The United Kingdom may have faced another year of disappointment at Stockholm, but that hasn’t stopped the BBC picking up the pieces.
On Thursday the broadcaster opened their open song submission process for Eurovision: You Decide 2017, with entries accepted until 1 November.
The BBC is using the same system as 2016, with the publicly submitted songs shortlisted by members of the OGAE UK fan club. At the same time, entries will be sought from professional songwriters, under the guidance of music executive Hugh Goldsmith. The BBC have also noted that the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) will again select a song from its members.
From all the shortlisted songs, a professional panel will then select the songs that will compete in the national final, Eurovision: You Decide 2017. Details of the national final show are still to be confirmed by the BBC.
The language used in the press release shows that the BBC is focused on getting good quality entries. The UK’s Eurovision head of delegation Guy Freeman is using very strong, specific language, calling for “emotive lyrics and memorable melodies with a brilliant production” and “an outstanding song that could win over the hearts and minds of millions”. It seems he’s trying hard to stop amateur producers from sending in their bedroom demos with someone mumbling over cheap beats!
The 2016 winner of Eurovision: You Decide was duo Joe and Jake. While their song “You’re Not Alone” only placed 24th in Stockholm, fans generally consider the new national final format to have been a success, a serious improvement over previous years.
Did any heads roll since the last U.K. contest?
@escphilippines: Excellent idea! If not the MF format, why not the MF format with a twist: The Northern Irish have their semis in Belfast, the Welsh have theirs in Cardiff, the Scottish in Glasgow, and the English in Birmingham, with maybe a special entry from one of the Commonwealth nations; with the final in London.
also, the format format for ‘eurovision:you decide’ (which i think need a name change like ‘the great british song contest’) has not been decided. if i were then i’ll do a five night contest, (you can have it be nations like england, wales, northern ireland, scotland, and the final would be in london), trash the panel on ‘experts’, do it in a studio (striclys not using thiers after feb) and find a good song. the limit of 6 songs was not the best result. more vaierty should be presented. i think a minimum of 30 songs would be enough. in… Read more »
i’m still the hopeless optimist when it comes to the uk. much of the details i’m happy with. there will still be an NF, the changes of it being bigger and better are now possible because of the money for the voice and bake off (pause for crying time). you would think that the 6 episode commision of eurovision: you decide might happen. goldsmith in the helm of this good. last year he was only a consoultant now this really taking the thing on. he’s quote on the article is really promissing. and i hope that he see a better… Read more »
For me, at this point, picking someone who’s fresh may not be a concern for fans and the general audience when it comes to liking and voting them in the contest. We already have Molly and Joe & Jake. What happened to them after their rankings have been announced? It could be any artist regardless if they are new, old, popular or not as long as the artists and the broadcaster know what the music taste of their people are. People from UK did enjoy Georgia’s entry this year and maybe that’s something they are comfortable with. Not saying that… Read more »
Agree Calum McLeod, the audience isn’t always 100% right either.
What Polegend Godgarina don’t realise is that Swedish audience, not the juries voted for Malena back in 2009 thus paving way for flop. The juries wanted Måns that year.
As for Finland this year neither the juries nor the audience liked it. neither groups liked it, meaning it was doomed to flop.
@ Polegend Godgarina
IMAO, you can’t always rely on 100% televoting for a national selection. That’s how we lost Bianca and Anja Nissen.
Here we go again. I notice there was nothing in there about firing everyone connected with last year’s effort, so I don’t expect any improvement whatsoever. It still hasn’t sunk in with the BBC that they are their own biggest problem.
In fact, any recording artist that would even CONSIDER going anywhere near this mess after the 2016 “Eurovision: You Decide” fiasco is either insane, or getting terrible advice from their management. The Beatles would have looked and sounded like crap with that inept production crew.
What does emotive lyrics even mean? A nice idea but the problem is they seem to have the same thinking process as RTË: They focus on ESC songs and “what works” for ESC. And that rarely works. Fans and audience don’t like manufactured ready songs. They should focus on expanding and welcoming new genres that aren’t just ESC-made. Make it more into a music festival. like MF. UK has the best music in Europe and have cool creative genres all over. Why not showcase that? Introducing a jury could help too. That could lead to more quality acts getting chosen.… Read more »
if they internally selected and did it right they might actually have a good song :/
If UK would send Adele or Rolling Stones, televoters would love NOT to vote for them. I don’t think is the right attitude for a country to show that is so desperate.
@ Calum Macleod – lmao keep the devil out of national selections, they’re the reason why Sweden flopped in 2005 and 2009 and Finland tanked this year.
I hope they’ll select something interesting bc there wasn’t one single decent song in their 2016 final. I want some talented hasbeen like Duffy or Alesha Dixon to compete!
