On February 8th 1988, Noel Edmonds once again presented the BPI Awards (the last show by that name) at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Apparently TV viewers didn’t get to see Rick Astley collecting his awards, which must have been a very great shame indeed.
This post is part of a series about the history of the BRIT Awards. You can read about the 1987 ceremony here, and the 1989 ceremony here.
Best British Album
Nominees:
- George Michael – Faith
- Pet Shop Boys – Actually
- Sting – Nothing Like the Sun
- Swing Out Sisters – It’s Better to Travel
- T’Pau – Bridge of Spies
Winner: Sting
Best British Female
Presented by Chris de Burgh. Nominees:
- Kate Bush
- Samantha Fox
- Alison Moyet
- Sinitta
- Kim Wilde
Winner: Alison Moyet
Best British Group
Presented by Eddy Grant. Nominees:
- The Bee Gees
- Def Leppard
- Level 42
- Pet Shop Boys
- Whitesnake
Winner: Pet Shop Boys
Best British Male
Nominees:
- Rick Astley
- George Michael
- Chris Rea
- Cliff Richard
- Steve Winwood
Winner: George Michael
Best British Newcomer
Voted for by listeners of BBC Radio 1 and readers of Radio Times. Presented by Mike Smith. First round nominees:
- Rick Astley
- Black
- The Christians
- Curiosity Killed the Cat
- Johnny Hates Jazz
- Living in a Box
- Mel and Kim
- Pepsi and Shirlie
- The Proclaimers
- Swing Out Sisters
- T’Pau
- Wet Wet Wet
Second round nominees:
- Rick Astley
- The Christians
- Johnny Hates Jazz
- T’Pau
- Wet Wet Wet
Winner: Wet Wet Wet
Best British Producer
Presented by Trevor Horn. Nominees:
- Brian Eno
- Julian Mendelsohn
- Paul O’Duffy
- Stock, Aitken and Waterman
- Alan Tarney
Winner: Stock, Aitken and Waterman
Best British Single
Nominees:
- Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
- Bananarama – Love in the First Degree
- MARRS – Pump Up the Volume
- Pet Shop Boys – It’s a Sin
- T’Pau – China in Your Hands
Winner: Rick Astley
Best British Video
Presented by Gary Davies.
Winner: New Order – True Faith
Best Classical Recording
Presented by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Nominees:
- Andrew Davies – The Mask of Time – Tippet
- Vernon Handley – Symphony No 5 – Vaughan
- Roger Norrington – Symphonies 2 and 8
- Simon Rattle – Symphony No 2 – Mahler
- Bryden Thomson – Piano Concertos 1 and 2
Winner: Vernon Handley
Best International Group
Presented by Paul Young. Nominees:
- Bon Jovi
- Fleetwood Mac
- Heart
- Los Lobos
- U2
Winner: U2
Best International Newcomer
Presented by Wayne Mailloux. Nominees:
- Beastie Boys
- Terence Trent D’Arby
- LL Cool J
- Los Lobos
- Bruce Willis
Winner: Terence Trent D’Arby
Best International Solo Artist
Nominees:
- Whitney Houston
- Madonna
- Michael Jackson
- Prince
- Luther Vandross
Winner: Michael Jackson
Best Soundtrack / Cast Recording
Presented by The Bee Gees. Nominees:
- Los Lobos / Various Artists – La Bamba
- Original Cast Recording – Follies
- Original Cast Recording – Les Miserables
- Original Cast Recording – Phantom of the Opera
- Various Artists – Dirty Dancing
Winner: Phantom of the Opera
Outstanding Contribution
Winner: The Who
Performances
- Bananarama – Love in the First Degree
- The Bee Gees – You Win Again
- Chris Rea – Let’s Dance
- Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done to Deserve This?
- Rick Astley – Never Gonna Give You Up
- Terence Trent D’Arby – Wishing Well
- The Who – Who Are You / My Generation
- T’Pau – China in Your Hands
