Hit Me Baby One More Time

Host

Co-hosts

Broadcast

Granada London for ITV, 2 April to 21 May 2005 (8 episodes in 1 series)

Synopsis

Acts from the 70s, 80s and 90s emerge from the back catalogue and have to relive the terror of ~~standing next to Vernon Kay~~ performing in front of a live ITV studio audience. It's a typical popularity contest, however unlike Reborn in the USA this is set in Blighty and has upper B-list celebs that you wouldn't mind seeing again... and Chesney Hawkes.

Each act does one of their own songs - typically their biggest hit - and then follows it up with a contemporary cover - this makes the show rather more interesting than expected. The one feeling we're left with is that the popstars of Yesterday are far more interesting than those of Today.

Participants

Heat One

Tiffany - performing I Think We're Alone Now and Love Machine by Girls Aloud (progressed to final)
Gloria Gaynor - performing I Will Survive and Beautiful by Christina Aguilera
Howard Jones - performing What is Love? and White Flag by Dido
Honeyz - performing Finally Found and How You Remind Me by Nickelback
Limahl - performing Too Shy and This Love by Maroon 5

Heat Two

Shakin' Stevens - performing This Ole House and Trouble by P!nk (progressed to final)
Jaki Graham - performing Set Me Free and Your Game by Will Young
Belinda Carlisle - performing Heaven is a Place on Earth and The Scientist by Coldplay
Haddaway - performing What is Love? and Toxic by Britney Spears
Doctor & The Medics - performing Spirit in the Sky and Let Me Entertain You by Robbie Williams

Heat Three

Carol Decker - performing China in Your Hand and Superstar by Jamelia (progressed to final)
Baccara - performing Yes Sir, I Can Boogie and Hero by Enrique Iglesias
Mica Paris - performing My One Temptation and Angels by Robbie Williams
Nick Heyward - performing Fantastic Day and Crashed the Wedding by Busted
The Pasendenas - performing Tribute (Right On) and Leave Right Now by Will Young

Heat Four

Hue and Cry - performing Labour of Love and Crazy in Love by Beyoncé (progressed to final)
Sinitta - performing So Macho and Single by Natasha Bedingfield
The Real Thing - performing You To Me Are Everything and Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake
Hazel O'Connor - performing Will You and Can't Get You Out of My Head by Kylie Minogue
China Black - performing Searching and I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness

Heat Five

Shalamar - performing A Night to Remember and Hey Ya! by Outkast (progressed to final)
Jordan Knight - performing Give It to You and Let Me Love You by Mario
Rozalla - performing Everybody's Free (To Feel Good) and Fly By by Blue
Junior - performing Mama Used to Say and Gotta Get Thru This by Daniel Bedingfield
Sabrina - performing Boys (Summertime Love) and Hole in the Head by Sugababes

Heat Six

Chesney Hawkes - performing The One and Only and She's the One by Robbie Williams (progressed to final)
Kelly Marie - performing Feels Like I'm in Love and Oops!... I Did It Again by Britney Spears
Nick Van Eede - performing (I Just) Died In Your Arms and I Try by Macy Gray
Sybil - performing When I'm Good and Ready and I'm Gonna Getcha Good! by Shania Twain
Cleopatra - performing Cleopatra's Theme and No Good Advice by Girls Aloud

Heat Seven

911 - performing Bodyshakin' and Don't Stop Movin' by S Club 7 (progressed to final)
Nathan Moore - performing The Harder I Try and Are You Ready for Love by Elton John
Princess - performing Say I'm Your Number One and Slow by Kylie Minogue
Kenny Thomas - performing Thinking About Your Love and Don't Know Why by Norah Jones
Ultra Naté - performing Free and Some Girls by Rachel Stevens

Key moments

We were utterly taken with Haddaway's cover of Britney Spears' Toxic.

Champion

Shakin' Stevens

Trivia

Yes, we know the song this show is named after is called ...Baby One More Time, not Hit Me Baby One More Time, so you don't have to write in pointing that out. It is acceptable to name things after bits of songs other than the title, you know.

One show went out in the midst of a strike by ITV production staff. In panic, production was moved from LWT's studios to BBC Television Centre.

Within a fortnight of the final airing, NBC had mounted its own version of the show, Vernon and all, and aired five episodes from 2 to 30 June 2005. The format was the same, except episodes were self-contained and pre-recorded the day before transmission, and winners were decided by the studio audience and received $20,000 for a charity of their choice. Tiffany, Haddaway and Howard Jones appeared on both versions; fair play to Tiffany, for she was the only one of the three to perform a different contemporary hit, singing Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson. The highlight of that series was surely the final performances of PM Dawn's Prince Be (he'd suffered a paralysing stroke shortly before filming and had to be helped on and off the stage).

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