It’s interesting that they limit themselves to 18+ singers—it seems a lot of successful acts are actually 16/17 (but whether they actually win or not is a different story).
The only thing I wish they would start using in the selection is juries.
@azaad
Also many people really are not pleased with the way the eu handles things. We would applaud the uk not hate.
Hopefully the songs are of a high standard and could genuinely win – I like Goldsmith’s approach to stop amateurs entering so that it reduces joke/plain bad entries. I’m excited and just hope they pick songs that don’t make the uk feel embarrassed!
The songs last year were poor. Embarrassingly poor and I think we picked the best of a bland and cornet bunch.
So people need to get writing, get singing and deciding panellists need to get tough and if it’s not good enough don’t accept it.
Here’s hoping for some wow songs and recognition of talent.
I’m just glad they’ve stuck with the same format and building on it rather than the usual schtick of panicking and abandoning a selection process that didn’t work out previously.
I think maybe we should start talking about getting the UK to the left side of the scoreboard before we start talking about where the UK’s gonna host the contest. Either way, I think the UK is going to have an uphill battle once again. I honestly think that alot of Eurovision fans set their standards for UK acts way higher than they do for other countries. I’m sure politics factors into it somewhat, but I think the primary reason is resentment- the UK probably has more world renowned artists than possibly every other country in Eurovision COMBINED, and yet… Read more »
@ chicken kyiv ,I had the “pleasure” of living there for two years ..
I will never get them two years back ..
The people are vile ..
The fact that the BBC did choose reasonably good songs for their selection last year shows that they are taking baby steps to become a better country in Eurovision. I hope for even greater songs in 2017!
People are acting as if Cardiff is some shall shanty town off the beaten track.
Cardiff has 3 stadiums bigger than Kiev’s IEC, one of which is the 4th largest stadium in the UK.
The BBC like share things out around the UK, similar to SVT in Sweden, Wales has yet to host, and what will be our 9th hosting whenever it happens, it’s definitely there time.
People are fed up of London, plus they just held the Olympics.
The UK’s national selection last year was quite good (Not a Johnny jacket in sight, take note Ireland!) it was just the songs that let them Down, however Joe and Jake and Biamca are talented singers. And the UK definitely should have placed higher, but I guess song and performance goes out the window when there is political statements to make, high tech staging to cover up a terrible song and invited countries from far away hogging up the limelight. Best of luck to United Kingdom, they are not quite there, but they are getting there. (Ps Cardiff wouldn’t be… Read more »
Lets hope that this year, for a change, they will not fail again.
I think the best approach for the UK is to internally select a young and current artist, most likely who is unknown similar to Molly in 2014. Someone who maybe has just been signed with good contacts in terms of songwriters and producers. Then an appropriate song could be chosen. I think that the current approach is selecting very amateur artists with even more amateur songs. Also more money and international contacts are needed in regards to the staging. We need more professionals to get involved in the creative vision, as even in 2014 staging let us down when we… Read more »
Fingers crossed.
Chicken Kyiv? I want Cardiff to host if we win too!!
@chicken Kiev , if the UK ever win again, of all the British cities I hope it wouldn’t be in Cardiff, a lot of the locals are dreadful idiots..
It would be better off in a more cosmopolitan city like Manchester, London or maybe Birmingham ..
On another note I doubt it would be in Edinburgh or Glasgow , Scotland will definitely have left the UK by the time it wins..
In fact Norway also rejected EU membership in a referendum in 1994 and then won in 1995 😀 Cardiff 2018 here we come!
(Not only is it Wales turn, but we can have all the fun of Kiev vs Kyiv with Cardiff vs Caerdydd 😉 )
Azaad, well I don’t think there will be a negative reaction to the UK since about 15 other countries already confirmed are not in the EU either, with Moldova, Australia, San Marino, all still to confirm who aren’t in the EU either.
This is Eurovision not EUvision
want to see the reaction to the act in may after brexit….
“emotive lyrics”
In other words, the BBC have copied RTE’s approach, which is to copy whatever the winning song from the previous year was.
I’m sorry for Joe and Jake, I thought that they will do well, because they are so british, not like a boy band from the 90’s, but like the bands that made UK famous in music history.
I remember in the late 90’s, UK and Ireland ruled ESC, all the new countries felt helpless trying to be relevant, now is all the contrary.
I don’t imagine we will be in 2018 at #london2018, #birmingham2018, #edinburgh2018 or #harrogate2018. They will do another flop, I’m sure. :/
Mad-professor: The BBC Eurovision website does state “At the same time, entries are also being sought from leading professional songwriters.”
Regarding BASCA: the BBC Eurovision website doesn’t mention them, but the Media Centre press release does. Also, BASCA hasn’t mentioned anything about it, so it’s possible they may not be involved this year.
As always I’m slightly disappointed with the approach. But I will wait to hear the six song in February. *fingers crossed*