United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

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Eurovision Song Contest 2012
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processInternal selection
Selection date(s)Artist: 1 March 2012
Song: 19 March 2012
Selected entrant Engelbert Humperdinck
Selected song"Love Will Set You Free"
Selected songwriter(s)
Finals performance
Final result25th, 12 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2011 •2012• 2013►

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.

Contents

As a member of the "Big Five", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing as the opening entry for the show in position 1, the United Kingdom placed 25th out of the 26 participating countries with 12 points.

Background

Prior to the 2012 contest, the United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest fifty-four 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, thus far only finishing within the top ten twice: in 2002 with the song "Come Back" performed by Jessica Garlick and in 2009 with the song "It's My Time" performed by Jade Ewen. For the 2011 contest, the United Kingdom finished in eleventh place out of twenty-five competing entries with the song "I Can" performed by the group Blue.

The British national broadcaster, BBC, broadcasts the event within the United Kingdom and organises the selection process for the nation's entry. BBC announced that the United Kingdom would participate in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 on 20 December 2011. [2] BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose the British entry for Eurovision. In 2011, BBC opted to internally select the British entry for the first time since its first entry in 1957, a selection procedure that continued for their 2012 entry.

Before Eurovision

Internal selection

Engelbert Humperdinck was internally selected to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Engelbert Humperdinck.jpg
Engelbert Humperdinck was internally selected to represent the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

On 1 March 2012, BBC announced that the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 would be selected internally. On the same day, Engelbert Humperdinck was revealed as the British entrant for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. [3] Prior to the announcement of Engelbert Humperdinck as the British representative, artists that were rumoured in the media included the group Atomic Kitten and singers Adele and Tom Jones. [4]

On 19 March 2012, the song "Love Will Set You Free" written by Martin Terefe and Sacha Skarbek was presented to the public via the release of the official music video via BBC's Eurovision Song Contest website bbc.co.uk/eurovision and the official Eurovision Song Contest website eurovision.tv. [5] [6] [7] In regards to the song, Humperdinck stated: "I have my eyes on the prize with my song 'Love Will Set You Free'. I'm very proud of the song and with the nation behind me, I feel ready and look forward to the rollercoaster ride that is Eurovision!" [8]

Promotion

To specifically promote "Love Will Set You Free" as the British Eurovision entry, on 11 May, Engelbert Humperdinck was part of the guest line-up for the BBC One programme The Graham Norton Show where he performed "Love Will Set You Free" live and was interviewed by host Graham Norton. [9]

At Eurovision

According to Eurovision rules, all nations with the exceptions of the host country and the "Big Five" (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom) are required to compete in one of two semi-finals, and qualify in order to participate in the final; the top ten countries from each semi-final progress to the final. As a member of the "Big 5", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final on 26 May 2012. In addition to their participation in the final, the United Kingdom is also required to broadcast and vote in one of the two semi-finals. During the semi-final allocation draw on 25 January 2012, the United Kingdom was assigned to broadcast and vote in the second semi-final on 24 May 2012. [10]

In the United Kingdom, the semi-finals were broadcast on BBC Three with commentary by Scott Mills and Sara Cox. The final was televised on BBC One with commentary by Graham Norton and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. The British spokesperson, who announced the British votes during the final, was Scott Mills.

Final

Engelbert Humperdinck took part in technical rehearsals on 19 and 20 May, followed by dress rehearsals on 25 and 26 May. This included the jury final on 25 May where the professional juries of each country watched and voted on the competing entries. During the running order draw on 20 March which determined the running order of the British entry in the final, United Kingdom was drawn to perform first in position 1, before the entry from Hungary. [11]

The British performance featured Engelbert Humperdinck performing on stage with the LED screens displaying lighting that transitioned from black and white to a blaze of red. The performance began with Humperdinck performing on a dimly lit stage silhouetted in the spotlight before the lighting gradually increased to reveal a male and female classical ballet dancer, Shem Jacobs and Bethany-Rose Harrison, and a guitarist, James Bryan, who sat on a stool behind Humperdinck. [12] [13] [14] The performance was concluded with several effects including spinning fireworks and a pyrotechnic waterfall. The United Kingdom placed twenty-fifth in the final, scoring 12 points. [15] [16]

