On Monday, the BBC is set to start revealing the names of the six acts who will compete on the UK’s national final Eurovision: You Decide, but a British tabloid is claiming to have the name of one of the six. A The Sun journalist has revealed via social media that former Bad Boys Inc frontman Matthew Pateman (aka Matthew James) is one of the British finalists.
Journalist Leigh Holmwood revealed the leak via a series of tweets this morning:
The first act competing to represent the UK in #Eurovision is revealed in today's @TheSun: former Bad Boys Inc frontman Matthew Pateman
— Leigh Holmwood (@LeighHolmwood) February 20, 2016
It seems Matthew give himself away by tweeting a countdown to a date which coincided with the BBC’s Eurovision finalists reveal. Evidently the BBC weren’t happy and Matthew’s twitter account was locked. It’s now public again and the troublesome tweets have been deleted.
The BBC wasn't happy Matthew Pateman was tweeting a countdown to the #Eurovision reveal. He's now locked his account pic.twitter.com/caO3m6AxLm
— Leigh Holmwood (@LeighHolmwood) February 20, 2016
The singer, who now uses the stage name Matthew James, has also deleted a number of posts from his Instagram account which seem to have referred to the release of an upcoming single.
Over 20 years ago, Matthew was the lead singer of boyband Bad Boys Inc, who had a number of UK chart hits in the early 1990s.
He’s since been working on his solo career, and also performs with party band Madhen, who have even entertained royals.
It seems he’s a keen Eurovision fan, last year sending an Instagram of congratulations to Måns Zelmerlöw, featuring a photo of a shirtless Måns in a swimming pool.
There’s no word from the BBC on whether Pateman is in fact one of the chosen six, and if so, whether he was chosen by OGAE UK or directly by the BBC, but all signs are pointing his way.
In the meantime, Leigh Holmwood has tweeted more news about the UK selection – “Don’t expect any big names!” So no Adele, then.
The five remaining acts battling to represent the UK will be revealed on Radio 2 on Monday. Don't expect any big names! #Eurovision
— Leigh Holmwood (@LeighHolmwood) February 20, 2016
The big reveal
The BBC will reveal the six finalists starting this Monday on Ken Bruce’s show on BBC Radio 2, beginning at 9:30 (10:30 CET).
It was initially announced that the songs would all be revealed on the Monday, but yesterday stand-in presenter (and 1992 UK Eurovision representative) Michael Ball specifically told listeners that two songs would be released each day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
@Eurovision Fan Obviously people are going to look at someone’s past experience, and if they have been in a band, it’s important to see how well they sang on stage, handled pressure etc. I don’t see how that would be different from X Factor/Pop Idol competitors, ex- boy and girl band members very often have a sense of entitlement and desperation because they have had success in the past and they want it to continue, or feel they are something special (Brian Harvey and Anthony Costa two very good examples of that). Also, in the vast majority of cases, the… Read more »
I have a rumoured leaked list of the UK six here:
Zoe Louise, Austin Drage, Matthew Pateman, Jess McAllister, FloodHounds and Joshua Sargent.
Apologies if that turns out to be innacurate. 🙂 The source is Twitter so who knows!
This is why I HATE Eurovision time, We haven’t even heard his song yet and most people are bitching about his past? From what I can see he has had a successful career since the band and has great experience of singing live. I’d much rather have someone like him than an X Factor reject who’s sung a few times and think they are a star. In the UK we get so hung up on who’s representing us that we forget it’s a singing competition. I’d be more worried of one of the rumoured acts like Jess Wright getting through… Read more »
With the new voting system Blue would’ve come 8th!
@Mad Professor, right but they did send the entire band who were still popular in places like Italy as a band.
Anthony Costa from Blue tried to enter prior to 2011 as an ex boyband soloist and it was hugely embarrassing. I don’t think he would have matched Blue’s score.
I agree it’s all about the song, I guess it’s just because the boyband/girlband members from before have nearly always sounded like cast offs from their pop band days , and just sounded like attempts to recreate their band. If he has submitted his own song and just happens to have been picked without them thinking they need a ex boyband member, then it could be great. Reading some of the history of Bad Boys Inc, they say it was a miserable time, and the members hated it, so I doubt Matthew will want to recreate anything remotely like a… Read more »
Don’t forget: Blue were has-beens who could have won in 2011 if they didn’t mess up the jury final, because they had a good enough song.
