United_Kingdom_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest_1997
The United Kingdom's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest 1997 was "Love Shine a Light" by Katrina and the Waves. The entry was chosen during the UK selection show, The Great British Song Contest, hosted by Dale Winton on 9 March, with the results announced six days later. The UK went on to win the song contest which was being held in Dublin, Ireland, with an unprecedented 227 points. The 1997 contest is last win for the United Kingdom so far.
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| Eurovision Song Contest 1997 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  United Kingdom | |||
| National selection | ||||
| Selection process | The Great British Song Contest 1997 | |||
| Selection date(s) | Semi-final 7 February 1997 Final 9 March 1997 | |||
| Selected entrant | Katrina and the Waves | |||
| Selected song | "Love Shine a Light" | |||
| Selected songwriter(s) | Kimberley Rew | |||
| Finals performance | ||||
| Final result | 1st, 227 points | |||
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | ||||
| ||||
The Great British Song Contest 1997
The Great British Song Contest 1997 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1997. Eight acts competed in the competition which consisted of a radio semi-final on 7 February 1997 and a televised final on 9 March 1997.
Semi-final
On 7 February, a semifinal was held on BBC Radio 2 at 09:30am, presented by Ken Bruce. This featured eight songs. Radio 2 listeners voted at 10:00am and voting closed at 11:15am and the top 4 went forward to the televised final. In addition to the four listed above, the following were included, although the 4 acts not shaded in orange were eliminated:
| Draw | Artist | Song | Songwriter(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Varney | "Can't You See I'm Crying" | Rowan Heath, Steve Long | Eliminated |
| 2 | Sam Blue | "For the Life You Don't Yet Know" | Nick Spindler, Peter Thompson | Finalist |
| 3 | Dave Black | "Heart of Stone" | Nicola Philo | Eliminated |
| 4 | B-Yond | "Lighten Up" | Mike Bryan, Dave Christie, Lee Lyndsey | Eliminated |
| 5 | Katrina and the Waves | "Love Shine a Light" | Kimberley Rew | Finalist |
| 6 | Laura Pallas | "Room for Change" | Cliff Cresswell, Laura Pallas | Eliminated |
| 7 | Do Re Mi and Kerry | "Yodel in the Canyon of Love" | Kenny MacDonald, Gordon MacDonald | Finalist |
| 8 | Joanne May | "You Stayed Away Too Long" | Don Black, Richard Kerr | Finalist |
Final
The Great British Song Contest final was held on Mother's Day, Sunday 9 March 1997 and televised on BBC 1 at 15:30pm. Gina G was special guest at the show. The final was hosted by Dale Winton. There was no simultaneous broadcast with Radio 2. The results were announced on The National Lottery Live on 15 March.
| Draw | Artist | Song | Televote | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Blue | "For The Life You Don't Yet Know" | 15,657 | 4 |
| 2 | Joanne May | "You Stayed Away Too Long" | 51,584 | 3 |
| 3 | Do Re Mi and Kerry | "Yodel in the Canyon of Love" | 58,696 | 2 |
| 4 | Katrina and the Waves | "Love Shine a Light" | 69,830 | 1 |
Each of the 4 finalists were featured each week on The National Lottery Live:
| Song | Date |
|---|---|
| "Love Shine a Light" | 16 February 1997 |
| "Yodel in the Canyon of Love" | 23 February 1997 |
| "You Stayed Away Too Long" | 1 March 1997 |
| "For The Life You Don't Yet Know" | 8 March 1997 |
Ahead of the contest, United Kingdom were considered one of the favourites among bookmakers to win the contest, featuring alongside the entries from Ireland, Italy, Germany and Estonia.[3] Katrina and the Waves performed 24th in the running order on the night of the contest. "Love Shine a Light" went on to win the contest with 227 points.[4] The UK was awarded 12 points (the highest possible) a total of 10 times.
Voting
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- Roxburgh 2020, pp. 278–287.
- Roxburgh 2020, pp. 287–295.
- "What are the Odds?". RTÉ. Archived from the original on 24 February 1999. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- "Final of Dublin 1997". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- "Results of the Final of Dublin 1997". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- O'Connor, John Kennedy (2010). The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History (2nd ed.). London: Carlton Books. ISBN 978-1-84732-521-1.
- Roxburgh, Gordon (2020). Songs for Europe: The United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest. Vol. Four: The 1990s. Prestatyn: Telos Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84583-163-9.