United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002

The United Kingdom competed at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002, represented by Jessica Garlick with the song "Come Back".

Eurovision Song Contest 2002
Country United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processA Song for Europe 2002
Selection date(s)Semi-final
1 February 2002
Final
3 March 2002
Selected entrantJessica Garlick
Selected song"Come Back"
Selected songwriter(s)
  • Martyn Baylay
Finals performance
Final result3rd, 111 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2001 • 2002 • 2003►

Before Eurovision

A Song for Europe 2002

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) continued to use a national final, A Song for Europe, to select their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, continuing with the format of a radio semi-final with eight songs, with the top four songs, selected by televoting, progressing to the televised final.

Semi-final

The semi-final of A Song for Europe 2002 was held on 1 February 2002 on BBC Radio 2, hosted by Terry Wogan and Ken Bruce. Although Zee initially qualified for the final with the song "Never In A Million Years", she was subsequently disqualified because it was revealed that the song was previously released in Hungary in 2001. Therefore, Surf 'n' Turf, who came 5th in the semi-final with their song "I Give In", replaced her in the final.

Draw Artist Song Composer(s) Result
1 Honey Trap "Lovestruck" Ben Copland, Yvonne John Lewis, Nicky Cooke, Phil Dane Eliminated
2 Paula O'Neil "When You're Around" Ben Copland, Martin Bushell Eliminated
3 Pulse "Fade Away" Stuart Hanna, Alistair Griffin Eliminated
4 Surf 'n' Turf "I Give In" Jonathan Maitland, Jackie Collins, Peter Maitland Finalist
5 Level Best "Every Step of the Way" Graham Kearns, Howard New Finalist
6 Tricia Penrose "DJ Romeo" Bea Eden, Simon Stirling, James Gordon Finalist
7 Jessica Garlick "Come Back" Martyn Baylay Finalist
— Zee "Never In A Million Years" Mark Jiggens, Zee Asha Disqualified

Final

The final was held on 3 March 2002 at BBC Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, hosted by Claire Sweeney and Christopher Price on BBC One. The winner was Jessica Garlick with her song "Come Back", gaining a total of 67,798 votes, almost 40,000 more than second-place Tricia Penrose. The televotes of only the top three songs were announced.

Draw Artist Song Televote Place
1 Level Best "Every Step of the Way" 8,927 3
2 Tricia Penrose "DJ Romeo" 28,681 2
3 Surf 'n' Turf "I Give In" — 4
4 Jessica Garlick "Come Back" 67,798 1

At Eurovision

Garlick performed "Come Back" for the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 in Tallinn, Estonia. She performed second in the running order on the night of the contest, following Cyprus and preceding Austria. She received 111 points at the close of the voting, coming joint 3rd place with host country Estonia. This was the best result for the UK since 1998 and the best result for the UK in the 2000s. UK has never finished higher since. The UK televoting awarded its 12 points to Malta.

As usual, the contest was televised on BBC One with commentary by Terry Wogan and broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with commentary by Ken Bruce. Price, who co-hosted the national final with Sweeney, had been scheduled to provide alternative commentary for BBC Choice viewers as part of the Liquid Eurovision Party coverage, however following his death just a month before the contest, it was later announced that Jenny Eclair would take over duties.[1][2] This was the first and only time the BBC had provided three different commentary options.[3] For the final time, Colin Berry served as spokesperson for the UK jury.

Final
12 points Malta
10 points France
8 points Latvia
7 points Estonia
6 points Slovenia
5 points Israel
4 points Belgium
3 points Cyprus
2 points Spain
1 point Sweden

Points awarded to the United Kingdom
Points awarded to the United Kingdom (final)
12 points 10 points 8 points 7 points 6 points
5 points 4 points 3 points 2 points 1 point
  •  Macedonia

See also

References
  1. "Comic Eclair takes on Eurovision". 15 May 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  2. Granger, Anthony (5 November 2020). "United Kingdom: Former Head of Delegation Dominic Smith Has Passed Away". Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  3. "Des and Mick Online - TV & Radio - Eurovision". www.desandmick.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.