United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001

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Eurovision Song Contest 2001
Participating broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection process A Song for Europe 2001
Selection date(s)Semi-final:
26 January 2001
Final:
11 March 2001
Selected artist(s) Lindsay Dracass
Selected song"No Dream Impossible"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result15th, 28 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2000 •2001• 2002►

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "No Dream Impossible", written by Russ Ballard and Chris Winter, and performed by Lindsay Dracass. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, A Song for Europe 2001. Eight acts competed in the national final which consisted of a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.

Contents

In the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, the United Kingdom performed in position 16 and placed 15th out of the 23 participating countries with 28 points.

Background

Prior to the 2001 contest, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing the United Kingdom forty-three times. [1] Thus far, it has won the contest five times: in 1967 with the song "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw, in 1969 with the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" performed by Lulu, in 1976 with "Save Your Kisses for Me" performed by Brotherhood of Man, in 1981 with the song "Making Your Mind Up" performed by Bucks Fizz, and in 1997 with the song "Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. To this point, the nation is noted for having finished as the runner-up in a record fifteen contests. Up to and including 1998, it had only twice finished outside the top 10, in 1978 and in 1987. Since 1999, the year in which the rule was abandoned that songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating, the UK has had less success, having yet to finish within the top ten. In 2000, "Don't Play That Song Again" performed by Nicki French finished in sixteenth place out of twenty-four competing entries.

As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, the BBC organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose its entry for Eurovision. For 2001, the broadcaster announced that a national final involving a public vote would be held to select its entry.

Before Eurovision

A Song for Europe 2001

Lindsay Dracass (pictured in 2023) represented the United Kingdom after winning A Song for Europe 2001 Lindsay Dracass 2023.jpg
Lindsay Dracass (pictured in 2023) represented the United Kingdom after winning A Song for Europe 2001

A Song for Europe 2001 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Eight acts competed in the competition which consisted of a radio semi-final on 26 January 2001 and a televised final on 11 March 2001. The semi-final was broadcast on BBC Radio 2, while the final was broadcast on BBC One. [2]

Competing entries

In late 2000, BBC together with the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and the Music Publishers Association (MPA) announced an open submission for interested songwriters to submit their songs. All composers and lyricists were required to be British citizens or residents in the United Kingdom for three years prior to the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. A fee was also imposed on songs being submitted to the national final: £47 for BASCA members, £70.5 for non-BASCA members and £11.75 for songwriters under the age of 17 by 1 May 2001. The submission period lasted until 20 October 2000. [3] More than 600 received submissions were reviewed and a 28-song shortlist was compiled and presented to a professional panel consisting of representatives of the BBC, BASCA and MPA that ultimately selected eight semi-finalists to compete in the national final. [4] [5] The eight competing songs were premiered during The Ken Bruce Show and Wake Up to Wogan on BBC Radio 2 between 22 and 25 January 2001. [6]

Shows

Semi-final

Eight acts competed in the radio semi-final which was hosted by Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce during Wake Up to Wogan on 26 January 2001. A public televote selected the top four songs that proceeded to the final. [7] [8] Although the voting results are unknown, it is rumoured that Tony Moore won the semi-final. [9]

Semi-final – 26 January 2001
DrawArtistSongSongwriter(s)Result
1Lucy Randell"Just Another Rainbow"Advanced
2Charlotte Henry"King of Love"
  • Max Milligan
  • Charlotte Henry
Eliminated
3 Nanne "Men" Kimberley Rew Advanced
4 Lindsay D "No Dream Impossible"
Advanced
5 Tony Moore "That's My Love"Tony MooreAdvanced
6Luke Galliana"To Die For"Eliminated
7Moneypenny"Twisted"
  • Dawn Joseph
  • Sara Eker
  • Lucy Abbott
  • Russ Ballard
  • Chris Ballard
  • Andy Murray
Eliminated
8Obsession"Why Should I Love You"Eliminated

Final

Four acts competed in the televised final on 11 March 2001 which was held at the BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and hosted by Katy Hill. A public televote selected the winner, "No Dream Impossible" performed by Lindsay D. The televote in the final registered 102,352 votes. [8] [10]

Final – 11 March 2001
DrawArtistSongTelevotePlace
1Lucy Randell"Just Another Rainbow"19,3373
2 Nanne "Men"5,5564
3 Lindsay D "No Dream Impossible"45,5641
4 Tony Moore "That's My Love"31,8952

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 took place at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark. Parken 05.jpg
The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 took place at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2001 took place at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 12 May 2001. [11] The relegation rules introduced for the 1997 contest were again utilised ahead of the 2001 contest, based on each country's average points total in previous contests. The 23 participants were made up of the host country, the "Big Four" countries (France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom), and the 12 countries with the highest average scores between the 1996 and 2000 contests competed in the final. [12] As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the contest. On 21 November 2000, an allocation draw was held which determined the running order and the United Kingdom was set to perform in position 16, following the entry from Turkey and before the entry from Slovenia. [13] The United Kingdom finished in eighteenth place scoring 28 points. [14]

In the United Kingdom, the contest was televised on BBC One with commentary by Terry Wogan and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. [15] [16] The BBC appointed Colin Berry as its spokesperson to announce the results of the British televote during the show.

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the United Kingdom and awarded by the United Kingdom in the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Estonia in the contest.

