United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1996


The United Kingdom selected their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 in Oslo, Norway with a new show, The Great British Song Contest. The winning entry was Gina G with "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit".

Before Eurovision

The Great British Song Contest 1996

Semi-final

The qualifying round for the contest, a special edition of Top of the Pops, was broadcast on BBC1 on 1 March 1996 and was hosted by Nicky Campbell. It was announced that the four songs with the highest number of telephone votes would qualify for the final. The top four songs were announced on 2 March and went forward to the final on 8 March.

Final

Another special edition of Top of the Pops styled as The Great British Song Contest. It was hosted by Terry Wogan and broadcast on BBC1 at 20:00 on 8 March 1996. For the first time since 1985, there was no simultaneous broadcast with BBC Radio 2. The winning entry was announced at the end of the show following a further public phone vote.

At Eurovision

The increased interest in participating in Eurovision meant that, with the exception of hosts Norway, all other countries had to present their song in an audio only semi-final held in late March. Gina G was placed third with 153 points. At the Eurovision final in Oslo Gina G came in at eighth place, scoring 77 points.
When Belén Fernández de Henestrosa, the Spanish spokesperson, announced the votes of the Spanish jury, she awarded six points to "Holland", which host Ingvild Byrn misheard as "Poland." The official results table corrected this error, and the Netherlands' seventh-place result was restored at the expense of the United Kingdom, who ultimately finished eighth.
Despite this result, 'Just a Little Bit' is one of the most successful of the UK's entries at Eurovision, not only topping the UK singles chart but also finding success in America, where the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in 1998.

Voting

Points awarded to the United Kingdom

12 points10 points8 points7 points6 points

  • 5 points4 points3 points2 points1 point

  • Points awarded by the United Kingdom

    Pre-qualifying round

    Final