United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

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Eurovision Song Contest 2004
Participating broadcaster British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection process Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2004
Selection date(s)28 February 2004
Selected artist(s) James Fox
Selected song"Hold Onto Our Love"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Gary Miller
  • Tim Woodcock
Finals performance
Final result16th, 29 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2003 •2004• 2005►

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.

Contents

As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing in position 20, the United Kingdom placed 16th out of the 24 participating countries with 29 points.

Background

Prior to the 2004 contest, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing the United Kingdom forty-six 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, it has had less success, thus far only finishing within the top ten once: in 2002 with the song "Come Back" performed by Jessica Garlick. In 2003, "Cry Baby" performed by Jemini finished in twenty-sixth (last) place out of twenty-six 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 announced that it would participate in the 2004 contest on 8 November 2003. [2] BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose its entry for Eurovision. For its 2004 entry, the broadcaster announced that a new primetime national final involving a public vote would be held to select its entry, replacing the traditional A Song for Europe show more recently aired in a Sunday afternoon timeslot on BBC One. [2]

Before Eurovision

Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2004

Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2004 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select its entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Six acts competed in a televised show on 28 February 2004 held at the BBC Television Centre in London and hosted by Terry Wogan and Gaby Roslin. The winner was selected entirely through a public vote. The show was broadcast on BBC One. [3] The national final was watched by 7.2 million viewers in the United Kingdom. [4]

Competing entries

The BBC collaborated with record label Sony Music and an independent music expert to select five finalists to compete in the national final. Entries were provided to Sony Music and the BBC by music industry experts including writers and producers, and the songwriters behind the five selected songs were: Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, Brian Higgins and Stuart McLennan, Brian Rawling, Gary Barlow and Pam Sheyne. A sixth finalist, "It Just Gets Better" performed by Madison Taylor, was provided by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) which ran a songwriting competition amongst its members. [5] [6] [7] The six artists were announced on 3 February 2004, while the competing songs were premiered during the BBC One television programme Top of the Pops , hosted by Tim Kash, on 13 February 2004. [8] [9]

Final

Six acts competed in the televised final on 28 February 2004. In addition to their performances, guest performers included previous Eurovision winner Sertab Erener, who won the contest for Turkey in 2003 with the song "Everyway That I Can", and Emma Bunton, performing her song "Maybe" and the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1967 "Puppet on a String".

A panel of experts provided feedback regarding the songs during the show. The panel consisted of Lorraine Kelly (journalist and television presenter), Harry Hill (comedian, writer, and television presenter) and Carrie Grant (member of Sweet Dreams who represented the United Kingdom in 1983, vocal coach and television presenter). A public vote consisting of televoting via phone and SMS as well as interactive voting via the red button, which registered more than 200,000 votes, selected the winner. [5] Televotes via phone calls were divided into seven regions in the United Kingdom with each region awarding points as follows: 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12 points. Televotes via SMS were combined with the interactive votes and converted to points based on the percentage each song achieved. For example, if a song gained 10% of the SMS and interactive votes, then that entry would be awarded 10 points. The spokesperson announcing the SMS/interactive votes was Lorraine Kelly. [10] After both sets of points were combined, "Hold Onto Our Love" performed by James Fox was the winner. [11] "Hold Onto Our Love" received 45% of the total votes. [12]

DrawArtistSongPublic votePlace
PhoneSMS and
Interactive		Total
1Enrap-ture"Weekend (Gotta Work)"289374
2 James Fox "Hold Onto Our Love"80401201
3Haifa"Me Without You"4596
4Hyrise"Leading Me On"5824822
5Haydon"With You I Believe"107175
6Madison Taylor"It Just Gets Better"4415593
Detailed Regional Televoting Results
DrawSong
Northern Ireland
Northern England
Scotland
Wales
South West England
Midlands
South East England
Total
1"Weekend (Gotta Work)"444444428
2"Hold Onto Our Love"121212121281280
3"Me Without You"224
4"Leading Me On"8886812858
5"With You I Believe"2222210
6"It Just Gets Better"666866644
Spokespersons
12 points
N.SongRegions giving 12 points
6"Hold Onto Our Love"Northern England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, South West England, South East England, Wales
1"Leading Me On"Midlands

At Eurovision

The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 took place at the Abdi Ipekci Arena in Istanbul, Turkey Abdi Ipekci Spor Salonu (cropped).jpg
The Eurovision Song Contest 2004 took place at the Abdi İpekçi Arena in Istanbul, Turkey

It was announced that the competition's format would be expanded to include a semi-final in 2004. According to the rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country, the "Big Four" (France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom) and the ten highest placed finishers in the 2003 contest are required to qualify from the semi-final in order to compete for the final; the top ten countries from the semi-final progress to the final. As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final on 15 May 2004. In addition to their participation in the final, the United Kingdom also broadcast and voted in the semi-final on 12 May 2004. During the running order draw for the semi-final and final, the United Kingdom was placed to perform in position 20 in the final, following the entry from Poland and before the entry from Cyprus. The United Kingdom placed sixteenth in the final, scoring 29 points. [13] [14]

In the United Kingdom, the semi-final was broadcast on BBC Three with commentary by Paddy O'Connell, while the final was televised on BBC One with commentary by Terry Wogan and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. The BBC appointed Lorraine Kelly as its spokesperson to announce the results of the British televote during the final.

