Singer Adele had the tabloid press up in arms yesterday and TV executives running for cover over a offensive gesture after her moment in the sun at British pop’s biggest awards was cut short for programming reasons. The 23-year-old was midway through a brief acceptance speech at the packed O2 Arena in her native London after picking up the big prize - best British album for her chart-conquering 21. But because the show was running late, and was being broadcast live on ITV, presenter James Corden stepped in to cut Adele short, prompting the gesture. The Sun newspaper, Britain’s best-selling daily, had a picture of the gesture on its front page above the headline “Someone dislikes you”, a reference to her hit Someone Like You. The rival Mirror featured a similar image accompanied by the words “Adele: Go to hell!” Speaking backstage after the two-hour show, British pop’s biggest night, Adele said she was upset by the interruption. “I’m sorry if I offended anyone, it was the suits not the fans that offended me,” she told the Sun. The incident comes just a couple of weeks after US television network NBC and the NFL apologised for an offensive gesture made by British rapper M.I.A. during singer Madonna’s televised show at the Super Bowl. Madonna slammed M.I.A.’s behaviour as juvenile, negative and out of place. Both ITV and the BRIT Awards issued apologies following the show, which ended on a sour note after what had been another triumphant night for Adele. Some music critics felt the night was more about “suits” - corporate executives focussing on record sales and viewing figures - than rock and roll. Performers included Adele with Rolling In the Deep, Ed Sheeran with Lego House and Coldplay with Charlie Brown. Andy Gill of the Independent newspaper called the awards “perhaps the dreariest two hours that TV viewers have sat through in decades.” He wrote in his review that every award winner was predictable and many performers, including Coldplay, Florence + The Machine and Noel Gallagher, were dull. Rihanna livened up proceedings when she emerged from a transparent box smeared in paint, while Adele and singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran put others to shame, Gill said.