Voting

Voting during the three shows involved each country awarding points from 1–8, 10 and 12 as determined by a combination of 50% national jury and 50% televoting. Each nation's jury consisted of five music industry professionals who are citizens of the country they represent. This jury judged each entry based on: vocal capacity; the stage performance; the song's composition and originality; and the overall impression by the act. In addition, no member of a national jury was permitted to be related in any way to any of the competing acts in such a way that they cannot vote impartially and independently. The following members comprised the British jury: Kevin Hughes (radio DJ), Doug Flett (songwriter), Daffyd Rhys Evans (singer-songwriter), Kirsten Joy Child (singer-songwriter) and Lynsey de Paul (singer, represented United Kingdom in the 1977 Contest). [17]

Following the release of the full split voting by the EBU after the conclusion of the competition, it was revealed that the United Kingdom had placed twenty-first with the public televote and twenty-sixth (last) with the jury vote. In the public vote, the United Kingdom scored 36 points and in the jury vote the nation scored 11 points.

Below is a breakdown of points awarded to the United Kingdom and awarded by United Kingdom in the second semi-final and grand final of the contest. The nation awarded its 12 points to Malta in the semi-final and to Sweden in the final of the contest.

Points awarded to the United Kingdom

Points awarded to the United Kingdom (Final) [18]
ScoreCountry
12 points
10 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 pointsFlag of Estonia.svg  Estonia
4 pointsFlag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
3 points
2 pointsFlag of Latvia.svg  Latvia
1 pointFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium

Points awarded by the United Kingdom

After Eurovision

The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was watched by an average of 7.47 million viewers in the United Kingdom with a market share of 36.2%, 2 million less than the previous year although the show faced additional competition from an England friendly football match. [20] After the contest, several British media personalities had called upon the BBC for a withdrawal, including Phillip Schofield who described the competition as "political". [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<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 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 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.

Sweden participated in and won the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Euphoria" written by Thomas G:son and Peter Boström. The song was performed by Loreen. The Swedish broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT) organised the national final Melodifestivalen 2012 in order to select the Swedish entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. After a six-week-long competition consisting of four heats, a Second Chance round and a final, "Euphoria" performed by Loreen emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from eleven international jury groups and a public vote.

Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Would You?" written by Nina Sampermans, Jean Bosco Safari and Walter Mannaerts. The song was performed by Iris, who was internally selected by the Flemish broadcaster Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroeporganisatie (VRT) in November 2011 to represent the nation at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. The song was selected through the national final Eurosong 2012: Een song voor Iris, which was organised by VRT and featured two songs. In the final on 17 March 2012, "Would You?" was selected as the winning song after gaining 53% of the public televote.

Denmark participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Should've Known Better" written by Chief 1, Remee and Isam B. The song was performed by Soluna Samay. The Danish broadcaster DR organised the national final Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2012 in order to select the Danish entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ten songs competed in a televised show where "Should've Known Better" performed by Soluna Samay was the winner as decided upon through the combination of jury voting and public voting over two rounds.

Bulgaria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Love Unlimited" written by Yasen Kozev, Krum Georgiev and Doni Vasileva. The song was performed by Sofi Marinova. The Bulgarian broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) organised the national final Bŭlgarskata pesen v „Evroviziya 2012” in order to select the Bulgarian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 22 entries were selected to participate in the national final which consisted of two shows: a semi-final and a final, held on 14 January 2012 and 29 February 2012, respectively. Twelve songs qualified to the final from the semi-final. In the final, "Love Unlimited" performed by Sofi Marinova emerged as the winning entry following the combination of votes from a 24-member jury panel and a public televote.

Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "This Is the Night" written by Johan Jämtberg, Kurt Calleja and Mikael Gunnerås. The song was performed by Kurt Calleja. The Maltese entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan was selected through the national final Malta Eurovision Song Contest 2012, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition consisted of a semi-final round and a final, held on 3 and 4 February 2013, respectively, where "This Is the Night" performed by Kurt Calleja eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a six-member jury and a public televote.

Austria participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Woki mit deim Popo" written by Lukas Plöchl and Manuel Hoffelner. The song was performed by the duo Trackshittaz. The Austrian broadcaster Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) organised the national final Österreich rockt den Song Contest in order to select the Austrian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ten songs competed in a televised show where a public vote first selected the top two entries to proceed to a second round of voting. In the second round, "Woki mit deim Popo" was selected as the winner after gaining 51% of the votes from a public vote. This was the first time that the Austrian song was performed entirely in the Mühlviertlerisch dialect at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Lithuania participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Love Is Blind" written by Brandon Stone and Jodie Rose. The song was performed by Donny Montell. The Lithuanian broadcaster Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT) organised the national final "Eurovizijos" dainų konkurso nacionalinė atranka in order to select the Lithuanian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. The national final took place over five weeks and involved 36 competing entries. In the final, fourteen entries remained and the winner was selected over two rounds of voting. In the first round, the combination of votes from a jury panel and a public vote selected the top three to qualify to the superfinal. In the superfinal, a jury vote entirely selected "Love Is Blind" performed by Donny Montell as the winner.

