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THREAD: the UK 
in Eurovision 2010-2020. a review of everything that went right & wrong 
in Eurovision 2010-2020. a review of everything that went right & wrong
yes iâm back doing threads cause iâm bored & also iâve done like no research on this topic cause itâs opinion based lol
starting with 2010
entry: that sounds good to me by josh dubovie
entry: that sounds good to me by josh dubovie
in 2010 I wouldâve hoped that the BBC were still high off the success weâd gained in 2009 with Jade, coming 5th & it being our first (and to this date, last) top 5 since 2002 shouldâve been motivation for them to capitalise on it and return the UK to sending quality entries.
clearly, someone decided they didnât want that to happen so got Pete Waterman to help. now yes Pete Waterman has been successful and has hits in his own right but unfortunately it was no longer 1985.
the executive producer for BBC ESC at that time said:
âthis year, with an extremely successful pop writer, the aim is to build on the UK's success while moving on in style and doing something differentâ
when the BBC say âsomething differentâ, thatâs when we should panic
âthis year, with an extremely successful pop writer, the aim is to build on the UK's success while moving on in style and doing something differentâ
when the BBC say âsomething differentâ, thatâs when we should panic
the entry was chosen through Eurovision: Your Country Needs You, which was our NF at that time, and was won by Josh Dubovie.
Co-Writer Mike Stock said TSGTM âwould be significantly different from what has already been served up and completely revamped to suit Dubovie's voiceâ
Co-Writer Mike Stock said TSGTM âwould be significantly different from what has already been served up and completely revamped to suit Dubovie's voiceâ
that happened but making something sound a bit less like itâs from 1985 is not a âsignificant differenceâ.
at eurovision Josh performed 12th between Greece & Georgia.
we came last with 10 points overall. 25th in televote (7 points) & 25th in jury (18 points). this was not good, considering we had literally been top 5 the year before.
we came last with 10 points overall. 25th in televote (7 points) & 25th in jury (18 points). this was not good, considering we had literally been top 5 the year before.
giving a 19 year old a song that sounds like an 80s b side is bizarre to me!
josh did a video answering questions on his eurovision experience in 2019 & itâs very interesting, hereâs the link if you havenât watched it already.
josh did a video answering questions on his eurovision experience in 2019 & itâs very interesting, hereâs the link if you havenât watched it already.
the national final was already watched by 4 million less people than 2009, and I imagine the eurovision result really dented the UK publicâs opinion on the contest. we needed something to get back on track, and thatâs when 2011 happened.
2011
entry: I Can by Blue
entry: I Can by Blue
On January 29th, the BBC announced that Blue would be representing us in the 2011 contest. Blue were a well known band who had some hits in 2000s. the entire process was internal. this was met with criticism.
The Daily Telegraph said the internal selection was "boardroom meetings and internal discussions involving unspecified members of the BBC hierarchy, imposing both a band and a song on the British public".
Blues former manager said their career would be ruined if they didnât win
Blues former manager said their career would be ruined if they didnât win
this is also all just hilarious to me ... phillip schofield was the early 2010s lorraine kelly
Blue promoted their song around europe & across tv in the UK. they dismissed claims the voting had become political. they even had a documentary made about their journey to eurovision.
at Eurovision, Blue performed 14th in the final, after Switzerland and before Moldova. they were favourites to win, but came 11th overall with 100 points, gaining 12 points from Bulgaria.
the televote had the UK 5th, with 166 points, whereas the jury had us 22nd with 57 points
the televote had the UK 5th, with 166 points, whereas the jury had us 22nd with 57 points
a lot of people have said the reason for the juries low placement of the song is because they treated their performance as more of a rehearsal. however i donât hear much of a difference between this and the final performance.
credit to the person who uploaded this on youtube :)
credit to the person who uploaded this on youtube :)
despite all the criticism of an internal selection, the buzz for blue in the UK was clearly strong & it reflected in the viewing figures. a peak of 12.7 million viewers watched the final during the voting, the entire show averaging around 9.54 million.
this was more than double the viewing figures on 2010 and the highest since 1999.
Blue are the most successful entrant we have sent to ESC in the last decade, and the third most successful entrant we have sent since 1999, coming below Jade in 2009 & Jessica in 2002.
despite this, in the 2013 show âHow To Win Eurovisionâ produced by the BBC, they were placed in the hall of shame for this result.
if only they knew what was to come in the next 7 years
if only they knew what was to come in the next 7 years
also i just want to add that I Can is my favourite Eurovision song from the UK, my first UK Eurovision entry as a viewer & one of my favourite Eurovision songs ever, nothing but respect for these legends!
2012
entry: Love Will Set You Free by Engelbert Humperdinck
entry: Love Will Set You Free by Engelbert Humperdinck
early rumours for our 2012 entrant included:
- pixie lott
- jls
- the saturdays
people who were relevant at the time
- pixie lott
- jls
- the saturdays
people who were relevant at the time
however in March of 2012 the BBc announced that Engelbert would be our entrant, the song was revealed on March 19th.
