Latest news with #BucksFizz
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Brits music icon says she'd love to do Strictly but gets 'rejected every year by producers'
The singer, who rose to fame in the early 80s on the Eurovision Song Contest, revealed that BBC bosses have rejected her proposal to star on the show multiple times. UK Eurovision icon Cheryl Baker has revealed that she would love to participate in Strictly Come Dancing but she gets turned down by the producers every year. The 71-year-old singer, who was born Rita Maria Stroud, won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with the UK's pop group entry, Bucks Fizz, which she was a member of. However, it seems that the pop group's memorable win still isn't enough to get Cheryl Baker onto that Strictly Come Dancing ballroom floor. Cheryl still performs in the band alongside OG member Jay Aston and newcomers Nikk Mager and Matthew Pateman, but the group are now known as The Fizz instead. Speaking exclusively to Slingo, the singer revealed she's been repeatedly turned down for the BBC One reality series, despite regularly throwing her name into the ring. She also revealed that she had put herself forward for this year's Celebrity Traitors but was left 'gutted' to discover she was too late and the star studded cast had already been selected. While Cheryl has made her eagerness to dip her toes into reality TV pretty clear, also saying she'd 'love' a go on I'm A Celebrity, she has ruled out a return to Eurovision, despite insisting the group are now 'vocally stronger'. Formerly known as Bucks Fizz, the band were victorious in the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest Final with their song Making Your Mind Up. Their big win over 44 years ago comes as the second last time the UK have won the annual singing contest since. Britain have not been successful in Eurovision in the contest since 1997, when Katrina & The Waves came out on top with their song Love Shine A Light. During a conversation with Slingo, Cheryl was asked about her reality TV ambitions. She said: 'I'd love to do Strictly. I always put myself up for it every year, and they always say no, which is a great shame. I love dancing - I'm not a trained dancer, but I love dancing. "I would love to go do I'm A Celebrity - I would love that. I would also love to do Traitors. When I knew there was going to be a celebrity one, I contacted my agent and said, 'Get me on it!' "When she told me that they'd already cast it, I was gutted. I can't wait to see it, but I'd do any of them." Cheryl continued: "That's the way TV has gone. If you don't want to be on any of those shows, it really limits you to what you can do, because that's what's on TV now. "I miss Top of the Pops - I wish they'd bring it back. All the young artists now, they've got a televisual platform to show how good they are.' However, when questioned on a Eurovision return, she was not so keen. When asked if she'd ever go back on the contest, she said: " I mean, we've got our two new guys, they're great singers and if the cameras are far enough away… I'd hate for them to do camera close ups of Jay and I, and go, they're getting on a bit! "I feel vocally we're stronger now than we have been for years, because there's four of us and the boys are tremendous but I don't think we could do Eurovision again. 'We've carried on and had lots of gigs, working with Mike and Jay and now with Matthew [Pateman] and Nikk [Majer] as four. There are certain gigs that haven't employed us because we're not officially Bucks Fizz but we're really good!" Cheryl, 71, added: "We haven't done a Let's Rock for years, we used to do it as The Original Bucks Fizz, but because we're called The Fizz now, I'm guessing that's probably the reason we don't get to do it. "We do lots of other festivals and 80s weekends. It's great fun, I love it. They all chant and at the end we get them to sing 'A Land Of Make Believe' and they all sing it on their own, all the musicians cut out. I love it, what's not to love? It's such a boost to your ego!'
Wales Online
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
'I put myself up for Strictly every year but never get chosen by producers'
'I put myself up for Strictly every year but never get chosen by producers' Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has been wanting to join the cast of Strictly Come Dancing for years Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has revealed that she signs up for Strictly Come Dancing every year, only to face rejection from the show's producers. Cheryl notably won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1981 with her Bucks Fizz co-stars, Bobby G, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. She now performs with bandmate Jay, alongside Nikk Mager and Matthew Pateman as The Fizz. Speaking exclusively to Slingo, Cheryl expressed her fondness for the renowned BBC dance programme, despite not yet getting the nod from its producers. "I'd love to do Strictly. I always put myself up for it every year, and they always say no, which is a great shame. I love dancing - I'm not a trained dancer, but I love dancing," she divulged. Cheryl Baker would like to take part in Strictly Come Dancing (Image: Getty Images ) Aside from Strictly, Cheryl is keen on exploring further opportunities within reality TV shows, including I'm a Celebrity or Celebrity Traitors, reports Edinburgh Live. "I would love to go do I'm a Celebrity - I would love that. I would also love to do Traitors," she declared. "When I knew there was going to be a celebrity one, I contacted my agent and said, 'Get me on it!' When she told me that they'd already cast it, I was gutted. I can't wait to see it, but I'd do any of them. "That's the way TV has gone. If you don't want to be on any of those shows, it really limits you to what you can do, because that's what's on TV now. "I miss Top of the Pops - I wish they'd bring it back. All the young artists now, they've got a televisual platform to show