Ant and Dec have revealed they would never again host the BRIT Awards, citing the chaotic atmosphere and a perceived lack of artist cooperation as key reasons for their decision. The presenting duo, who have hosted the ceremony in 2001, 2015, and 2016, shared their experiences on their podcast, “Hanging Out,” this week.
According to Ant, a primary deterrent is the prevailing desire among attendees to prioritize enjoyment over professional obligations. “Everybody in the room just wants to get drunk and have a good time,” he explained. This creates challenges for hosts attempting to manage the event and secure scheduled interviews.
The pair specifically highlighted difficulties in securing interviews with artists during the reveal, recalling instances where commitments were broken at the last minute. Dec jokingly attributed the beginning of a “beef” with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to a similar situation. “They’ll say ‘Down in the middle of the show Coldplay are going to do an interview with you’… and then come to the night, 10 minutes before you go live, they say, ‘Hmm Coldplay don’t really want to do an interview before they perform,’” Ant recounted.
The 2015 BRIT Awards, which Ant and Dec hosted, were notably disrupted by an incident involving Madonna, whose cape became entangled during her performance, causing her to tumble down the stairs. However, the hosts were unaware of the incident as it occurred whereas they were transitioning to present the final award. “We throw the Madonna,” Dec explained, describing the handover to the performance. “And we turn to each other, we’re like ‘Yes we’ve landed this plane.’ We went back to our dressing room, put on the TV, and it was top story on the news: ‘Madonna falls at The BRITs.’ We missed the whole thing.”
Despite their disinterest in returning as hosts, Ant and Dec reflected on their own experience as nominees in the 1990s, recalling a nomination for Best Newcomer in 1994. They were beaten by Oasis, a band Ant jokingly suggested “didn’t achieve much” after their win. Dec added, “If they’d stuck at it they could have been big.”
Ant acknowledged the significance of the BRIT Awards for British music, stating, “It’s actually a really good night if you’re there as somebody who’s been nominated.”
