Miss Great Britain
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Miss Great Britain is Britain's longest running
beauty contest A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
held annually in Britain since 1945. Owner and CEO John Singh made history crowning his first winner and to this date only the first black Miss Great Britain 1996. Singer and dancer Anita St Rose took the Miss Great Britain crown.


History

Following World War Two, a number of seaside resorts around the United Kingdom introduced beauty contests. The first, held in
Morecambe Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea. Name The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
in 1945, went on to become Miss Great Britain. The contest began in the Summer of 1945 under the name “Bathing Beauty Queen”, organised by the Morecambe Town Council in partnership with the ‘Sunday Dispatch’ newspaper. Morecambe went on to become the home of Miss Great Britain between 1956 and 1989. The first ever Miss Great Britain final was watched by 4,300 people in a continuous downpour. The winner received a cup and according to the local newspaper ‘a paltry prize’ of seven guineas as well as a swimsuit. Prize money increased to £100 the following year, £500 the next and reached £1000 in the fifties due to its popularity. The contest continued to offer the largest prize fund of any competition run by a municipal authority. Heats of Miss Great Britain took place in
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...
dance halls. Between 1951 and 1957 the winner of Miss Great Britain qualified for entry in the
Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...
contest. The sixties saw the beginning of the decline in British seaside holidays with families increasingly able to afford trips abroad. A new competition format was needed and was realised with the introduction of television to Miss Great Britain in 1971, a
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
production for
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
that drew an audience of millions. By 1978, the prize fund had increased to £10,000 thanks to the competition's sponsors, and the popularity of the competition was again on the rise. In 1981 the television rights were bought by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. In 1984, the controller of BBC1
Michael Grade Michael Ian Grade, Baron Grade of Yarmouth, (born 8 March 1943) is an English television executive and businessman. He has held a number of senior roles in television, including controller of BBC1 (1984–1986), chief executive of Channel 4 ( ...
, announced that the 1985 contest would be the last televised on the BBC. Grade stated that the contest "no longer merits national air time. They are an anachronism in this day and age of equality and verging on the offensive." Jill Saxby, who later married the
snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sports, cue sport played on a Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets, one at each corner and o ...
star
Willie Thorne William Joseph Thorne (4 March 195417 June 2020) was an English professional snooker player. He won one ranking title, the 1985 Classic. He also reached the final of the 1985 UK Championship, losing 16–14 to Steve Davis after leading 13–8 ...
therefore became the last Miss Great Britain to be crowned on television in 1985. Morecambe Town Council put the contest up for sale following the 1989 final and there were no contests held for a number of years.


Notable Miss Great Britain Contestants

Notable contestants in the Miss Great Britain contest have included: *
Anne Heywood Anne Heywood (born 11 December 1931) is a British retired film actress, who is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in ''The Fox''. Early life and career Born as Violet Joan Pretty in 1931 to Harold and Edna E. ( Lowndes) Pre ...
, a film actor during the 1950s–80s, won the title in 1950 under her real name of Violet Pretty. *
Leila Williams Leila Williams (born 1937) is a former British beauty queen and television presenter. She was one of the original presenters of ''Blue Peter'', working on the programme from 1958 to 1962. Career In 1957 Williams won the Miss Great Britain title. ...
, a presenter of the children's television programme
Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...
between 1958 and 1962, won the title in 1957. *
Marti Caine Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd (26 January 1945 – 4 November 1995), was an English comedian, actress, dancer, presenter, singer, and writer, who first came to national attention by winning the television talent show ''New Faces'' in 1 ...
, a comedian, competed in 1961. * Nina Carter, a future
Page 3 Page 3, or Page Three, was a British newspaper convention of publishing a large image of a topless female glamour model (known as a Page 3 girl) on the third page of mainstream red-top tabloids. '' The Sun'' introduced the feature, publishing ...
girl, appeared in the 1971 final. *
Debbie Greenwood Debbie Greenwood (born 16 September 1959 in Liverpool) is a British television presenter and a former beauty queen who won the title of ''Miss Great Britain'' in 1984. Career Greenwood began her broadcasting career in 1984, presenting regional p ...
, who later became a
breakfast television Breakfast television (Europe, Canada, and Australia) or morning show (United States) is a type of news or infotainment television programme that broadcasts live in the morning (typically scheduled between 5:00 and 10:00a.m., or if it is a ...
presenter, won the title in 1984. *
Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English model and television personality. A former Miss England (2004) and Miss Great Britain (2006), Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain tit ...
*
Sophie Gradon Sophie Hannah Gradon (25 October 1985 – 20 June 2018) was an English model. In 2008, she won Miss Newcastle. In 2009, Gradon won the title Miss Great Britain. In 2016, she was a contestant on the second series of ITV2's ''Love Island''. Ear ...
*
Zara Holland Zara Holland is a British television personality best known for taking part in reality show ''Love Island'' on ITV2. She formerly held the title of Miss Great Britain owned by CEO John Singh. Life and career In June 2016 she took part in ITV2 ...
*
Preeti Desai Preeti Desai is a British actress, supermodel, and former Miss Great Britain. She made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to win the title in 2006. Desai made her acting debut with acclaimed film ''Shor in the City'' (2011) a ...


