Girls, Geri made sure all eyes were on her with her debut solo Brits performance.

Emerging from between a giant pair of legs, she performed this Girl Power anthem, surrounded by oiled-up male dancers and eventually tearing open her top, telling “all the ladies” in the crowd: “Let’s see your boobs!”

Her performance also totally overshadowed her former Spice Girls bandmates, who collected an Outstanding Contribution award later that evening as a four-piece, before delivering a medley performance of their own.

Eminem made one of the most memorable entrances in Brit Awards history when he took to the stage in denim overalls and a hockey mask, all while brandishing a chainsaw.

A slightly terrifying (alhough obviously iconic) Brits memory.

Of course, the most iconic Brits entrance has to go to a certain Ms Minogue, who kicked off this rendition of her chart-topping hit Can’t Get You Out Of My Head by literally ejecting herself from an oversized CD player.

As if this medley of Justin Timberlake’s biggest hits wasn’t pop perfection already, out strutted Kylie Minogue to cap things off with a version of Blondie’s Rapture, providing the Brit Awards with one of its most memorable collaborations ever.

Talk about chucking everything and the kitchen sink into a performance, eh?

Scissor Sisters kicked off the show in 2005 with a rendition of Take Your Mama that involved Jim Henson flamingos, leather lederhosen and, naturally, a singing barn.

While still fairly early in the Back To Black era, plenty of us were familiar with Amy Winehouse by the time she appeared on stage at the 2007 Brits (though it often wasn’t for her music).

This performance allowed her to remind everyone why she was famous in the first place, even managing to make that vast Brit Awards stage feel like an intimate lounge performance.

Yes, it was technically Mark Ronson’s moment – but let’s be honest, it was really all about Amy, wasn’t it?

Reports in the press prior to the Brits had suggested that, due to problems in her tumultuous personal life, the music legend may not have been able to perform on the night. However, she managed to shut up her detractors by turning it out alongside her friend and producer.

Keep an eye on that Adele, too. We just might be seeing a bit more of her later on.

It’s been over a decade and we’re still absolutely wowed by this performance. Fun fact: this took place on Rihanna’s 20th (20th!!) birthday.

Fortunately, Nadine remembered her passport this time…

So often, acts use their Outstanding Contribution prize as a way to lazily perform their best-loved tracks, plug a new greatest hits collection and then take themselves off home for the night.

Not Pet Shop Boys, though, who provided a full multimedia experience for their performance, whizzing through their decades’ worth of hits and even welcoming a little-known singer named Lady Gaga to fill in for Dusty Springfield.

Interesting choice of wig from Chris Lowe, too.

And speaking of Lady Gaga and interesting wigs…

One year she’s singing backing vocals for Pet Shop Boys, and the next she’s the biggest star in the world. What a difference 12 months makes.

This performance, where Gaga paid her respects to fashion designer Alexander McQueen, divided opinion, with some loving the fact she’d decided to think outside the box, and others hoping for something a little more traditional.

Sidenote: We can’t believe Gaga has still only ever performed solo at the Brits this one time.

Given this performance came just days after the breakdown of her marriage to Ashley Cole, Cheryl would have been forgiven if her Brits appearance wasn’t exactly her best work. But frankly, she slayed.

From the moment she jumped onto the stage in those diva sunglasses, Cheryl proved herself as so much more than magazine fodder; she was a bona fide popstar.

The quick change Show Me Love sample that followed was just the icing on the cake…

The Brits has always been known for its collaborations, many of which we’ve already touched on, and this is a perfect example of when two artists from two totally separate genres come together and make a performance work.

Adele’s sophomore album, 21, was obviously massive, but it was this performance at the Brit Awards that catapulted her to the position of mega-stardom.

Proving you don’t always need to pull huge stunts for a performance to be memorable, she performed the emotional track accompanied by just a piano, and by the time the glitter rain started falling, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

Obviously, this will always be remembered as the performance Madonna fell down the stairs… but you can’t take away from her that she got up and finished the song as only a true pro really could.

