The United Kingdom participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 with the song „It’s My Time“ written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Diane Warren. The song was performed by Jade Ewen. The British entry for the 2009 contest in Moscow, Russia was selected via the national final Eurovision: Your Country Needs You, organised by the British broadcaster BBC. Six acts competed in the national final which consisted of two heats, a semi-final and a final, during which the winner was selected entirely through a public televote.
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 23, the United Kingdom placed 5th out of the 25 participating countries with 173 points.
Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2009
Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2009 was the national final developed by the BBC in order to select the British entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. Six acts competed over four televised shows between 10 and 31 January 2009 held at the BBC Television Centre in London and hosted by Graham Norton. All shows in the national final were broadcast on BBC One as well as streamed online via the broadcaster’s website bbc.co.uk.
Contestants
On 18 October 2008, BBC announced an open application for interested artists to submit their applications in the form of a video recording of themselves performing a cover version of a popular song or a self-written song. Eligible artists were those being 17 years old by 1 January 2009 and living in a country within the European Economic Area. The application period lasted until 21 November 2008. All applicants were presented to a professional panel consisting of Andrew Lloyd Webber (composer of the British song) and Colin Barlow (record company executive) that ultimately selected six artists to compete in the national final. An introduction show was broadcast on 3 January 2009 which involved the background preparation processes of the national final. The six contestants were also announced during the show: Charlotte Finlay, Damien Flood, Emperors of Soul, Francine and Nicola Gleadall, Jade Ewen and Mark Evans.
Results summary
Weekly results per act
| Act | Heat 1 | Heat 2 | Semi-final | Final |
| Jade Ewen | Safe | Safe | Safe | Winner |
| Francine and Nicola Gleadall | Safe | Safe | Safe | Runner-up |
| Mark Evans | Safe | Safe | Safe | 3rd place |
| Emperors of Soul | Safe | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (Heat 3) |
| Charlotte Finlay | Safe | Eliminated | Eliminated (Heat 2) | |
| Damien Flood | Eliminated | Eliminated (Heat 1) |
Shows
Heat 1 (10 January 2009)
Six acts competed in the first heat on 10 January 2009. All contestants were also accompanied by a 17-piece band during their performances. In addition to their performances, the female contestants performed „One Rock & Roll Too Many“ from Lloyd Webber’s musical Starlight Express, while the male contestants performed the song „No Matter What“ by Boyzone. Guest performer was Lemar performing the song „Weight of the World“ from his latest album The Reason.
A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of Lulu (Eurovision Song Contest winner for the United Kingdom in 1969 with „Boom Bang-a-Bang“) and Arlene Phillips (choreographer, talent scout and television presenter). A public televote saved four of the contestants from the „danger zone“, while Lloyd Webber saved Charlotte Finlay and eliminated Damien Flood.
| Draw | Artist | Song (Original artist) | Result |
| 1 | Emperors of Soul | „Love Train“ (The O’Jays) | Safe |
| 2 | Mark Evans | „Your Game“ (Will Young) | Safe |
| 3 | Charlotte Finlay | „Because of You“ (Kelly Clarkson) | „Danger Zone“ |
| 4 | Damien Flood | „How Am I Supposed to Live Without You“ (Michael Bolton) | Eliminated |
| 5 | Francine and Nicola Gleadall | „You’ve Got a Friend“ (Carole King) | Safe |
| 6 | Jade Ewen | „Déjà Vu“ (Beyoncé) | Safe |
Heat 2 (17 January 2009)
The five remaining acts competed in the second heat on 17 January 2009. All contestants were also accompanied by a 17-piece band during their performances. In addition to their performances, the female contestants performed the song „Rhythm of the Night“ by DeBarge, while the male contestants performed the song „Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now“ by Starship. The contestants together also performed the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1976 „Save Your Kisses for Me“ by Brotherhood of Man. Guest performer was the group The Saturdays performing the song „Up“ from their latest album.
A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of Lulu and Duncan James (singer, actor and member of Blue). A public televote saved three of the contestants from the „danger zone“, while Lloyd Webber saved Emperors of Soul and eliminated Charlotte Finlay.
| Draw | Artist | Song (Original artist) | Result |
| 1 | Francine and Nicola Gleadall | „The Promise“ (Girls Aloud) | Safe |
| 2 | Emperors of Soul | „Kiss“ (Prince) | „Danger Zone“ |
| 3 | Jade Ewen | „The Voice Within“ (Christina Aguilera) | Safe |
| 4 | Charlotte Finlay | „Rain on Your Parade“ (Duffy) | Eliminated |
| 5 | Mark Evans | „Me and Mrs. Jones“ (Billy Paul) | Safe |
Semi-final (24 January 2009)
The four remaining acts competed in the semi-final on 24 January 2009. All contestants were also accompanied by a 17-piece band during their performances. In addition to their performances, the female contestants performed the song „I’ll Stand by You“ by The Pretenders, while the male contestants performed the song „Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me“ by Elton John. Guest performers were Lulu performing the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1969 „Boom Bang-a-Bang“, and Alesha Dixon performing the song „Breathe Slow“.
A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of Dixon and Emma Bunton (singer-songwriter and actress). The contestants each performed two songs: a ballad and an up-tempo song. A public televote saved two of the contestants from the „danger zone“, while Lloyd Webber saved Jade Ewen and eliminated Emperors of Soul.
| Artist | Draw | First Song (Original artist) | Draw | Second Song (Original artist) | Result |
| Mark Evans | 1 | „Rock Your Body“ (Justin Timberlake) | 5 | „I Don’t Want to Talk About It“ (Rod Stewart) | Safe |
| Jade Ewen | 2 | „All by Myself“ (Eric Carmen) | 6 | „Think“ (Aretha Franklin) | „Danger Zone“ |
| Emperors of Soul | 3 | „Patience“ (Take That) | 7 | „Uptown Girl“ (Billy Joel) | Eliminated |
| Francine and Nicola Gleadall | 4 | „About You Now“ (Sugababes) | 8 | „All I Have to Do Is Dream“ (The Everly Brothers) | Safe |
Final
The three remaining acts competed in the final on 31 January 2009. In addition to their performances, the contestants performed the winning song for the United Kingdom in 1981 „Making Your Mind Up“ by Bucks Fizz in a group. Guest performers included Lulu performing the song „Relight My Fire“ by Dan Hartman with the eliminated contestants Damien Flood, Charlotte Finlay and Emperors of Soul, and previous Eurovision Song Contest winner Dima Bilan who won the contest for Russia in 2008 with the song „Believe“.
A panel of experts provided feedback alongside Lloyd Webber regarding the performances during the show. The panel consisted of previous panellists Lulu and James. The contestants each performed three songs, including a previously performed song during the preceding three heats and the British song „It’s My Time“. A public televote selected Jade Ewen as the winning artist.
| Artist | Draw | First Song (Original artist) | Draw | Second Song (Original artist) | Draw | Eurovision Song | Place |
| Jade Ewen | 1 | „Lady Marmalade“ (Labelle) | 6 | „The Promise“ (Girls Aloud) | 9 | „It’s My Time“ | 1 |
| Mark Evans | 2 | „Try a Little Tenderness“ (The Commitments) | 5 | „Déjà Vu“ (Beyoncé) | 7 | „It’s My Time“ | 3 |
| Francine and Nicola Gleadall | 3 | „Sweet About Me“ (Gabriella Cilmi) | 4 | „Me and Mrs. Jones“ (Billy Paul) | 8 | „It’s My Time“ | 2 |
Gallery