how good they are." Bucks Fizz won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 (Image: Getty Images ) Country pop trio Remember Monday tried to emulate Bucks Fizz's success at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with their track, What the Hell Just Happened? After the jury vote placed them tenth, the UK group unfortunately scored zero points from the public vote, resulting in a 19th place finish – just one spot lower than Olly Alexander's position last year. On whether she'd return to Eurovision with The Fizz, Cheryl remarked: "I mean, we've got our two new guys, they're great singers and if the cameras are far enough away... I'd hate for them to do camera close ups of Jay and I, and go, 'They're getting on a bit!' "I feel vocally we're stronger now than we have been for years, because there's four of us and the boys are tremendous but I don't think we could do Eurovision again." Article continues below She added: "We do lots of other festivals and 80s weekends. It's great fun, I love it... It's such a boost to your ego!" Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Edinburgh Live
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
'I'd love to do Strictly but I get rejected every year by producers'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has revealed that she's signed up for Strictly Come Dancing every year, but has repeatedly been turned down by producers. Cheryl notably won the Eurovision Song Contest back in 1981 with her Bucks Fizz co-stars, Bobby G, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston. She now performs with bandmate Jay, alongside Nikk Mager and Matthew Pateman as The Fizz. Speaking exclusively to Slingo, the singer opened up about her love of the hit BBC dancing competition, but she hasn't been accepted by producers yet. "I'd love to do Strictly. I always put myself up for it every year, and they always say no, which is a great shame. I love dancing - I'm not a trained dancer, but I love dancing," she said. (Image: Getty Images) Cheryl is eager to delve into the world of reality TV, saying she'd also love to appear on I'm a Celebrity or Celebrity Traitors. "I would love to go do I'm a Celebrity - I would love that. I would also love to do Traitors," she said. "When I knew there was going to be a celebrity one, I contacted my agent and said, 'Get me on it!' When she told me that they'd already cast it, I was gutted. I can't wait to see it, but I'd do any of them. "That's the way TV has gone. If you don't want to be on any of those shows, it really limits you to what you can do, because that's what's on TV now. "I miss Top of the Pops - I wish they'd bring it back. All the young artists now, they've got a televisual platform to show how good they are." (Image: Getty Images) Country pop trio Remember Monday attempted to follow in Bucks Fizz's footsteps at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with their song, What the Hell Just Happened? Despite landing in tenth place after the jury vote, the UK act received zero points from the public and ended up in 19th place overall - one below Olly Alexander last year. On whether she'd return to Eurovision with The Fizz, Cheryl said: "I mean, we've got our two new guys, they're great singers and if the cameras are far enough away... I'd hate for them to do camera close ups of Jay and I, and go, 'They're getting on a bit!' "I feel vocally we're stronger now than we have been for years, because there's four of us and the boys are tremendous but I don't think we could do Eurovision again." She added: "We do lots of other festivals and 80s weekends. It's great fun, I love it... It's such a boost to your ego!" Strictly Come Dancing is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
Irish Daily Mirror
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Bucks Fizz star risked getting kidnapped by the IRA during Eurovision
Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker has revealed she risked being kidnapped while in Dublin during the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1981, the UK were crowned winners of the song contest, which was hosted at the RDS, with their song, Making Your Mind Up. But Cheryl has now revealed the 'stupid move' she and her co-star Mike Nolan made hours before taking the win. In a new interview with Slingo, the singer shares how she and her bandmate Mike Nolan snuck out despite being under strict orders to stay in their hotel rooms as the song contest was under threat from the IRA. She told Slingo: 'The event was threatened by the IRA, as was the British contingent, that's why we were kept separate. We had armed guards for each of us. 'Outside our hotel rooms and when we travelled, we travelled in a coach, just us, no other countries. 'We had outriders, I felt like royalty! You don't think of the danger, you think of excitement. We were going on the wrong side of the road, through red lights, it made you feel special. 'We were in Dublin for a few days, and we had a few hours to spare so Mike, who is from Dublin, said to me, 'should we go shopping?' I said, 'no, we can't, we've been told to stay in our rooms'. 'He said, 'let's sneak out', so we did. I can't remember how we did it, but we sneaked out of the hotel, and went shopping. 'I can remember the dress I bought, walking along the streets of Dublin with Mike feeling really free, but we were stupid, really stupid, we had a price on our heads at the time. 'It was the excitement and the freedom at the time. When we got back, we got such a telling off from our people, our record label and everything, but especially by the Irish police who were looking after us. 'The discovery we'd disappeared, we might have been kidnapped! They didn't know, we were so silly, you're stupid like that when you're young, that was a bit naughty, I have to admit to that.' Cheryl revealed how Bucks Fizz had to return back to their hotel room hours after winning because of the security threat. 