United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001

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Eurovision Song Contest 2001
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection process A Song for Europe 2001
Selection date(s)Semi-final:
22–26 January 2001
Final:
11 March 2001
Selected entrant 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 participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 with the song "No Dream Impossible" written by Russ Ballard and Chris Winter. The song was performed by Lindsay Dracass. The British entry for the 2001 contest in Copenhagen, Denmark, was selected via the national final A Song for Europe 2001, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. 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, the United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest forty-three times. [1] Thus far, the United Kingdom 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 the song "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, the UK had only twice finished outside the top 10, in 1978 and 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. For the 2000 contest, the United Kingdom finished in sixteenth place out of twenty-four competing entries with the song "Don't Play That Song Again" performed by Nicki French.

The British national broadcaster, BBC, broadcasts the event within the United Kingdom and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose the British entry for Eurovision. For their 2001 entry, the broadcaster announced that a national final involving a public vote would be held to select United Kingdom's entry.

Before Eurovision

A Song for Europe 2001

A Song for Europe 2001 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2001. Eight acts competed in the competition which consisted of a semi-final between 22 and 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

BBC and the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) announced an open submission for interested artists to submit their songs. A fee was also imposed on songs being submitted to the national final, with £47 for BASCA members and £70.5 for non-BASCA members. Artists aged 17 or under received a discount of £11.75. The submission period lasted until 20 October 2000. The received submissions were reviewed by a professional panel consisting of representatives of the BBC, the BASCA and the Music Publishers Association (MPA) that ultimately selected eight semi-finalists to compete in the national final. [3]

Semi-final

The eight competing acts were premiered during The Ken Bruce Show and Wake Up to Wogan on BBC Radio 2 on 22 January 2001, and the public was able to vote for their favourite song through televoting and online voting until 26 January 2001. [4] The top four songs proceeded to the final. Although the voting results are unknown, it is rumoured that Tony Moore won the semi-final. [5]

DrawArtistSongSongwriter(s)Result
1Lucy Randell"Just Another Rainbow"Finalist
2Charlotte Henry"King of Love"
  • Max Milligan
  • Charlotte Henry
Eliminated
3 Nanne "Men" Kimberley Rew Finalist
4 Lindsay D "No Dream Impossible"
Finalist
5 Tony Moore "That's My Love"Tony MooreFinalist
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 held at the BBC Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire and hosted by Katy Hill. A public televote selected the winner, "No Dream Impossible" performed by Lindsay D. [6] The public vote in the final registered 102,352 votes. [7]

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

As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 on 12 May 2001. During the running order draw on 21 November 2000, the United Kingdom was placed to perform in position 16, following the entry from Turkey and before the entry from Slovenia. [8] The United Kingdom placed fifteenth in the final, scoring 28 points. [9]

In the United Kingdom, the show was televised on BBC One with commentary by Terry Wogan and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. The British spokesperson, who announced the British votes during the final, was Colin Berry.

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

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Cry Baby" written by Martin Isherwood. The song was performed by the duo Jemini. The British entry for the 2003 contest in Riga, Latvia was selected via the national final A Song for Europe 2003, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. 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 regional televote.

For the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Dublin for the second consecutive year, the United Kingdom entered "Love City Groove", performed by Love City Groove. It finished in 10th place with a total of 76 points.

The United Kingdom competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998. 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 the nation 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?". Imaani 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 competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, held on 29 May 1999 at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, Israel. 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. Girl group Precious received the most votes and were selected to represent the nation in the contest with the song "Say It Again".

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "Come Back" written by Martyn Baylay. The song was performed by Jessica Garlick. The British entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn, Estonia, was selected via the national final A Song for Europe 2002, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. 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 participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Hold Onto Our Love" written by Gary Miller and Tim Woodcock. The song was performed by James Fox. The British entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey was selected via the national final Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2004, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UK national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest</span> BBC TV show

Eurovision: You Decide is the most recent name of a BBC television programme that was broadcast annually to select the United Kingdom's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. The show had previously gone under several other names, including Festival of British Popular Songs (1957), Eurovision Song Contest British Final (1959–1960), The Great British Song Contest (1996–1999), Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up (2004–2007), Eurovision: Your Decision (2008), and Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (2009–2010), but was known, for most of its history, as A Song for Europe.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Touch My Fire" written by Javine Hylton, John Themis and Jonathan Shalit. The song was performed by Javine. The British entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected via the national final Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2005, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Five 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 2006 with the song "Teenage Life" written by Daz Sampson and John Matthews. The song was performed by Daz Sampson. The British entry for the 2006 contest in Athens, Greece was selected via the national final Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2006, 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 2007 with the song "Flying the Flag " written by Russ Spencer, Morten Schjolin, Andrew Hill and Paul Tarry. The song was performed by the group Scooch. The British entry for the 2007 contest in Helsinki, Finland was selected via the national final Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2007, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. 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.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "That Sounds Good to Me" written by Pete Waterman, Mike Stock and Steve Crosby. The song was performed by Josh Dubovie. The British entry for the 2010 contest in Oslo, Norway was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2010, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected through two rounds of voting.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 with the song "Believe in Me" written by Desmond Child, Lauren Christy and Christopher Braide. The song was performed by Bonnie Tyler, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2013 contest in Malmö, Sweden. Tyler and the song "Believe in Me" were announced as the British entry on 7 March 2013.

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.

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.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 with the song "Embers" written by James Newman, Conor Blake, Danny Shah, Tom Hollings and Samuel Brennan. The song was performed by James Newman, who was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2021 contest in Rotterdam, Netherlands after he was due to compete in the 2020 contest with "My Last Breath" before the event's cancellation. Newman was announced as the British entrant on 19 February 2021, while the song "Embers" was presented to the public on 11 March 2021.

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. ↑ "Eurovision Song Contest 2001". The Eurovision Database. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "A Song for Europe 2001 • semi-final". 4lyrics. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Schoolgirl bids for Eurovision glory". 12 March 2001. Retrieved 31 December 2022– via news.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "UK NATIONAL FINAL 2001". Natfinals.50webs.com. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "RULES OF THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2001" (PDF). Myledbury.co.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Final of Copenhagen 2001". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  10. 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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