United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999
The United Kingdom competed in the Eurovision Song Contest 1999, represented by girlgroup Precious with "Say It Again". The song was the winner of BBC's The Great British Song Contest 1999, the final of which was held on 7 March however the results were not announced until 12 March.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1999 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | The Great British Song Contest 1999 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-final 5 February 1999 Final 7 March 1999 | |||
| Selected entrant | Precious | |||
| Selected song | "Say It Again" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | ||||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 12th, 38 points | |||
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
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Before Eurovision
The Great British Song Contest 1999
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) repeated the same format that had been used over the past few years: a radio semi-final was held, with eight songs competing, which selected four songs to compete in a televised final, where the final winner was selected through televoting.
Semi-final
The semi-final was held on 5 February 1999 on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce. The songs were previewed on The Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2 between 1 and 4 February 1999, and the top four songs were chosen by televoting to compete in the televised final.
| Draw | Artist(s) | Song | Composer(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alberta | "So Strange" | Mike Connaris, Paul Brown | Finalist |
| 2 | Cheryl Beattie | "Fly" | Cheryl Beattie, Kit Hain | Eliminated |
| 3 | Energia | "All Time High" | Marc Andrewes | Eliminated |
| 4 | Jay | "You've Taken My Dreams" | John Miles Junior, Bob Marshall | Finalist |
| 5 | Leanne Cartwright | "Wait Until The Morning" | Scott English, Matteo Saggese, Debbie French | Eliminated |
| 6 | Precious | "Say It Again" | Paul Varney | Finalist |
| 7 | Sister Sway | "Until You Saved My Life" | Peter King, Lee Monteverde | Finalist |
| 8 | Susan Black | "Separate Lives" | Susan Black | Eliminated |
Final
The final was held on 7 March 1999, introduced by Ulrika Jonsson and televised on BBC One. A public televote during the week selected the winner, "Say It Again" performed by Precious. The results were announced during an edition of Top of the Pops broadcast on BBC Two on 12 March 1999.[1]
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alberta | "So Strange" | 51,708 | 2 |
| 2 | Jay | "You've Taken My Dreams" | 43,765 | 4 |
| 3 | Precious | "Say It Again" | 52,457 | 1 |
| 4 | Sister Sway | "Until You Saved My Life" | 51,398 | 3 |
Each of the four finalists were featured weekly on BBC One's Top of the Pops,[2] where the performances for the main show were filmed:
| Song | Broadcast date |
|---|---|
| "Say It Again" | 12 February 1999 |
| "Until You Saved My Life" | 19 February 1999 |
| "So Strange" | 26 February 1999 |
| "You've Taken My Dreams" | 5 March 1999 |
At Eurovision
In Jerusalem the United Kingdom was the fifth country to perform after Croatia. Precious finished in 12th place with 38 points. Ten out of twenty three countries voted for the United Kingdom, three of them being jury voting countries.
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After Eurovision
They had limited success afterwards and split up in 2000. After they split, Jenny Frost joined Atomic Kitten, replacing the outgoing Kerry Katona. Sophie McDonnell became a children's TV presenter, hosting CBBC continuity and 50/50, and Anya Lahiri returned to her modelling roots, and went into acting as well.
References
- "BBC News | Entertainment | Precious song for Europe". news.bbc.co.uk. 12 March 1999. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- "Top of the Pops (UK) TV Show - Season 36 Episodes List - Next Episode". next-episode.net. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
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Note: Entries scored out are when the United Kingdom did not compete | |||||||||||||||||||||