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 the Great British Song Contest 1999, held on 7 March.
| Eurovision Song Contest 1999 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country |  | |||
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
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 8 songs competing, which selected 4 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 4 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, hosted by Ulrika Jonsson. A public televote selected the winner, "Say It Again" performed by Precious. The results were announced on Top of the Pops on BBC Two on 12 March 1999.
| 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 |
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.
Points awarded by the United Kingdom
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 and 50/50, and Anya Lahiri returned to her modelling roots, and went into acting as well.