United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003

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Eurovision Song Contest 2003
Country United Kingdom
National selection
Selection processA Song for Europe 2003
Selection date(s)Semi-final:
31 January 2003
Final:
2 March 2003
Selected entrantJemini
Selected song"Cry Baby"
Selected songwriter(s)Martin Isherwood
Finals performance
Final result26th, 0 points
United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
◄2002 • 2003 • 2004►

United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. They used A Song for Europe to choose their entry. The winner was Liverpudlian duo Jemini with the song "Cry Baby", written and composed by Martin Isherwood and sung by Jemini.

The song went on to gain the joint worst placing ever for the United Kingdom - last place with no points. This is the worst result the UK has ever received at the contest along with James Newman's nul point in 2021.

Before Eurovision[]

A Song for Europe 2003[]

A Song for Europe was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2003. Eight acts competed in a radio semi-final during The Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2 on 31 January 2003 and hosted by Ken Bruce and Terry Wogan, and four acts competed in a televised final on 28 February 2004 held at the BBC Television Centre in London and hosted by Terry Wogan. The winner was selected entirely through a public vote.

Competing entries[]

The BBC announced an open submission for interested artists to submit their songs. A fee was imposed on the submissions, with £110 for artists aged over 17 and under £20 for artists aged 17 or under.[1] The submission period lasted until 18 October 2002. 2000 British representative Nicki French had expressed her interest in participating again, and had submitted two songs for the national final.[2] At the close of the deadline, a total of 700 songs were received, 150 more than the previous year.[3] The received submissions were reviewed by professional panel consisting of representatives of the BBC, the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) and music industry experts that ultimately selected eight semi-finalists to compete in the national final. The eight competing songs were premiered during The Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2 on 27 January 2003.[4]

Semi-final[]

Eight acts compete in the radio semi-final on 31 January 2003. A public vote selected the four finalists, "Ever Since That Night" performed by Mimi, "Wait for the Moment" performed by Esther Hart, "Cry Baby" performed by Tricity and "Help Me" performed by Emily Reed. Over 30,000 votes were cast in the semi-final.[5][6]

Draw Artist Song Songwriter(s) Result
1 Fenix "Do Anything for Your Love" Morten Schjolin, Giacomo Barba Eliminated
2 Mimi "Ever Since That Night" John Brant, Simon May Finalist
3 SK (Steamy Knights) "First Night" Neville Henry, Jackie Rawe, Karen Gibbs Eliminated
4 Esther Hart "Wait for the Moment" Danny Davies Finalist
5 Tricity "Cry Baby" Martin Isherwood Finalist
6 Emily Reed "Help Me" Simon Hill Finalist
7 Gallico "Smile" Ashley Dylan Best, Samuel John Roberts Eliminated
8 Ben Plus One "Rainy Day in Summer" Alan Simpson, Maryanne Morgan Eliminated

Final[]

A number of changes were made to the final line-up. Tricity were renamed as Jemini, due to one member leaving the group. Esther Hart withdrew from the national final as she decided take part in the Dutch selection, which she eventually won and went on to represent Netherlands with "One More Night". She was replaced by Jessica Garlick's backing singers in the 2002 contest United Colours of Sound. However they also withdrew and were replaced by Simon Chapman, who performed a new version of "Wait for the Moment" with different lyrics as "Now and Forever".[7][8]

Four acts compete in the televised final on 2 March 2003. In addition to their performances, guest performers included previous Eurovision Song Contest winners for the United Kingdom who shared their experiences at the contest. A public vote consisting of regional televoting selected the winners, "Cry Baby" performed by Jemini. Each region awarded 9, 10 and 12 points to their top three songs. Celebrities delivered these results in a deliberate echo of the Eurovision Song Contest itself.

Draw Artist Song Televoting Regions Total Place
Southern
England 		Wales Northern
Ireland 		Midlands Northern
England 		Scotland
1 Jemini "Cry Baby" 10 12 12 10 12 12 68 1
2 Simon Chapman "Now and Forever" 0 4
3 Mimi "Ever Since That Night" 9 9 9 9 9 9 54 3
4 Emily Reed "Help Me" 12 10 10 12 10 10 64 2

Spokespersons:

At Eurovision[]

At Eurovision, the song fared badly and gained the worst result ever for the United Kingdom by coming in last, with the infamous nul points.[9] Some blamed the United Kingdom's involvement in the Iraq War, whilst others put it down to a bad performance.[10] The female half of Jemini claimed that the monitors were switched off, so that she was unable to hear the backing track in her earpiece.[10] The duo's dressing room was also attacked by vandals after the contest had ended.[10]

During the "Liquid Eurovision" show that was broadcast on BBC Three after the contest ended, it was revealed that Ireland had received the most votes in every region of the country, apart from in the South of England where Turkey were top. It was also revealed that if the backup jury had to be used, Turkey would also have received top marks from the United Kingdom.

Voting[]

After Eurovision[]

Since Eurovision, Gemma has worked in a car showroom and Chris currently works across the globe as head of international retail at a fashion retailer.[14] During the United Kingdom's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2004, the duo sang a note-perfect rendition of their Eurovision entry.

References[]

  1. ^ Bakker, Sietse (27 November 2002). "BBC wants something else". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  2. ^ Grech, Deb (29 October 2003). "Nikki French interested to represent UK again". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  3. ^ Raeven, Rianne (2 November 2002). "BBC received 700 Song for Europe entries". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Eight finalists announced for the UK entry in The Eurovision Song Contest 2003". BBC. 10 January 2003.
  5. ^ Bakker, Sietse (31 January 2003). "British final four selected, 30,000 people voted". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  6. ^ "A Song for Europe 2003 • semi-final". 4lyrics.
  7. ^ Bakker, Sietse (17 February 2003). "Esther Hart replaced by the United Colours of Sound". ESCToday. Retrieved 10 January 2009.
  8. ^ Walsh, David (27 February 2003). "UK: A further change in the line-up". ESCToday. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Final of Riga 2003". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  10. ^ a b c "Jemini's dressing room attacked at Eurovision". BBC. 25 May 2003. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  11. ^ a b "Results of the Final of Riga 2003". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  12. ^ Barak, Itamar (29 May 2003). "BBC: Russia indeed failed to score in the UK". ESCToday. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  13. ^ "BBC release details of UK vote". doteurovision.com. 5 June 2003. Archived from the original on 5 June 2003. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  14. ^ Moore, Tim. Nul Points. Jonathan Cape Ltd, UK ISBN 978-0-224-07780-4
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