The first awards ceremony to honor the achievements in the country’s music industry took place in 1977 as the BRITish Record Industry BRITannia Awards. It was held within the context of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations. The ceremony was a one-time event followed by a five-year hiatus. The second ceremony was held in 1982 under the auspices of the BPI. It has been held annually ever since. The awards received their current name in 1989.
The name Brit Awards was originally a shortened form of “Britain”, “British” or “Britannia” (the first sponsor of the awards was Britannia Music Club, a mail-order company owned bu PolyGram). Today it is a backronym for British Record Industry Trusts Show. Therefore the name is sometimes stylized as the BRIT Awards.
The ceremony was first broadcast live in 1988. However, the 1989 ceremony hosted by Mick Fleetwood and Samantha Fox was widely criticized because little went as rehearsed. So in subsequent years, the BBC switched to recording the event and broadcasting it the following night. ITV have broadcast the Brit Awards since 1993, pre-recorded until 2006 and live from 2007 onward.
The awards ceremony is held every February. The event has changed several venues. Past venues include Dominion Theatre, the Hammersmith Odeon, Alexandra Palace, Earls Court Exhibition Centre, and the London Arena. Since 2011, the show has been held at the O2 Arena that has the second-highest seating capacity of any indoor venue in the UK (20,000 spectators).
The design of the Brit Awards trophies has changed several times over the years. In recent years, the trophies have been designed by renowned artists and designers including Peter Blake, Damien Hirst, Philip Treacy, Tracey Emin, and Pam Hogg. Robbie Williams holds the record of the most Brit Awards. He has earned twelve awards as a solo artist, five awards as part of Take That, and one Icon Award.
Photo: brits.co.uk