Related Research Articles

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The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1995 with the song "Love City Groove", written by Paul Hardy, Jay Williams, Tatsiana Mais, and Stephen Rudden, and performed by Love City Groove. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final. It finished in 10th place with a total of 76 points.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 with the song "Where Are You?", written by Scott English, Phil Manikiza, and Simon Stirling, and performed by Imaani. In addition, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was also the host broadcaster and staged the event at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham on 9 May 1998 after it won the competition in 1997 with the song "Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. The BBC organised a public selection to select its entry for the contest, The Great British Song Contest 1998. Eight songs competed over two rounds, with four songs selected through a radio-broadcast semi-final advancing to the televised final round, held on 15 March 1998, where viewers selected the winning entry through televoting. Imaani received the most votes and was selected to represent the UK in the contest with the song "Where Are You?". She performed 16th at the international contest, and at the close of the voting process the UK finished in second place with 166 points, the nation's 15th second-place finish since its debut.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1999 with the song "Say It Again", written by Paul Varney, and performed by the group Precious. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, The Great British Song Contest 1999. Eight songs competed over two rounds, with four songs selected through a radio-broadcast semi-final to advance to the televised final round, held on 7 March 1999, where viewers selected the winning entry through televoting. "Say It Again" performed by girl group Precious received the most votes and was selected to represent the nation in the contest.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 with the song "Don't Play That Song Again", written by John Springate and Gerry Shepherd, and performed by Nicki French. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, A Song for Europe 2000. Eight acts competed in the national final which consisted of a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Come Back", written by Martyn Baylay, and performed by Jessica Garlick. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, A Song for Europe 2002. Eight acts competed in the national final which consisted of a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Hold Onto Our Love", written by Gary Miller and Tim Woodcock, and performed by James Fox. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2004. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Touch My Fire", written by Javine Hylton, John Themis, and Jonathan Shalit, and performed by Javine. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2005. Five acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with the song "Teenage Life", written by Daz Sampson and John Matthews, and performed by Sampson himself. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2006. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 with the song "Flying the Flag ", written by Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill, and Paul Tarry, and performed by the group Scooch. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2007. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through two rounds of public televoting.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 with the song "Even If" written by Andy Abraham, Paul Wilson and Andy Watkins. The song was performed by Andy Abraham. The British entry for the 2008 contest in Belgrade, Serbia was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Decision, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through three rounds of voting.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song "It's My Time" written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren. The song was performed by Jade Ewen. The British entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Country Needs You, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final which consisted of two heats, a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.

Slovenia was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Energy", composed by Matjaž Vlašič, with lyrics by Lucienne Lončina, and performed by Nuša Derenda. The Slovene participating broadcaster, Radiotelevizija Slovenija (RTVSLO), held the national final Evrovizijska Melodija 2001 in order to select its entry for the contest. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following its relegation in 2000 as one of the six entrants with the lowest average scores over the previous five contests.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Love Will Set You Free" written by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek. The song was performed by Engelbert Humperdinck, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Humperdinck was announced as the British entrant on 1 March 2012, while the song "Love Will Set You Free" was presented to the public on 19 March 2012.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 with the song "Children of the Universe" written by Molly Smitten-Downes and Anders Hansson. The song was performed by Molly, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark. Molly and "Children of the Universe" was announced as the British entry in a special presentation show titled The UK Launch broadcast on the BBC Red Button service in March 2014.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 with the song "You're Not Alone" written by Matt Schwartz, Justin J. Benson and S. Kanes. The song was performed by Joe and Jake. The British entry for the 2016 contest in Stockholm, Sweden was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Never Give Up on You" written by Daniel Salcedo, Emmelie de Forest and Lawrie Martin. The song was performed by Lucie Jones. Songwriter Emmelie de Forest represented Denmark in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Only Teardrops" where she won the competition. The British entry for the 2017 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through the combination of a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury.

Malta was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "Another Summer Night", composed by Paul Abela, with lyrics by Georgina Abela, and performed by Fabrizio Faniello. The Maltese participating broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services (PBS), selected its entry for the contest through the national final Malta Song for Europe 2001. The competition consisted of a final, held on 2 and 3 February 2001, where "Another Summer Night" performed by Fabrizio Faniello eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a seven-member jury and a public televote.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with the song "Storm" written by Nicole Blair, Gil Lewis and Sean Hargreaves. The song was performed by SuRie. The British entry for the 2018 contest in Lisbon, Portugal was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through the combination of a public vote and the votes of an eight-member professional jury.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 with the song "Bigger than Us" written by Laurell Barker, Anna-Klara Folin, John Lundvik and Jonas Thander. The song was performed by Michael Rice. Songwriter John Lundvik represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest the same year with the song "Too Late for Love". The British entry for the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel was selected via the national final Eurovision: You Decide, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through two rounds of voting.

References

  1. ↑ "United Kingdom | Country profile | Eurovision Song Contest". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "Song for Europe". bbc.co.uk. 11 March 2001. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "SONG FOR EUROPE 2001". britishacademy.com. Archived from the original on 21 January 2001. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "British Academy announces Song For Europe finalists". ESCOL. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  5. ↑ "United Kingdom 2001". laescena. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Schedule - BBC Programme Index". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Schedule - BBC Programme Index". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  8. 1 2 "UK NATIONAL FINAL 2001". Natfinals.50webs.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "A Song for Europe 2001 • semi-final". 4lyrics. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Schoolgirl bids for Eurovision glory". 12 March 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2022– via news.bbc.co.uk.
  11. ↑ "Copenhagen 2001–Eurovision Song Contest". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Rules of the 2001 Eurovision Song Contest" (PDF). European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Rules of the Eurovision Song Contest 2001" (PDF). Myledbury.co.uk. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Final of Copenhagen 2001". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Samedi 12 mai". TV8 (in French). Zofingen, Switzerland: Ringier. 10 May 2001. pp. 16–21. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022– via Scriptorium.
  16. ↑ "The Eurovision Song Contest – BBC One". Radio Times . 12 May 2001. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022– via BBC Genome Project.
  17. 1 2 "Results of the Final of Copenhagen 2001". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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