There had been much speculation in the press leading to to the 2016 Brit Awards about how they’d be paying homage to the recently-deceased David Bowie, with a number of huge British artists rumoured to have been in the pipeline.

What no one predicted was that it would be Lorde who’d be taking to the stage, chosen as the late pop icon once declared she was the “future of music”.

We still get a bit teary watching this simple but emotional performance, even all these years later.

Anyone who was still doubting Little Mix’s star quality in 2017 was given a very abrupt awakening when they opened the Brit Awards with this stunning rendition of their signature tune.

This version of Shout Out To My Ex, complete with full choreo, a throne made out of spray-painted dancers and enough wigs to keep Cher happy for a full mini break, Little Mix knocked it out of the park on an otherwise pretty uneventful night.

A performance that starts off strong and then gets better and better.

Beginning as a live recreation of his Brit award-winning album cover, Stormzy quickly took us through a rendiition of Blinded By Your Grace before lambasting the government in a freestyle rap, highlighting the injustices of the Grenfell disaster, and then having a shirtless dance in the rain to Big For Your Boots.

This is how you close the show at the Brits.

The night well and truly belonged to Dave when the Brits took place in 2020.

Not only did Psychodrama end up taking home Album Of The Year, he also delivered the moment of the evening when he performed his song Black, including a blistering freestyle verse about institutional racism in the UK.

This included comparisons between the media’s treatment of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton, as well as accusations of racism towards then-newly-elected prime minister Boris Johnson.

For many of us, Dua Lipa’s second album Future Nostalgia provided some much-needed escapism at the height of the pandemic, when we were unable to see our loved ones or enjoy a night out.

When the awards show finally returned in mid-2021, it was amazing to see Dua bringing the songs we loved to life at last, while paying homage to some iconic former Brits performances with her hair and wardrobe.

Anyone who only knew Sam Smith from their emotional ballads was in for a shock when they tuned into their 2023 Brits performance.

Sam and Kim’s duet at the Grammys weeks earlier had already rattled conservative critics to the point terms like “satanism” were bring bandied around online. When it came to the Brits, the duo switched things up, honing in on Unholy’s “body shop” lyric and setting their performance in a mechanic shop.

Their performance, by the way, was reportedly so elaborate it wound up delaying the whole ceremony, leading ITV to play a year-old performance of Adele’s to fill a gap in their schedule.

Anyone who’s followed Raye’s career will know the journey to releasing her debut album came after a tumultuous decade navigating the pitfalls of the music industry. So, when the album itself wound up spawning a number one single, and really put Raye on the map as one of the UK’s biggest stars, it felt like poetic justice.

This performance at the 2024 Brits – where Raye walked away with four wins – felt like a massive victory lap, and served as a reminder to everyone why she’s a musical force to be reckoned with.

Having been grafting for years as both a singer and actor, Sabrina Carpenter had finally made it to global megastardom once she was invited to open the Brit Awards in 2025.

Not only was the chart-topper a household name, she was also synonymous with brewing up a bit of controversy with some of her stage performances, and that’s exactly what she did during her time on the Brits stage.

She kicked off that year’s show at around 8.15pm, with a medley of her songs which saw her sporting red lingerie while she and her dancers gyrated on a bed.

Towards the end of her performance, she was seen cosying up to a dancer dressed as a royal guard, before slipping down out of shot, at which point he winked suggestively towards the camera.

Sabrina’s performance, paired with Charli XCX’s revealing attire on stage, led to almost 1000 viewers complaining to Ofcom, prompting the Espresso singer to quip on Instagram: “Brits… I now know what watershed is.”

There was never a doubt in our mind that Jade would pull out all the stops with her solo Brits debut, but the level of theatrics she managed to squeeze into her performance still came as a shock.

Over the course of just four minutes, Jade managed multiple costume and wig changes, stellar live vocals, choreography stage combat and two jaw-dropping stunts, first plummeting through a trapdoor before ascending over everyone with angel wings for her final chorus.

Truly jaw-dropping stuff.