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On the eve of the BRITs, Jack Whitehall shares his excitement – and nerves – with fans
By Michelle Johnson | 21 February 2018 | Culture
Comedian Jack Whitehall talks about being ‘fresh meat’ at the biggest night in British music
On the eve of the 2018 BRIT Awards, Jack Whitehall is backstage going over his notes for the final rehearsals of the UK music industry's most lavish and important night. The Fresh Meat star is an award-winning comedian and actor in his own right, but hosting the BRITs – with performers including Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran – might just be his biggest challenge yet.
"You can only prepare so much," he says in the video [above]. "You can write your links, you can rehearse it, but ultimately it's live TV and so anything can happen – and historically anything has happened. So, you [prepare], and you try to work out where the bits are that will mess up, or what's [might] go wrong – but you can't predict anything with the BRITs.
"It's quite a terrifying show to approach," he admits. Whitehall credits his friend and A League of Their Own co-star James Corden – who is now the celebrated host of U.S. talk show The Late Late Show – with being offered the role.
"A friend of mine, called James Corden, went to America and left a big gaping hole at the BRITs, so I decided to step in," he jokes. "I was always around James when he was [hosting the awards], and in the back of my mind I always thought, I'd like to do this one day." >>
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Through his excitement, Whitehall admits he has a few stray nerves when he considers the live aspect of the show – and the often hilarious, but unexpected event of previous years. "We've had Madonna falling over, Jarvis Cocker storming the stage, Liam Gallagher chucking his award into the pit. That could happen again… and it's a big, heavy award this year so if he does do it again there could be some serious damage done."
Whitehall believes the BRITs' appeal is growing on the international stage as well. "It seems to get bigger and bigger every year," he says. "It's at the O2 now, the acts they're able to book are incredible. They really get A-List stars coming and [performing]. It's still a show people care about and look forward to."
As for his own favourites, Whitehall says he's looking forward to performances by Stormzy, Timberlake and Dua Lipa. "She's had an amazing year, and I think her performance will be incredible." The BRIT Awards in association with Mastercard will be shown live on ITV from 8pm on Wednesday 21 February.