Forgotten Eurovision entry from beloved Brit boy band dubbed 'reckless insanity'
Over 10 years ago, a British boy band, selling over 15 million records worldwide, came back together in hopes of taking the Eurovision Song Contest by storm, but it didn't quite go to plan...
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will burst onto our screens tonight, ready to dazzle us with outrageous costumes, catchy yet cheesy songs, and a voting system that often leaves the UK near the bottom of the leaderboard. But one year, there was a beloved boy band eager to make their mark in Eurovision and bring home the glory for the nation. Yet, the decision was branded 'reckless insanity'.
Back in 2011, Duncan James, Simon Webbe, Lee Ryan and Antony Costa of the popular boy band Blue had high hopes of securing some seriously big points when they represented the UK at Eurovision. The noughties band, who took the nation by storm with their huge hits, 'All Rise', 'One Love', 'Too Close' and 'Guilty', felt confident that their success would follow suit at Eurovision and the UK wouldn't be faced with the humiliating 'nil points'.
Confirming their Eurovision news, Duncan revealed at the time: "We're celebrating our 10 years together in 2011, so when the BBC approached us it seemed a great way to mark the occasion and also to be part of something which is still a British institution." Simon added: "I've always wanted to represent my country, so this is a truly exciting experience for Blue."
They entered the contest with their track 'I can', and Simon expressed his optimism at the time, stressing that he didn't expect political undercurrents to undermine Blue's mission to recapture the Eurovision title. "I'm not getting nil points," he declared confidently.
"We'd like to say that the Eurovision is not about the political side, it's about music and what music does is bring a wide audience of people together from different genres of music. People just want to have fun on the night and we're hoping politics won't get in the way."
However, their choice to represent the UK was quickly criticised, partly due to the novelty acts often featured at the annual competition. In contrast, the band, who were formed in 2000, had sold more than 13 million records, won two Brit Awards and had secured three UK number one singles by the time they entered Eurovision. Blue had parted ways in 2005, pursuing solo careers, only to reform in 2011 for their Eurovision debut.
But their former manager, Daniel Glatman, who helped form the group in 2000, described their decision as "reckless insanity". Daniel said: "They will have to win. Anything less and their reputation would be in tatters.
"It is the equivalent of Lewis Hamilton entering a go-kart race - he will be the strong favourite but there is also the possibility he could lose. So why risk it?"
Meanwhile, Eurovision executive producer Phil Parsons at the time described Blue as "real pop stars who have superb vocal ability, have great on-stage presence and can really deliver on the night in Dusseldorf." He added: "We have a highly credible act who have had a string of smash hits in this country and they've also been hugely successful around Europe too. There's a lot of genuine affection for them here and abroad."
Blue performed their song 'I Can' at Eurovision in 2011, which was held in Germany, Düsseldorf. Lee had described the song as "very powerful and very strong", ideal for making a splash at Eurovision.
On the night, their song, written by members Lee and Duncan, was received with enthusiastic applause despite what BBC host Graham Norton tactfully described as a "tentative start." When voting began, Blue scored highly and briefly topped the leaderboard. But they were swiftly overtaken by other countries.
They ended up in 11th place after clinching 100 points. Instead, the winners were the small nation of Azerbaijan with the romantic duet 'Running Scared', performed by Ell and Nikki. But it wasn't all bad news for Blue, as their score was 10 times more than Josh Dubovie's, who represented the UK the year before.
In that same year, Blue had also been up against Irish contenders Jedward, armed with what Lee characterised as a number infused with a 'Britney-esque' vibe and an American pop sensibility. "I like Jedward, they're funny," Antony shared before the competition. "As long as we can go there and give 110%, I'll be happy with that." The twins finished in 8th place with their rendition of 'Lipstick'.
After the scores came in, Blue's former manager, Daniel, brutally said the group would now be remembered as the band that "flopped at Eurovision". "As I said before, if Blue didn't win Eurovision then their reputation would be in tatters," he said. "But I did genuinely hope that they would receive more votes than they did.
"It was a sad night for the band because they have gone from being a 'massive boy band who sold 14 million records' to the 'band who flopped at Eurovision'. That is, unfortunately, how history will remember them now."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
40 minutes ago
- Scotsman
News presenter Clive Myrie to appear in Festival of Politics at Scottish Parliament
Clive Myrie will appear at this year's Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament | screenshot BBC foreign correspondent and news presenter Clive Myrie is to appear at this year's Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The award-winning journalist, who has reported from conflict zones, including Ukraine and Iraq, as well as hosting Mastermind and a series of travel programmes, will be interviewed about his 30-year broadcasting career by parliament deputy presiding officer Liam McArthur. Also appearing at the Festival of Politics is Oxford professor Danny Dorling, described as the UK's best known social geographer. He will will explore the impact of politics on the UK's housing, education, poverty and inequality levels, and will offer robust solutions on how to address these challenges of the age. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Clive Myrie will appear at this year's Festival of Politics at the Scottish Parliament | screenshot The three-day Festival, based at the Holyrood parliament building, has more than 30 events between Wednesday 20 and Friday 22 August 2025. The programme features leading experts from the worlds of politics, the arts, business, the media and the third sector. And the sessions will focus on some of the big issues facing Scotland, the UK and the world such as the use of AI, peace in the Middle East, how to tackle misogyny and the use of technology. Presiding officer Alison Johnstone said: 'This year's Festival promises lively debates, thought-provoking panels and inspiring voices tackling some of the most pressing social, political and environmental issues of our time.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There is also a free programme of entertainment, exhibitions and even a robot in the Festival Café Bar. Tickets can be booked now on our website: Most events will be available to view on our YouTube channel after the Festival has finished for those unable to attend in-person.