Engelbert had hits in the 60s & 70s.
Engelbert had hits in the 60s & 70s.
anyway long story short we performed first in the final before Hungary & came 25th with 12 points. this was 2nd to last, just ahead of Norway (which was undeserved - justice for my 2012 winner!)
televote had us 21st with 35 points, & we were last with the jury with 11 points
televote had us 21st with 35 points, & we were last with the jury with 11 points
after this, people were calling for us to withdraw from eurovision.
the early 2010s version of Lorraine Kelly, Phillip Schofield, called the contest political. this is completely correct and explains why Azerbaijan won the previous year!
7.47 million watched the final.
the early 2010s version of Lorraine Kelly, Phillip Schofield, called the contest political. this is completely correct and explains why Azerbaijan won the previous year!
7.47 million watched the final.
despite voice of the people Phillip Schofield complaining, we confirmed our participation in Eurovision 2013.
2013
entry: Believe In Me by Bonnie Tyler
entry: Believe In Me by Bonnie Tyler
there were rumours of Girls Aloud, Alesha Dixon or Kimberly Walsh representing us in 2013.
on February 25th it was leaked that our entrant would be Bonnie Tyler - this & the song were officially announced on March 7th by the BBC
on February 25th it was leaked that our entrant would be Bonnie Tyler - this & the song were officially announced on March 7th by the BBC
Bonnie is a legend, no doubt about it, however sending another act who hasnât had a hit in decades to Eurovision in order to get us back on track was not the correct angle.
at eurovision the performance was quite cute but the vocals were .... something. as someone who has seen bonnie live I can confirm that she actually does sound like that.
in the final the UK performed 15th, after Romania & before Sweden.
we came 19th overall with 23 points.
the televote had us 22nd & the jury 15th. unfortunately we donât have proper split results for 2013 ( @EBU_HQ @Eurovision RELEASE THEM) but she didnât do too well.
we came 19th overall with 23 points.
the televote had us 22nd & the jury 15th. unfortunately we donât have proper split results for 2013 ( @EBU_HQ @Eurovision RELEASE THEM) but she didnât do too well.
it was clear dragging up acts from the 60s, 70s & 80s wasnât going to give us a good result, and we needed some miracle to get back on track. we couldnât continue like this. that is when 2014 happened 
2014
entry: Children of The Universe by Molly
entry: Children of The Universe by Molly
the BBC opted to choose an artist from 
BBCIntroducing for Eurovision 2014. On March 3rd, Molly and her song were revealed on the BBC Red Button service, and on the Eurovision website.
BBCIntroducing for Eurovision 2014. On March 3rd, Molly and her song were revealed on the BBC Red Button service, and on the Eurovision website.
as far as i can remember COTY was tipped to do very well. it was the first time in a few years that people actually felt excited for the UKs entry.
in the final, Molly performed last, following San Marino
in the final, Molly performed last, following San Marino
overall we came 17th, with 40 points.
the televote had COTY 21st with 29 points, and the jury had it 16th with 52 points
this result was good (for the uk lol) but disappointing after being tipped to do well.
the televote had COTY 21st with 29 points, and the jury had it 16th with 52 points
this result was good (for the uk lol) but disappointing after being tipped to do well.
i donât know who was in charge of the staging but it just didnât fit the song at all. idk how i wouldâve done it but it wouldnât have been ... like that. however this song was a step in the right direction, and i was hopeful for 2015. but then ...
2015
entry: Still In Love With You by Electro Velvet
entry: Still In Love With You by Electro Velvet
if anyone wants to read about this entry in more detail I did a thread about it almost a year ago now in the times before lockdown & when we all thought Eurovision 2020 was going ahead 
https://twitter.com/liv_liv_liv__/status/1227284640609832960
https://twitter.com/liv_liv_liv__/status/1227284640609832960
our entry came from online submissions which received less than 300 entries. Alex and Bianca formed Electro Velvet for Eurovision.
in the final we performed 5th, after Estonia and before Armenia
overall we placed 24th with just 5 points. The televote had us 24th with 7 points, and the jury 23rd with 12 points
overall we placed 24th with just 5 points. The televote had us 24th with 7 points, and the jury 23rd with 12 points
i think we can all agree this angle was not the one we shouldâve been taking. I remember when it came out I genuinely did not know what to do i was so confused. the BBC obviously saw the backlash and decided enough was enough.
2016
entry: Youâre Not Alone by Joe & Jake
entry: Youâre Not Alone by Joe & Jake
for the first time in 6 years, the BBC reintroduced a national final called You Decide, hosted by Mel Giedroyc. it was broadcast on BBC 4 & had just under 700,000 viewers.
the BBC opened submissions for entries. they consulted with OGAE, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers & Authors, Innocent Records and the former director of RCA and BPI. the six songs chosen were played on BBC Radio 2.