'It's weird, after we won, we went back to our hotel, we had a different hotel from all the other contingents because of the IRA, they were very active in those days and they had threatened to disrupt the competition, so they kept us in a completely separate hotel, none of the other countries were there. 'They were all staying in another hotel, and it must have been fun for them. They could all go to the bar and have a bit of a party, whereas we were on our own with our record label and production company. 'They cracked open the champagne and the orange juice obviously, so I went to my room in the hotel and rang home. 'Home for me at the time was a council flat in Bethnal Green. I rang and my sister answered the phone, my real name's Rita, and there were cheers everywhere, music playing in the background and immediately, my eyes filled with tears, and I just thought, I want to be there. 'My sister said, oh Reets, you should have seen it, I get upset talking about it! I was born in that block of flats, there were three blocks of flats, and people then, if they lived there, they lived their most of their lives, so everyone knew me. 'I was like their friend, their daughter, and so when we won, people came out, I'm getting tearful! People came out on the balconies, threw open their windows, it was so moving. I just thought, I want to be there, I want to be back home. 'We flew home the next day, to Heathrow, came home to the arrivals lounge and everyone was there, my family, my friends, they'd made banners, the music was playing and I fell to my knees and cried and my dad forced his way through and took me in his arms and gave me the fatherly hug I needed at the time. It was strange, it really affected me and made me very emotional.' Cheryl says life for them changed 'immediately'. 'It changed for us immediately, after the show had come down, we were all ushered into an area where there was a stage, we stood on the stage and we were completely surrounded by paparazzi, film cameras, photographers, everyone was standing round and calling us. 'I thought, blimey, my life's just changed. We went from being nobody to being everyone worldwide wanted a piece of us, it was crazy. It was absolutely crazy and our lives changed so dramatically because of it.'
South Wales Argus
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Revealed: Best British Eurovision entries of all time ranked
Cliff Richard's first Eurovision entry in 1968, 'Congratulations', and Katrina and the Waves' 'Love Shine a Light', the last Eurovision win for the UK in 1997, make up the remainder of the top five, in a study of 2,000 adults. Others to feature in the top UK Eurovision songs include Lulu with 'Boom Bang-a-Bang' from 1969, and Sonia's 'Better the Devil You Know', which finished an agonising second place in 1993. Cheryl Baker, who won Eurovision as part of Bucks Fizz's hit in 1981, said: 'That's fantastic! It's amazing it was 44 years ago that we won. 'Katrina was a lot more recent, my favourite was Sandie Shaw with Puppet on a String, and I was so excited when I got to meet her. 'Brotherhood of Man were the biggest selling of the Eurovision entries – I think they sold six million records! But it's an absolute honour and a privilege that people think of our entry as the best of British. 'There's been so many great songs which have come from the UK over the years, and it makes me so proud that people think of Bucks Fizz when they think of Eurovision.' Speaking at the WhichBingo Awards, she also lifted the lid on how the UK's entry, Remember Monday, would perform – and which nation she thinks will win Eurovision this year. Cheryl said: 'Who knows – with Eurovision, I've never picked a winning song yet. I think the girls are fantastic, and the song is really good. 'I know the bookies are only giving it a one per cent chance – but you never know. 'I love what the girls wear, it's almost theatrical, and historical in a way – it could be something from Bridgerton. 'But they're up against Sweden and they put everything in – it's not just the song and the singing, it's all in the production. 'I think they could possibly nick it, which would make them the most successful Eurovision country ever, and they'd love to take that crown – but we'll give them a good run for their money. 'It all depends on if the song's good enough – When Sam did it, his song and performance were great, and had it not been for Russia invading Ukraine, we could have won that year.' 'I'd like to think Making Your Mind Up will still be popular in another 44 years – the bit they always show on the telly is when the skirts come off, as simple as that was – it made that performance and that moment is what stuck in people's memories.' The research found the most important elements to a Eurovision-winning entry includes a catchy, memorable chorus (38 per cent), a strong hook melody you can't forget (34 per cent) and an emotional or powerful vocal performance (24 per cent). Other vital ingredients include a charismatic performer you can root for (20 per cent) and a sense of fun and chaos (19 per cent). It also emerged the UK is a Eurovision-loving nation, as 38 per cent either watch it every year or most years. And there's confidence among fans that the UK could end its 28-year wait for a Eurovision win, with 15 per cent believing Remember Monday could win. Almost a third (32 per cent) want Ed Sheeran to compete for the UK at Eurovision – ahead of Adele (29 per cent) and Harry Styles (20 per cent). WhichBingo spokesperson, Charlie Shakespeare, added: 'We're backing Remember Monday to go all the way, but how cool would it be if Ed Sheeran stepped out for Britain one year? 'As our research shows, there's a few different factors which go into a knockout Eurovision performance. If they can stick close to them, there's no reason Britain can't go all the way.' 'It's been great hosting so many stars at our awards ceremony this week. There's been a real buzz about the place with everyone chatting and having so much fun together.' TOP 10 BRIT EUROVISION ENTRIES
