So I watched the repeats of the BBC's documentary series 'Queens of British Pop' where they profiled a timeline of dynamic females through the last 50 years (1960's - 2009) in British pop.

They chose the following twelve females:

Episode One "..a celebration of six female pop stars, singers and icons that lit us up from the early 60s to the late 70s."
Dusty Springfield
Sandie Shaw
Marianne Faithfull
Suzi Quatro
Siouxsie Sioux
Kate Bush
Episode Two "The female stars that took us from post-punk to The X Factor, with a slice of girl power along the way."
Annie Lennox
Alison Moyet
Kylie Minogue
Geri Halliwell
Amy Winehouse
Leona Lewis

Anyone else watch it?
Who would you have chosen as your Queens of British Pop?

elton john
freddy mercury
george michael
h from steps
john barrowman
boy george

^ lol just because they are gay doesn't make them queens!

Not sure about Leona Lewis, dont get me wrong, i am a fan and she has one amazing voice, but a queen of pop? Not quite yet, maybe if she can churn out another few good albums.

I undersand where you are coming from, I am a fan also, but I'm happy she got the recognition from the success she has garnered so far, considering Spirit was huge. Surprised Adele wasn't on the list though

The show was originally aired in 2009.
I think if it was made today they would probably have bumped Leona for Adele..

Coincidentally, Adele was on the programme as a talking head..
such nuggets as "The Spice Girls were my life, they still are.. Best band ever."

Ahh, I getcha now. I can kinda agree with Leona on the list then because she was probably the biggest female in UK pop at that moment. I hope they do a new one soon enough, I like these kind of shows

brilliant rock-doc, the first episode in particular highlighted our real treasures and exactly why they should be respected.

mind you, id have put cilla and lulu above marrianne faithful, who was kinda there by default.

apart from annie and alison, the second part were not as great... they didnt cut new ground, kylie might be popular but was a puppet...unlike sandie, dusty, siouxsie, kate... they cut their own ground and created what they wanted to. they were who they were because it was THEM that wanted to do it, and not by some reality show or svengali.

I'd have had Cilla and Lulu too instead of Marianne Faithfull and Siouxsie Soux. What the hell's she doing there? Two minute wonder.

you obviously didnt watch it nor have much knowlege of pop music otherwise you wouldnt have made such a stupid (and deliberately inflamitory) post. (with you knowing my regard for siouxsie sioux).

I would have said Marianne Faithfull has a bigger profile now than she did in the 60s, where she was pretty much a footnote.
Also, Suzi Quattro was a bit of a joke back in the day. An actress, playing the part of a leather-clad rock chick, singing Chinnichap songs. Hardly musical royalty stuff.
Gerry Hal;liwell? The ultimate wannabe and still wanning.
As for including Leona Lewis, already of has-been status, the fate of all Syco puppets, why?

to be fair, suzi q was a musician who dabbled later on in acting, she was a bone fide rocker and was one of the first to front a group with chart success.

I'd no idea you like her! I did watch it, just mean she wasn't a huge British female star. Cilla and Lulu were both far bigger and had more hits. If I was compilng an objective list, regardless of my own likes or dislikes or anyone else's, I just wouldn't describe Siouxsie as a Queen of British Pop.

Siouxsie & The Banshees - 5 Top 20 hits.
Lulu - 11 Top 20 hits.
Cilla Black - 14 Top 20 hits

Source: Everyhit.com.

Offensive and plain ignorant

But you had to admit they are all brilliant singers except for
H from Steps. He doesn't even deserve to be in the same category as the rest

i'll just add myself to the defence of Siouxsie Sioux.

Siouxsie played a huge part in British rock/pop in the 70's/80's
Shes second to only Kate Bush in terms of artistic statement.
The back catalogue stands testiment to that.
The Banshees sold shed loads of records in their prime, adorned many a teenager wall and were a highly successful live act - they were celebrated by bands such as U2 to Morrissey, yet they were also counter culture/alternative.
Siouxsie has been written out of pop history, to a degree because she was never a simpering female with a svengali overseeing her career, she was making it up as she went along, which is why the Banshees had such a turbulent time.

And as for that programme, the decline in quality & originality, as the years go by, is frankly atrocious!

Being a "queen" of British pop doesnt have to mean top ten hits, its a lasting legacy, its whats left of your music/contribution years down the line. Can you honestly say Cilla,Geri, Leona and Lulu will have a lasting musical legacy....? You also have to take into account pop sales during the 70's/80's, which were significantly higher than the 90's and 00's.

Ahh Dusty Springfield
A true British Soul Icon. Her, Kate Bush and Annie Lennox are the true queens of British pop.

I love that show and for me the ultimate Queen is Kate without her the people in the second show would never have existed in the way they did she really paved the way for females in British music.

Instead of leona lewis Alison Goldfrapp now there is a talented woman and perhaps maybe Joss Stone and Laura Marling and lily allen too

In fairness no way should Leona have been included.

Agreed.

if you watched the show youd know why she is one of our most iconic, innovative, creative, artistes of all time.

what she did, she did off her own back, she was/is unique, her music has been a major influence on the indie scene and has inspired many others.

plus she (accidentally ) created a new sub-genre...goth. it was siouxsie that created the image and sound... how many other women in pop/rock can claim that?... oh yeah... NO ONE.

no way... they are just other artists, not a patch on the true queens.

agreed about leona though.

I would agree with you regarding Alison Goldfrapp, she has vision, and talent by the bucket.

Laura Marling is possibly our greatest female writer at the moment beats Adele hands down and lily along with Amy helped bring about the resurgence in British females in the last decade and had vison and creativity in bucket loads like or loathe her

no Kim Wilde?