Brit and miss

1989: Even Sam Fox's "down with the kids" hair and co-presenter Mick Fleetwood's "in with the undertakers" get-up couldn't distract from their hosting blunders. Long since passed into legend they included the following: Sam announces the appearance of the Four Tops, only for Boy George to wander on stage. "I'm afraid," he says, "I'm just the one top." Photograph: Dave Hogan/Getty

1995: Madonna makes a flashy Brits debut, unfazed by the potential disasters presented by a see-through dress Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

1992: A dead sheep, serving as the KLF's alternative to an acceptance speech after they were named Best British Group, in a joint award with Simply Red. Mick Hucknall's corresponding offering was a career that spanned three decades Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features

1992: The KLF, now with added machine guns Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

1996: Jarvis Cocker in the middle of his bottom-waving stage invasion during Michael Jackson's timeless elegy to the planet, Earth Song. Ironically, it was Cocker who was later questioned by police on suspicion of causing injury to three of Jackson's child performers Photograph: Screengrab

1998: The aftermath of Chumbawamba's water attack on the then Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. The political message behind the action remains unclear, though we do know Prescott went on to eat three desserts. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty

2000: Geri Halliwell, back when she represented everything we aspired to as a nation, performing an attention-grabbing rendition of Bag It Up. This song has since disappeared and was last spotted at Caracas airport in 2003. Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

2001: U2 are named Best International Group. Seven years later and Bono has still refused to remove his shades. Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

2004: Justin Hawkins takes the opportunity to debut his Spring/Summer collection after The Darkness win three awards Photograph: John Taylor/Rex Features

2005: The Scissor Sisters follow Hawkins' lead and premiere their diffusion range. Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

2006: Kanye West cashed in his assets and invested in a legion of gold dancers. They were later melted down and used to laminate the rapper's second bathroom Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

2007: Amy Winehouse looks remarkably compos mentis during her performance after being named Best British Female Solo Artist. Her distant, pained expression has since been attributed to host Russell Brand's jokes Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features