Voting

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the United Kingdom and awarded by the United Kingdom in the semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Greece in the semi-final and the final of the contest. Following the release of the televoting figures by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that a total of 451,996 televotes were cast in the United Kingdom during the two shows: 415,558 votes in the final and 36,438 votes in the semi-final. [15]

Points awarded to the United Kingdom

Points awarded to the United Kingdom (Final) [16]
ScoreCountry
12 points
10 points
8 pointsFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
7 points
6 points
5 points
4 points
3 pointsFlag of Latvia.svg  Latvia
2 points
1 point

Points awarded by the United Kingdom

Related Research Articles

The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "Cry Baby", written by Martin Isherwood, and performed by the duo Jemini. 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 2003. 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.

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 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.

Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Y así" written by Christof Spörk and Edi Köhldorfer. The song was performed by the group Global Kryner. The Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) organised the national final Song.Null.Fünf in order to select the Austrian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. Five artists and ten songs competed in a televised show where a public vote consisting of regional televoting and mobile phone voting exclusively selected "Y así" performed by Global Kryner as the winner.

Hungary participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Forogj, világ!" written by Attila Valla and Szabolcs Harmath. The song was performed by the band Nox. In December 2004, the Hungarian public broadcaster Magyar Televízió (MTV) announced that they would be returning to the Eurovision Song Contest after a six-year absence following their withdrawal in 1999. The Hungarian entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine was selected through the national final Eurovíziós Dalfesztivál, organised by the Hungarian public broadcaster Magyar Televízió (MTV). 12 entries competed in the national final where four of the entries proceeded to a second round of voting based entirely on a public televote. In the second round of voting, a five-member jury panel selected "Forogj, világ!" performed by Nox as the winner.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "My Impossible Dream" written by Robert D. Fisher and Bruce Smith. The song was performed by Glennis Grace. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2005 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2005 contest in Kyiv, Ukraine. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Six entries competed in each semi-final with three advancing: two entries selected based on a public vote and one entry selected by a three-member jury panel. Twelve entries qualified from to compete in the final on 13 February 2005 where "My Impossible Dream" performed by Glennis Grace was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from three jury panels and a public vote.

Germany was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Can't Wait Until Tonight", written by Stefan Raab, and performed by Max. The German participating broadcaster on behalf of ARD, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR), organised the national final Germany 12 Points! in order to select their entry for the contest. The national final took place on 19 March 2004 and featured ten competing acts with the winner being selected through two rounds of public televoting. "Can't Wait Until Tonight" performed by Max was selected as the German entry after placing first in the top two during the first round of voting and ultimately gaining 853,688 votes in the second round.

The Netherlands participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 with the song "Without You" written by Ed van Otterdijk and Angeline van Otterdijk. The song was performed by the duo Re-union. The Dutch broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS) organised the national final Nationaal Songfestival 2004 in collaboration with broadcaster Televisie Radio Omroep Stichting (TROS) in order to select the Dutch entry for the 2004 contest in Istanbul, Turkey. 24 entries competed in the national final which consisted of six shows: four semi-finals, a wildcard round and a final. Ten entries qualified from to compete in the final on 22 February 2004 where "Without You" performed by Re-union was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a five-member jury panel and 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 Netherlands was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2003 with the song "One More Night", written by Tjeerd van Zanen and Alan Michael, adn performed by Esther Hart. The Dutch participating broadcaster, Nederlandse Omroep Stichting (NOS), selected its entry for the contest through Nationaal Songfestival 2003. The broadcaster returned to the contest after a one-year absence following its relegation in 2002 as one of the bottom six entrants in 2001. 32 entries competed in the national final which consisted of five shows: four semi-finals and a final. Eight entries qualified from to compete in the final on 1 March 2003 where "One More Night" performed by Esther Hart was selected as the winner following the combination of votes from a seven-member jury panel and a public vote.

The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "I Can" written by Duncan James, Lee Ryan, Ciaron Bell, Ben Collier, Ian Hope, Liam Keenan and StarSign. The song was performed by the group Blue, which was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2011 contest in Düsseldorf, Germany. Blue was announced as the British entrant on 29 January 2011, while the song "I Can" was presented to the public on 11 March 2011.

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 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. 1 2 Bakker, Sietse (8 November 2003). "British 2004 entry to be selected in 'sexy' show". Esctoday. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ↑ "Press Office - Making Your Mind Up - BBC". bbc.co.uk. 4 February 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Press Office - Eurovision accreditation 2004 - BBC". bbc.co.uk. 12 March 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  5. 1 2 "Press Office - Eurovision Making Your Mind Up winner - BBC". bbc.co.uk. 28 February 2004. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "Weaver's Week 2004-02-07". UKGameshows. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  7. ↑ Shahin, Kemal (31 December 2004). "BASCA sends 5 songs from 530 to BBC". Esctoday. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Bakker, Sietse (3 February 2004). "Six names for British selection revealed". Esctoday.
  9. ↑ "The Television & Radio Database - Top of the Pops". tvrdb.com. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "How to vote for your favourite band". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  11. ↑ "UK NATIONAL FINAL 2004". natfinals.50webs.com.
  12. ↑ "Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2005". bbc.co.uk. 4 February 2005. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. ↑ "Britain's Eurovision Song Contest entries: where are they now?". The Telegraph. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Press Release - Record numbers for the 2004 Eurovision Song Contest". eurovision.tv. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  16. 1 2 "Results of the Grand Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Results of the Semi-Final of Istanbul 2004". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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