Comedian Jack Whitehall will front this year’s delayed Brit Awards, organisers have said.

As it stands, the show is set to be held at the O2 Arena in east London – its usual venue – on 11 May after being delayed as a result of the pandemic.

However, it is not yet clear whether the show will be virtual or not, with the government not allowing indoor hospitality to open until a week later, on 17 May, at the earliest.

Whitehall, who hosted the show last year too, said: “I must be doing something right to be invited back to host the BRITs!

“After the events of the past year, I think we can all do with a big night of music and entertainment, and I’m excited to be part of the show on 11 May.”

Whitehall garnered critical acclaim when he hosted the ceremony in 2020, which saw him chat with the likes of Lizzo, Harry Styles and Little Mix.

Nominations for the awards will be revealed next week by BBC Radio 1 presenter Nick Grimshaw and rising star winner Griff across the awards’ digital channels.

Last month, it was revealed that a change in rules meant non-British artists that live in the UK are now eligible for the awards, after Japanese singer Rina Sawayama was told she would not be considered because she is not a British passport holder – despite living in the UK for 26 years.

In an interview with Sky News last year, she said it had been a “stressful” experience but she was hopeful then that there might be change.

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But the Brit Award organisers will be hoping there is still an appetite for live awards shows.

In the US, award show audiences have waned this year, with less than nine million people tuning in to watch the Grammys.

Only 8.8 million people in the US watched this year’s show, according to Nielsen, a drop of 53% on the previous year’s 18.7 million viewers.

The Golden Globes also suffered a collapse in viewing figures, with only 6.9 million people watching the awards – a 62% fall on the 2020 number.

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