A little Brit of fun...

The awards occupy a large yet peculiar place in UK music history. They've taken place almost every year since the inaugural ceremony in front of a small crowd in 1977, yet while Sex Pistols and The Clash provided the soundtrack to that jubilee year, it was the likes of Engelbert Humperdinck, Shirley Bassey and Julie 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' Covington scooping up the gongs inside.

In fact, the Brits have often failed to accurately reflect the temperature of the British music scene; the notable exception being a run of three years in the mid-Nineties, when the likes of Blur and Oasis ruled the charts, spearheaded a cultural movement and picked up shedloads of awards between them.

Ever since, however, much like the Top 40, the Brits have existed almost in a world of their own. The awards won't honour the truly alternative artists that would give it the credibility it craves, yet they won't make concessions to massive sellers, like Leona Lewis and Susan Boyle, either (presumably because they came from TV talent shows, and don't have the necessary cool it takes to be handed an award by the likes of Davina McCall or Nick Grimshaw...).

That's not to say the awards have been without controversy. Michael Jackson was mooned by Pulp's Jarvis Cocker in one of the Brits' most-famous incidents, in 1996. Similarly, Danbert Nobacon provided a moment that will outlive his band, Chumbawamba, in the collective conscious, by throwing a bucket of water over John Prescott in 1998.

Those days are long gone, though. There's as much chance of Ed Sheeran - likely to scoop a few awards this year, as he's nominated in four categories - throwing a bucket of water over a politician as there is of Michael Jackson appearing on stage again.

The Brits, like them or loathe them, are a TV show, plain and simple.

Need proof? Think back a couple, when Adele - the artist that pretty much single-handedly keeping the British music industry afloat with sales of her second album - was interrupted during her acceptance speech by James Corden, because producers needed to go to a commercial break. The show had to go on, whether the most important person in the room was talking or not.

This year, TV's Peter Pans, Ant and Dec, are hosting, at least guaranteeing a smooth ceremony. They may not look any older than they did in Byker Grove, but the Geordie duo know what they're doing. Do not expect a repeat of the year Mick Fleetwood and Samantha Fox became TV's least likely presenting pair.

Despite all this, the Brits are entertaining; the very fact some of the world's biggest stars, and The Saturdays, are in the same room makes sure of that.

On the night, it's likely Ed Sheeran will win Best Male Solo Artist. He's up against Sam Smith, but he's a shoo-in for Best Breakthrough and Best Album, while Mark Ronson is all but a certainty to win Best Single, for the inescapable Uptown Funk.

Taylor Swift will surely win Best International Female, while the domestic version of that category should go to Jessie Ware, but will probably go to Paloma Faith. It's a relatively weak category, regardless, especially considering the majority of records sold in Britain are by female artists. Just as well for the five nominees that Emeli Sande and Adele are having a year off.

Of course, Sam Smith could just win everything, as he seemed to at the Grammys recently. He's up for five awards, and stands a decent chance of winning them all, if the stars align.

Of course, the awards are a bit of a sideshow for the performances, and it must be said that this year's line-up is every bit as strong as any in recent memory. Taylor Swift, Royal Blood and Ed Sheeran are performing, as are Sam Smith, George Ezra, Rihanna, Paloma Faith, Take That - and a certain Madonna.

Is there still life in pop's great agitator? Can she offer up anything as controversial as that time she kissed Britney Spears on stage at the VMAs in 2003?

Looking back, that display seems ridiculously tame in this post-Miley Cyrus world, so Madge wouldn't have to try very hard to top it. She's now at the stage where the most controversial thing she could do would be to walk out in a ball gown, sit on a stool and sing an acoustic version of Holiday.

If you want to see how events really do unfold, there is really only one way to find out - tune in on the night to watch.

FIVE MEMORABLE BRITS MOMENTS

:: In 1992, The KLF won Best British Group - jointly with Simply Red. During their opening performance, The KLF attempted to hijack the awards by collaborating with metal band Extreme Noise Terror on a reworked version of 3am Eternal, which culminated in the band's Bill Drummond firing blanks from a machine gun. They then announced they'd left the music business, and deposited a dead sheep outside the Brits aftershow party with the message 'I died for ewe - bon appetit' (sic) tied around its neck.

:: In 1997, Geri Halliwell wore a Union Jack minidress for The Spice Girls' performance of Who Do You Think You Are? It became an iconic piece of clothing and was later sold for charity - Hard Rock Cafe paid almost £42,000 for it, a record, at the time, for an item of pop star clothing.

:: In 1999, despite having released three albums, Belle & Sebastian won Best Newcomer. Their victory prompted stories the band had rigged the vote by getting their large student fan base, with access to the internet, to vote for them en masse.

:: In 2001, after A1 had won Best Newcomer, Noel Gallagher walked on stage to present another award and said: "This award ceremony over the years has been accused of not having a sense of humour, but when you see A1 winning best newcomer, you know that someone's taking the piss somewhere." A1 were reportedly very upset by the comment.

:: Russell Brand hosted the Brits in 2007, resulting in more than 300 viewers complaining to ITV about his jokes, which, among other things, involved Robbie Williams going to rehab and a fatal friendly fire incident in Iraq.

:: The Brit Awards 2015 take place tonight at The O2. They will be televised on ITV.