Western Telegraph
42 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
BBC will not broadcast Gaza documentary over ‘perception of partiality' risk
The corporation commissioned Gaza: Doctors Under Attack more than a year ago from an independent production company called Basement Films. The documentary includes witness accounts from frontline Palestinian health workers in Gaza and documents attacks on hospitals and clinics. It was delayed by the BBC until an ongoing review into a different programme in the region was completed. Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster BBC The BBC pulled the documentary How To Survive A Warzone in February after it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The corporation has now confirmed that Gaza: Doctors Under Attack will not air on the BBC at all. In a statement, the BBC said they had paused production of this film in April, having made a decision that they could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing. The BBC said that with both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film. 'However, we wanted the doctors' voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published. We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC BBC 'For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms. 'Yesterday, it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. 'We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC. 'Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster. 'Therefore, we are transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films. 'Contrary to some reports, since we paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, it has not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes. We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially BBC 'Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film,' the BBC said. The corporation added: 'We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially.' Last month, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and comedian Frankie Boyle were among hundreds of signatories calling on the BBC to air the documentary. The letter, signed by figures from across the film, TV, journalism and cultural sectors, was sent on behalf of the UK Screen Industry, made up of a 'group of concerned film and TV professionals'. Earlier this month, the BBC defended its coverage of the war in Gaza, after the White House criticised its reporting of an apparent incident in the territory, which reportedly left a number of people dead. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the corporation, after updating an article's headline with new information, had to 'correct and take down' its story about fatalities and injuries following a reported incident near an aid distribution centre in Rafah. The BBC said it had not removed its story and explained that its headlines about the incident were 'updated throughout the day with the latest fatality figures as they came in from various sources', which is 'totally normal practice'.
Leader Live
an hour ago
- Leader Live
BBC will not broadcast Gaza documentary over ‘perception of partiality' risk
The corporation commissioned Gaza: Doctors Under Attack more than a year ago from an independent production company called Basement Films. The documentary includes witness accounts from frontline Palestinian health workers in Gaza and documents attacks on hospitals and clinics. It was delayed by the BBC until an ongoing review into a different programme in the region was completed. The BBC pulled the documentary How To Survive A Warzone in February after it emerged that its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The corporation has now confirmed that Gaza: Doctors Under Attack will not air on the BBC at all. In a statement, the BBC said they had paused production of this film in April, having made a decision that they could not broadcast the film while a review into a separate Gaza documentary was ongoing. The BBC said that with both films coming from independent production companies, and both about Gaza, it was right to wait for any relevant findings – and put them into action – before broadcasting the film. 'However, we wanted the doctors' voices to be heard. Our aim was to find a way to air some of the material in our news programmes, in line with our impartiality standards, before the review was published. 'For some weeks, the BBC has been working with Basement Films to find a way to tell the stories of these doctors on our platforms. 'Yesterday, it became apparent that we have reached the end of the road with these discussions. 'We have come to the conclusion that broadcasting this material risked creating a perception of partiality that would not meet the high standards that the public rightly expect of the BBC. 'Impartiality is a core principle of BBC News. It is one of the reasons that we are the world's most trusted broadcaster. 'Therefore, we are transferring ownership of the film material to Basement Films. 'Contrary to some reports, since we paused production of Gaza: Doctors Under Attack in April, it has not undergone the BBC's final pre-broadcast sign-off processes. 'Any film broadcast will not be a BBC film,' the BBC said. The corporation added: 'We want to thank the doctors and contributors and we are sorry we could not tell their stories. The BBC will continue to cover events in Gaza impartially.' Last month, Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon and comedian Frankie Boyle were among hundreds of signatories calling on the BBC to air the documentary. The letter, signed by figures from across the film, TV, journalism and cultural sectors, was sent on behalf of the UK Screen Industry, made up of a 'group of concerned film and TV professionals'. Earlier this month, the BBC defended its coverage of the war in Gaza, after the White House criticised its reporting of an apparent incident in the territory, which reportedly left a number of people dead. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed the corporation, after updating an article's headline with new information, had to 'correct and take down' its story about fatalities and injuries following a reported incident near an aid distribution centre in Rafah. The BBC said it had not removed its story and explained that its headlines about the incident were 'updated throughout the day with the latest fatality figures as they came in from various sources', which is 'totally normal practice'.
