United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005
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United Kingdom| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 2005 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Selection process | Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2005 | |||
| Selection date | 5 March 2005 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Touch My Fire" | |||
| Artist | Javine | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Placement | ||||
| Final result | 22nd, 18 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
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The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 with the song "Touch My Fire", written by Javine Hylton, John Themis, and Jonathan Shalit, and performed by Javine. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), organised a public selection process to determine its entry for the contest, Eurovision: Making Your Mind Up 2005. Five acts competed in the national final and the winner was selected entirely through a public vote.
As a member of the "Big Four", the United Kingdom automatically qualified to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest. Performing in position 2, the United Kingdom placed 22nd out of the 24 participating countries with 18 points.
Prior to the 2005 contest, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had participated in the Eurovision Song Contest representing the United Kingdom forty-seven times.[1] Thus far, it has won the contest five times: in 1967 with the song "Puppet on a String" performed by Sandie Shaw, in 1969 with the song "Boom Bang-a-Bang" performed by Lulu, in 1976 with "Save Your Kisses for Me" performed by Brotherhood of Man, in 1981 with the song "Making Your Mind Up" performed by Bucks Fizz, and in 1997 with the song "Love Shine a Light" performed by Katrina and the Waves. To this point, the nation is noted for having finished as the runner-up in a record fifteen contests. Up to and including 1998, it had only twice finished outside the top 10, in 1978 and in 1987. Since 1999, the year in which the rule was abandoned that songs must be performed in one of the official languages of the country participating, it has had less success, thus far only finishing within the top ten once: in 2002 with the song "Come Back" performed by Jessica Garlick. In 2004, "Hold Onto Our Love" performed by James Fox finished in sixteenth place out of twenty-four competing entries.
As part of its duties as participating broadcaster, the BBC organises the selection of its entry in the Eurovision Song Contest and broadcasts the event in the country. The broadcaster announced that it would participate in the 2005 contest on 28 July 2004.[2] The BBC has traditionally organised a national final featuring a competition among several artists and songs to choose its entry for Eurovision. For its 2005 entry, the broadcaster announced that a national final involving a public vote would be held to select the entry.[3]
