'Little bit of a whimper': Jack Whitehall reveals reason for his return as host of BRIT Awards

Jack Whitehall has revealed why he's returning this year to host the BRIT Awards for a fifth time, after a three-year absence.

The British comedian and actor previously hosted the awards show for four years straight from 2018 to 2021, before making a name for himself in Hollywood, starring in a range of comedies including Jungle Cruise alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Emily Blunt.

Now, he's back in London for the BRITs - the UK's answer to the Grammy Awards - because he felt his last effort wasn't the big swansong he wanted.

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"The last show I did was in 2021, which had a fair few restrictions due to COVID," Whitehall explained in the official awards program, released on Wednesday.

"So, it always felt like, due to circumstances beyond my control, I'd maybe gone out with a little bit of a whimper.

"I think the BRITs 2025 is going to make up for that and be a really big night!"

The Bad Education star says hosting the music awards show "is probably the job with the highest stakes".

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After worrying he'd mess up during his first few years of hosting, Whitehall says he's now in a place where he tries to push the envelope instead of playing it safe.

"I think it's about keeping as much discretion in the rehearsals as possible and saving all the gold for the big night," he said.

"It's like a game of politics, to try and see what you can get away with!"

It's a tactic the comedian clearly keeps for all of his hosting gigs, including Tuesday night's F1 75 Live ceremony.

Whitehall took to the stage inside London's O2, where the BRIT Awards will be held next month, for the season launch event and used his opening monologue to rib some driver dynamics, including Max Verstappen's feud with George Russell.

He shocked some fans with his joke about fiancée Roxy Horner, when introducing Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.

"The man my fiancée imagines when we make love, and the guy I imagine when me and my fiancée make love," Whitehall said before saying Charles' name.

Whitehall and Horner met in Australia in 2020, during the pandemic, and ended up quarantining together.

The couple are now parents to daughter Elsie, who they welcomed last September before getting engaged before Christmas last year.

This year's BRIT Awards will take place at London's O2 Arena on Saturday, March 1 (Sunday, March 2 AEDT) with two Aussie bands - Melbourne's Amyl and the Sniffers and Queensland outfit Confidence Man - among the nominees for International Group of the Year.

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