Can you imagine another UK win?

21stCenturyBoy21stCenturyBoy Posts: 44,493
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I'm just wondering how I would actually feel if the UK ever managed to win the contest again?

I'm 20 so was only 5 when Katrina won in '97, and although I remember my mum and brother (we were so cultured!) being very excited (and my dad really not caring), the actual buzz after the contest/ in the run up to Birmingham '98 is lost on me.

I think I'm so unaccustomed to feeling pride in relation to the UK entry (although that 12 from Bulgaria in 2011 came pretty damn close!), I can't imagine how I'd feel if the unthinkable should happen and we actually did win again!
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  • 21stCenturyBoy21stCenturyBoy Posts: 44,493
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    Should add, would love for posters who were around/ sober during the 97 era to tell us what it was like for the UK to win.

    (And maybe even all the way to Bucks Fizz winning if you're brave enough to share!)
  • CelticMythCelticMyth Posts: 3,090
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    97 was only my second Eurovision, but from what I remember that darn Tony Blair winning the election stole the UK winning Eurovision's thunder.:mad:
  • 21stCenturyBoy21stCenturyBoy Posts: 44,493
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    CelticMyth wrote: »
    97 was only my second Eurovision, but from what I remember that darn Tony Blair winning the election stole the UK winning Eurovision's thunder.:mad:

    Blair again!

    If you listen to Wogan, he's the reason we came last in 2003!
  • SaturnSaturn Posts: 18,971
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    I don't really know what another win would feel like. I think 1997 was only the 3rd or 4th I watched so I wasn't aware just how big the win was :p If it happened again i'd go ape. I'd guess within 3 years of winning the GBP would be back to saying it's all political that we didn't win. No doubt the Daily Mail would complain it was a waste of money if we had to pay to host it.
  • phill363phill363 Posts: 24,311
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    I do remember us winning in 97 even though I was only 8 and a half, I was round at my aunties watching with my sisters and my cousins cos my mum and dad were playing cards, I remember dancing around the room or something and all the adults came in when it was likely we would win. Its my first eurovision memory as well, though I don't remember too much of the contest itself just us winning.

    I think it would be much the same but I will be drunk this time when we do win again and I have faith that this is our year and have already stuck a fiver on at 40/1.
  • phill363phill363 Posts: 24,311
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    You can find out your exact age you was on our last win using this

    http://www.calculator.net/age-calculator.html

    Just Type in 3rd of may 97
  • CelticMythCelticMyth Posts: 3,090
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    Apparently I was 325555200 seconds old.

    I could have sworn I was younger than that!
  • penguinpersonpenguinperson Posts: 16,886
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    Well I can live of the 2010 win. I thought the lead up mainly bizarre as I never gave much thought to Lena doing it as there was the question could a big country actually win. I was very happy when she did it & would like to see my other UK match it.
  • BBAnneBBAnne Posts: 23,326
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    Me and hubby were the only Eurovision fans I knew! So it was big in our house anyway ... I just remember being really pissed off that not much was made of the win, and no one was as excited about it as me

    Run up to Eurovision was completely different in that distant past though, no internet sharing - precious little on TV for the ardent fans prior to the contest....so I guess that's why the media didn't make such a big deal of it

    They made more of a deal of Cry Baby getting zero!
  • 21stCenturyBoy21stCenturyBoy Posts: 44,493
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    BBAnne wrote: »
    Me and hubby were the only Eurovision fans I knew! So it was big in our house anyway ... I just remember being really pissed off that not much was made of the win, and no one was as excited about it as me

    Run up to Eurovision was completely different in that distant past though, no internet sharing - precious little on TV for the ardent fans prior to the contest....so I guess that's why the media didn't make such a big deal of it

    They made more of a deal of Cry Baby getting zero!

    That's something I can't imagine- being a Eurovision fan without the internet.

    How on earth did you know what other countries had picked before the night itself?!
  • penguinpersonpenguinperson Posts: 16,886
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    That's something I can't imagine- being a Eurovision fan without the internet.

    How on earth did you know what other countries had picked before the night itself?!

    Preview shows of the videos weeks before. Where my Grandad would always pick the winner.
  • DamienSDamienS Posts: 12,362
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    I was 10 and a half, Birmingham 98 was three first one I watched, tho considering I'm from Birmingham I don't really recall any hype, assist from the odd news article
  • steeleuro_wolfsteeleuro_wolf Posts: 13,336
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    phill363 wrote: »
    I do remember us winning in 97 even though I was only 8 and a half, I was round at my aunties watching with my sisters and my cousins cos my mum and dad were playing cards, I remember dancing around the room or something and all the adults came in when it was likely we would win. Its my first eurovision memory as well, though I don't remember too much of the contest itself just us winning.