Serbia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Nije ljubav stvar" written by Željko Joksimović, Marina Tucaković and Miloš Roganović. The song was performed by Željko Joksimović, who had previously represented Serbia and Montentegro in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2004 where he placed second with the song "Lane moje". The Serbian national broadcaster, Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) internally selected the Serbian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Joksimović was announced as the Serbian representative on 18 November 2011, while the song, "Nije ljubav stvar", was presented on 10 March 2012 during a show titled Evropska pesma.

Macedonia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Crno i belo" written by Kaliopi and Romeo Grill. The song was performed by Kaliopi, who was internally selected by the Macedonian broadcaster Macedonian Radio Television (MRT) to compete for Macedonia at the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kaliopi's appointment as the Macedonian representative was announced on 19 November 2011, while her song, "Crno i belo", was presented to the public in a television special titled Evrosong 2012 on 29 February 2012.

Georgia participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "I'm a Joker" written by Rusudan Chkhaidze and Bibi Kvachadze. The song was performed by Anri Jokhadze. The Georgian broadcaster Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB) held a national final in order to select the Georgian entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. An open call for submissions was held which resulted in the shortlisting of nine entries that were presented to the public during a televised production on 19 February 2012. The results of a public televote combined with the votes of an expert jury resulted in the selection of "I'm a Joker" performed by Anri Jokhadze as the Georgian entry.

Portugal participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 with the song "Vida minha" written by Andrej Babić and Carlos Coelho. The song was performed by Filipa Sousa. The Portuguese broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) organised the national final Festival da Canção 2012 in order to select the Portuguese entry for the 2012 contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. The competition took place on 10 March 2012 where "Vida minha" performed by Filipa Sousa emerged as the winner after achieving the highest score following the combination of votes from twenty regional juries and a public televote.

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 2015 with the song "Still in Love with You" written by David Mindel and Adrian Bax White. The song was performed by the duo Electro Velvet, which was internally selected by the British broadcaster BBC to represent the United Kingdom at the 2015 contest in Vienna, Austria. Electro Velvet and "Still in Love with You" was announced as the British entry in a special presentation show titled Our Song for Eurovision 2015 broadcast on the BBC Red Button service in March 2015.

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 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. ↑ Repo, Juha (20 December 2011). "UK: Scott Mills to present Eurovision semi-finals from Baku". Esctoday. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Engelbert Humperdinck UK 2012". BBC . Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  4. ↑ "United Kingdom artist announced today". 1 March 2012. Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  5. ↑ "Countdown to the United Kingdom entry". 18 March 2012. Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  6. ↑ "'Love Will Set You Free' for the United Kingdom | News | Eurovision Song Contest - Copenhagen 2014". Eurovision.tv. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Engelbert Humperdinck unveils UK's Eurovision song". BBC News . 19 March 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  8. ↑ Plunkett, John (19 March 2012). "Eurovision 2012: Engelbert Humperdinck 'very proud of song'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  9. ↑ "THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW – MAY 2012". Late Show UK. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  10. ↑ Escudero, Victor (25 January 2012). "Results of the Semi-Final allocation draw". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  11. ↑ "Results of the 2012 Running Order Draw!". eurovision.tv. 20 March 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  12. ↑ "Engelbert Humperdinck the last to rehearse in Crystal Hall". eurovision.tv. 19 May 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  13. ↑ "It's Engelbert's smile bathed in light". eurovision.tv. 20 May 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "Love will set you free - info". Diggiloo Thrush. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  15. ↑ Siim, Jarmo (18 June 2012). "Eurovision 2012 split jury-televote results revealed". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 21 June 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  16. ↑ "Grand Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  17. ↑ Hondal, Victor (20 June 2012). "British jury votes revealed". Esctoday. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  18. 1 2 "Results of the Grand Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "Results of the Second Semi-Final of Baku 2012". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 May 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Millar, Paul (27 May 2012). "Eurovision Song Contest overpowers England, Norway match in ratings". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Party's over: Should the UK give up on Eurovision after Engelbert Humperdinck's failure in Baku?". Daily Mirror. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Eurovision: Phillip Schofield Thinks Britain Should Give Up The Competition". Entertainment Wise. 27 May 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
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