Someone who had hits in the early ’90s? Why am I not surprised? The BBC will never get its act together…
@EugeneESCUK- totally agree- at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if we send a “has been,” a massive star or a newbie- it’s the song and performance that counts. Get a good, original song, a singer who can sing and perform live, then we stand a chance of being top 15. I hope we all choose wisely on the 26th and more importantly, there are 6 terrific songs and singers to choose from.
well he’s not 70 years old so that’s a good start!
@laburnum
That’s kinda different you know, zayn still has a good going solo career.
Supposedly he is the only “name” that people will recognise.
To be honest, I can’t see why people are complaining. Eurovision is about songs, not artists. If the song is good and he can sing it well, I’m happy.
@Laburnum.
Thats not the same tho . Zayn is having a current career and his band are still hugely popular.Not the same as members of East 17, Atomic Kitten etc when they have long split and often tried to go solo and failed, so they are desperate for a career.
The BBC would start considering Zayn in around 2026 provided he has fallen off tje radar.
It’s already out on YouTube Katy, so I doubt “Let’s go” would be their entry if The Northernettes were selected as one of the UK’s 6 finalists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEOVGeksGyE
Is BBC or OGAE UK aware that all winners in the last 10 years are young and under 30? just wondering…
I also saw in Twitter, someone suggested these people could be in the national selection ‘The Northernettes- Let’s go’
Well he’s one of six (maybe). I just pray OGAE and BASCA have done us right and given us a smash hit that will land us above 15th in Eurovision for once.
People complain about ex boyband members, but if it was Zayn Malik…….
@James
I just looked at his band’s website. They’re pretty good. Reminds me of a cover-band version of BWO. He can’t be that bad a singer – I wouldn’t mind if it was the whole band with a good song. I also worry about the BBC’s addiction to former boy/girlband members in the past, but since Bad Boys Inc was over 20 years ago and has no relevance today, that it will just be a fact of the past, rather than a selling-point.
Actually I take that back. If he is a serious singer, has a dream to sing on the Eurovision stage and has a good song, the. Full respect. Do us proud! He is obviously proactive as well, that’s a good thing.
Slightly depressed if this is the case.
@AndersP
I agree if the song is good. i guess the fear is that the BBC have done the ex boyband girlband thing so much in the previous national finals and they were always dismal .So I think its natural to be concerned. But I will keep an open mind and wait for the song.
There’s nothing wrong with being an ex boyband member so long as the song is up to scratch and it’s sung very well. That the songs are being spread over three days rather than in one go doesn’t bode well. Are they worried people will switch off after a full 30 minutes of songs?!?!
From what I’ve heard about the song that has gone through the open selection, Matthew could be the one, but it’s also interesting that his old band was managed/produced by Ian Levine, who also worked with Hugh Goldsmith and Blue.
I don’t expect much from the BASCA winner either. But I have hopes that Hugh Goldsmith will have used his contacts to get some good entries. I know it’s a while since his early 2000s gold run but he must know his stuff, and his reputation is on the line.
I predict solo members of Northern Line, Girl Thing and Upside Down still to be announced. Maybe all as one act!
@Adam.
Im glad you put glory in quotation marks lol.
They scraped the top ten once in 1994. They were one of a string of Boyzone/Take That copycat bands and they split a year after their one top ten.
I agree I really wish they would focus on new talent. The BBC is obsessed with past members of boy and girl bands and ive yet to see a good song from one of them.
I guess you never know!
Oh dear.
Did anyone really expect anything better?
Maybe there will be one outstanding act ( possibly the BASCA winner) and the BBC are throwing in some filler.
I know we dont know the song but its reallyhard to believe that a member of a boyband 22 years ago – who werent very successful anyway would be the the right choice.
i hate seeing stuff like this. I always feel bad whenever has-beens try to reclaim their former “glory” thru eurovision. smh maybe its time to let go
The previous national finals in the uk were plagued by boyband and girlband members trying desperately to get a solo career. If this is true I fear that it is going to be just the same. And this isnt even bands who had #1s like Atomic Kitten or Blue..id completely forgotten this band existed.
Oh well maybe its a good song and I will try to keep an open mind. But id really rather have up and coming new acts than people trying to revitalize old careers. Hopefully it wont all be hasbeens :-/
@Hollandique
If he is in it (big if there), then the OGAE are the ones who decided he had good enough entry.
Hopefully he has a better comeback song than nicky byrne…
So with a name like that, can we expect more has-beens, or will there be amix? only time will tel…