    I think it would be much the same but I will be drunk this time when we do win again and I have faith that this is our year and have already stuck a fiver on at 40/1.

    You're lucky, my first eurovision memory was Jemini :eek:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 220
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    Yes, but we'd need to ask Adele really nicely to sing Skyfall (abridged)
  • penguinpersonpenguinperson Posts: 16,886
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    We don't need Adele :D I can think of 4 eligible songs released since September 1st that would win. Not that any are likely
  • nick1990nick1990 Posts: 4,988
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    I wish I remembered us winning, but my earliest memory was the 1998 contest, I dont think I was allowed to stay up for the results, but I remember my dad explaining to me the next day that it was Israel who had won, and that it was won by a "woman who used to be a man", this deeply confused myself as a 7 year old...thinking back it was quite funny to see my dad try to explain how this was possible!

    The funny thing was, that probably wasn't the thing I was most confused about...I mean...how were Israel in Eurovision...they are in Asia...(I used to read Atlas's instead of story books as a young child...sad...but it did give me an amazing geographical knowledge!)

    I think 1999 was the first show I was allowed to watch fully, my sister even had "Say it Again" on cassette!
  • phill363phill363 Posts: 24,311
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    You're lucky, my first eurovision memory was Jemini :eek:

    oh dear I'm surprised you became a Eurovision fan after that :D , its enough to put anyone off.
  • benjiman_LFCbenjiman_LFC Posts: 1,371
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    I believe we can win again. Germany have won and so have Sweden in recent years.So there is no Eastern Monopoly
    Sweden also failed to make the final a few years ago and Germany have found themselves very near the bottom of the scoring too. No reason why we shouldn't have these extremes too.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    '97 was my first Eurovision and I remember the UK winning but I don't remember the hype surrounding it or anything. I was only 7 and probably too young to read the newspapers. I remember Mum buying the song on CD and cassette though.
  • MissMidgardMissMidgard Posts: 5,756
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    I remember going to the park with my friend the day after ESC 1997 (I was eight) and saying "Did you see the UK win Eurovision last night?! It was amazing!". She had no idea what I was talking about, and I sang the song all day.

    Yeah. My 16th Eurovision this year. Good lord.
  • thmsthms Posts: 61,002
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    watching sandie shaw's eurovision victory was a warm-up for watching celtic's european cup victory a few weeks later.. i was 12 at the time
  • Glyn WGlyn W Posts: 5,819
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    Until we stop sending crap songs and/or performers to Eurovision we ain't going to win again anytime soon. It's about time we drew on Britain's heritage of bloody good rock music and sent someone who'll give it a bit of bollocks instead of the usual dreary predictable sub-r'n'b drivel. If it was done well, it'd stand out from the rest - just think Lordi.
  • jan_leemingjan_leeming Posts: 159
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    I remember it very well but even then I seem to recall spending the entire evening convincing the (non-fan) people I was watching with that it was going to happen as they refused to believe such a thing was possible.Even back in 1997 the public perception that the UK wasn't very good at Eurovision was starting to seep in.

    I daresay even if we did win everybody would moan about it, the cost of hosting, the fact we didn't get as many points as this person who won etc. etc. There would probably also be jokes about us only winning because all the other countries failed to show up.

    Personally would like to see it happen again though to wipe the smug expressions off the faces of those who delight in knocking the UK's efforts, even when they're good. Still recall one of the Sunday papers the day after Jade's performance running with a great big 'UK EUROVISION FLOP' headline. Er, HELLO?????

    Should mention at this stage that I also remember watching Bucks Fizz's victory in 1981. In my defence though that is also one of the first contests I ever recall watching (*am archaic*).
  • MaksonMakson Posts: 30,447
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    Linda Martin winning was my first memory, but Niamh Kavanagh's win the following year remains my biggest memory as there was such a buzz around it.
    Of course I remember Rock n Roll Kids and Eimer Quinn's wins too:cool:
  • big bro geekbig bro geek Posts: 18,268
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    My first Eurovision memory was Cat Cat for Finland in 1994. My parents said I was obsessed with the song( or maybe it was their interesting attire). Was a fan ever since
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