Brit Awards host Jack Whitehall ‘gutted’ after Ant & Dec used his big sea-shanty show opener on Saturday Night Takeaway
JACK Whitehall said he was “gutted” after his plan for a big sea-shanty opener for tonight’s Brit Awards ended up being done by Ant and Dec.
The Geordie double-act did a hilarious version of the Wellerman on Saturday Night Takeaway earlier this year.
Jack, 32, will be hosting the prestigious awards ceremony for the fourth time this year – and wants to make this one the best one yet.
The funnyman lifted the lid on what viewers can expect tonight during a chat with DJ Greg James on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show earlier today.
He revealed that he’s been meeting up with TikTok sensation Nathan Evans, the Scottish singer who went viral after uploading a video of him singing sea-shanties to the social media app.
Jack told host Greg: “I’m having a little rehearsal with him. I wonder what we could be doing together?”
However, it looks like Ant and Dec beat Jack to it as they already performed their own hilarious version earlier this year.
Jack added: “I was going to open the show with a sea shanty but then Ant and Dec beat me to it.
“So I was really gutted but I wouldn’t drop it. There has to be a sea-shanty moments at the BRITS 2021.”
Sea shanties are collective folk songs that go back 600 year and they went viral at the start of 2021 when the UK were in lockdown.
With not much to do stuck indoors because of Covid-19, TikTok users became obsessed with watching people perform the songs.
#seashanty accumulated an impressive 69 million views on the app in January.
And 26-year-old Nathan uploaded two videos of him singing one song called The Scotsman, and then another named The Wellerman.
Although the comic has hosted three Brit Awards already, he told Greg that he is feeling overwhelmed with it all as it’ll be the “UK’s first proper party” in well over a year.
Jack told Greg: “It is big pressure but I have to say they’ve done an incredible job.
“I must say the last two days in rehearsals I’ve been getting my head around how it’s all going to work.”
While Jack has teased a potential collab with the singer, the likes of Coldplay, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa will also be performing live at the O2 arena in London.
Tonight there will be a crowd of 4,000 key workers who have been invited to be part of the audience.
Watch the BRIT Awards tonight on ITV at 9pm