Ed Sheeran, Pharrell Williams win big at BBC Music Awards

Ed Sheeran and Pharrell Williams were the big winner's at the first BBC Music Awards.

Ed picked up the coveted Artist of the Year prize at the show, which was hosted by Chris Evans and Fearne Cotton live from Earls Court last night (December 11). The star triumphed over David Bowie, Sam Smith, Royal Blood, Elbow and Jungle to pick up the accolade.

The singer/songwriter's win comes after Official Charts announced earlier this month that his latest album X had sold over one million copies in the UK. It's sales continue to be strong this month as it has also been revealed by Amazon as one of the Top 10 most-wished for artist albums this Christmas.

During his winner's speech, Ed told the crowd: "A massive thank you to everyone who has bought a record, bought a ticket, streamed on YouTube, done anything, listened to my music... I always thought my career would stop at one album, so knowing my career is longer than one album is the highlight."

Meanwhile, Pharrell Williams beat competition from the likes of Taylor Swift and Dolly Parton to win International Artist of the Year, while his global smash Happy won Song of the Year.

"The UK has always been amazing to me and so many other artists who want to do different things," Pharrell said. "It's been an amazing experience and a great journey."

The night also included live performances from Take That, Coldplay, Ella Henderson, Labrinth and One Direction, who accepted a special award from Billboard for being the first act in US chart history to have their first four albums debut at Number 1.