2006 event

The 2006 title holder was
Preeti Desai Preeti Desai is a British actress, supermodel, and former Miss Great Britain. She made history by becoming the first woman of Indian descent to win the title in 2006. Desai made her acting debut with acclaimed film ''Shor in the City'' (2011) a ...
from
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
who made history as the first winner of
Indian ethnicity Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...
. She had come fifth in the pageant but was selected by a poll of newspaper readers to replace the original winner
Danielle Lloyd Danielle Lloyd (formerly O'Hara; born 16 December 1983) is an English model and television personality. A former Miss England (2004) and Miss Great Britain (2006), Lloyd first rose to prominence when she was stripped of her Miss Great Britain tit ...
, who had been stripped of the title following a scandal. Lloyd's title was restored to her some years later and she is included in the contest's list of previous winners.


2007 event

Rachael Tennent, a project co-ordinator, was awarded the crown of Miss Great Britain. Along with the crown, the new titleholder was gifted a car, jewellery and a modelling contract. Tennent had previously competed for the Miss Scotland 2006 title which she placed 2nd runner-up. The event was held in
Grosvenor House Grosvenor House was one of the largest townhouses in London, home of the Grosvenor family (better known as the Dukes of Westminster) for more than a century. Their original London residence was on Millbank, but after the family had developed ...
in
Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from May ...
, London. Tennent did not complete her reign which resulted in
Gemma Garrett Gemma Dawn Garrett (born 25 September 1981, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is a former holder of the titles Miss Great Britain and Miss Ulster. She is the official face of the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone. She appeared with Dolph ...
(Miss Great Britain 1st Runner Up 2007) taking over the title of Miss Great Britain for the rest of the year.http://www.miss-gb.co.uk/newsitem.asp?newsID=48 Miss Great Britain


2009 event

The event took place on 12 May 2009 at the
Café de Paris Café de Paris may refer to: Establishments *Café de Paris (London), a London nightclub * Café de Paris, Chicago, a Chicago nightclub * Café de Paris (restaurant), Geneva * Café de Paris (Rome), a bar in Rome, Italy * Café de Paris (Cubzac-les ...
in Central London. A strong PR campaign was orchestrated to re-brand the event to the nation, with some 70,000 online entrants being whittled down through national heats to the final 12 girls. Heavily covered by the media, the eventual winner was Miss Newcastle -
Sophie Gradon Sophie Hannah Gradon (25 October 1985 – 20 June 2018) was an English model. In 2008, she won Miss Newcastle. In 2009, Gradon won the title Miss Great Britain. In 2016, she was a contestant on the second series of ITV2's ''Love Island''. Ear ...
who won Miss Great Britain at the age of 23 years old.


Title holders


Archives

Archives of Miss Great Britain are held at
The Women's Library The Women's Library is England's main library and museum resource on women and the women's movement, concentrating on Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has an institutional history as a coherent collection dating back to the mid-1920s, ...
at the
Library of the London School of Economics The British Library of Political and Economic Science, commonly referred to as "LSE Library", is the main library of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It is one of the largest libraries in the world devoted to the eco ...
. Most surviving material is held at Lancashire Archives as part of the Morecambe and Heysham Borough Council collection.


References

{{Reflist Beauty pageants in the United Kingdom British awards Recurring events established in 1945 Women in the United Kingdom