Silver jubilee of a ceremony that marks the rest of British

Sunday Herald, The, Feb 6, 2005 by Jenifer Johnston

Time flies when you're having fun

Doesn't it just . . . it feels like only yesterday we were spending 49p on cassette singles of Wham! and now we are downloading and iPoding merrily away to the sounds of The Zutons. The Brit Awards are 25 years old this year, so expect the next few days to be full of nothing but "The Best Of British" pop/rock/dance/polka artists "Of All Time" "Ever" "And Surprise Surprise They're British!" hysteria.

That'd be a hard category to win

Indeed. Organisers have put together - as well as the regular categories of best newcomer, live act, hairdo, etc - a special vote- a-thon for the public to choose their favourite British song of the past 25 years to mark the momentous passing of time.

Let me guess - Kate Bush? Alison Moyet? Annie Lennox?

Granted the three ladies have had more Brit nominations than hot dinners, and yes, Wuthering Heights is in the final five songs competing to be Song Of The Quarter Century (or similar) As Voted For By The Brits.

The others are Angels by Robbie Williams, Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, We Are The Champions by Queen and, ahem, Leave Right Now by Will Young.

Good that Robbie's on the list

Williams has an odd relationship with the Brits, having won loads of them but there are regularly leaked comments from "friends" talking about his disappointment about being "snubbed" over the past two years at the ceremony, and he handed organisers a right stinker in 2003 by pulling out of performing at the last minute

It always looks a bit chaotic on telly

That's one way of putting it. In 1991, Status Quo were in the gents when their award for Outstanding Musical Achievement was announced. Francis Rossi later described the scene: "Everyone was doing coke then, there must have been 40 stalls and every one of them was full up. No-one seemed to be paying attention to the event."

And the past 25 years have seen some stunning clangers on stage?

Good God, yes. There was the infamous 1996 stage invasion by Jarvis Cocker on Michael Jackson, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawumba dumping icy water all over deputy PM John Prescott in 1998, DJ Brandon Block trying to collect an award that wasn't his in 2000 while Robbie challenged Liam Gallagher to a fight on live TV for pounds-200,000, Phillip Schofield getting chinned by Carter the Unstoppable Sex machine, I could go on. . .

You missed out Sam Fox and Mick Fleetwood

Sorry, the first televised broadcast of the awards in 1989 had Sam and Mick introducing the Four Tops only to have Boy George appear alone and mumbling: "Erm, I'm the one top."

Any duets we can look forward to at this year's "glittering" ceremony?

Yup, hip-hop stars Snoop Dogg and Pharrell (American) are singing, as are brother-sister combo Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield (born in New Zealand). Chris Evans, minus Billie Piper, is also back to front the event.

Not exactly the Grammys are they?

No, the Brits really, really aren't comparable to the Grammys.

Did you notice that Brits rhymes with twits?

Just what are you saying?

Is that it?

No, apparently organisers are selling a pounds-25 tribute book with a foreword by. . .

Robbie Williams.