Miss Great Britain
| Formation | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Type | Beauty pageant |
| Headquarters | London |
| Location | |
Official language | English |
Miss Great Britain is a national beauty pageant in the United Kingdom with origins dating back to the post–World War II era. First held in 1945, the competition has evolved over the decades and remains one of the country's longest-running beauty contests. The pageant is currently owned by John Singh and continues to feature sub-brands such as Ms Great Britain and Ms Great Britain Classic. [1]
History
[edit]In the years following World War II, a number of British seaside resorts began hosting bathing beauty contests. The first event that evolved into Miss Great Britain took place in Morecambe in 1945, organised by the local council in partnership with the Sunday Dispatch newspaper.[2]
Miss Great Britain was based in Morecambe from 1956 to 1989. The first final attracted over 4,000 spectators despite heavy rain. The prize fund increased steadily during the 1950s, reflecting the contest’s growing popularity, and at the time it offered one of the largest prize totals run by a local authority. Heats were later held across Mecca dance halls, and between 1951 and 1957, winners also qualified to compete in Miss World.[3]
During the 1970s, the contest gained national exposure through televised broadcasts. A production by Yorkshire Television for ITV in 1971 drew an audience of several million viewers. The BBC later acquired rights to the event, but in 1984 announced its final broadcast, citing changing public attitudes toward beauty pageants.[4] Following the 1989 final, Miss Great Britain went on hiatus. After its period of inactivity, Miss Great Britain was acquired by businessperson John Singh, who reintroduced the competition under a new management structure. John had prior experience in entertainment and event promotion and had collaborated with figures from the broader pageant industry, including Eric Morley of Miss World. Under John's ownership, the contest was re-established and diversified through the introduction of additional categories such as Ms Great Britain and Ms Great Britain Classic. In 1996, Anita St Rose was crowned as the first Black Miss Great Britain, a milestone widely noted in pageant coverage of the time.
Present Day
[edit]Today Miss Great Britain continues to operate as a national competition with regional heats across the UK. The pageant focuses on personal development, public engagement, and charity work alongside traditional beauty contest elements.
Notable Miss Great Britain Contestants
[edit]- Anne Heywood, a film actor during the 1950s–80s, won the title under her real name of Violet Pretty.[1]
- Leila Williams, a presenter of the children's television programme *Blue Peter* between 1958 and 1962, won the title.[1]
- Marti Caine, a comedian, competed under her real name of Lynne Shepherd.[1]
- Nina Carter, a future *Page 3* girl, appeared in the final under her real name of Penny Mallett.[1]
- Debbie Greenwood, who later became a breakfast television presenter, won the title.[1]
- Leilani Dowding, an activist, TV personality, and former *Page 3* girl and glamour model, became the first woman of Asian descent to win the title.[1]
- Danielle Lloyd, a model and TV personality, won the title. Controversy led to Preeti Desai replacing Lloyd that same year.[5] However, Lloyd was reinstated in 2010.[6]
- Sophie Gradon, a model and TV personality, won the title. Sophie appeared on Love Island (2015 TV series) series 2.
- Shelby Tribble, a model and television personality, was a finalist in the Miss Great Britain contest. She later gained recognition for appearing on the ITVBe reality series The Only Way Is Essex, joining the cast in series 25.
- Zara Holland won the title in 2016 and appeared on Love Island (2015 TV series) series 2.
2006 event
[edit]In November 2006, the original winner, Danielle Lloyd, was stripped of her title due to allegations of her involvement with one of the judges and her agreement to pose for Playboy magazine. A poll of readers of The Sun newspaper selected Preeti Desai as Lloyd’s replacement. This made Desai the first woman of Indian heritage to hold the Miss Great Britain title, albeit for only six months. However, in 2010, the pageant organizer Liz Fuller reversed this decision, reinstating Danielle Lloyd as the rightful winner and thereby annulling Desai's title.
2007 event
[edit]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 in Park Lane, London. Tennent did not complete her reign which resulted in Gemma Garrett (Miss Great Britain 1st Runner Up 2007) taking over the title of Miss Great Britain for the rest of the year.[7]
2009 event
[edit]The event took place on 12 May 2009 at the Café de Paris 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 who won Miss Great Britain at the age of 23 years old.[8]
2010 event
[edit]Amy Carrier a 20‑year‑old law student from Liverpool, was crowned Miss Great Britain at a ceremony held in Weston‑super‑Mare. Selected from 57 contestants, it was her first beauty competition entry. Lisa Lazarus was first runner‑up and Gina Basham was second runner‑up.[9][10]
Title holders
[edit]| Year | Miss Great Britain | Ms Great Britain | Ms Great Britain Classic |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Lydia Reid | ||
| 1946 | June Rivers | ||
| 1947 | June Mitchell | ||
| 1948 | Pamela Bayliss | ||
| 1949 | Elaine Pryce | ||
| 1950 | Violet Pretty | ||
| 1951 | Marlene Dee | ||
| 1952 | Dorothy Dawn | ||
| 1953 | Brenda Mee | ||
| 1954 | Patricia Butler | ||
| 1955 | Jennifer Chimes | ||
| 1956 | Iris Waller | ||
| 1957 | Leila Williams | ||
| 1958 | Christine Mayo | ||
| 1959 | Valerie Martin | ||
| 1960 | Eileen Sheridan† | ||
| 1961 | Libby Walker | ||
| 1962 | Joy Black | ||
| 1963 | Gillian Taylor | ||
| 1964 | Carole Redhead | ||
| 1965 | Diane Hickinbotham | ||
| 1966 | Carole Fletcher | ||
| 1967 | Sheila Forrest | ||
| 1968 | Yvonne Ormes | ||
| 1969 | Wendy Anne George | ||
| 1970 | Kathleen Winstanley | ||
| 1971 | Carolyn Moore | ||
| 1972 | Elizabeth Robinson | ||
| 1973 | Gay Spink | ||
| 1974 | Marilyn Ward | ||
| 1975 | Susan Cuff | ||
| 1976 | Dinah May | ||
| 1977 | Susan Hempel | ||
| 1978 | Patricia Morgan | ||
| 1979 | No contest | ||
| 1980 | Sue Berger | ||
| 1981 | Michelle Hobson | ||
| 1982 | Tracy Dodds (resigned) Viviennne Farnen (replacement) |
||
| 1983 | Rose McGrory | ||
| 1984 | Debbie Greenwood | ||
| 1985 | Jill Saxby | ||
| 1986 | Lesley Ann Musgrave | ||
| 1987 | Linzi Butler | ||
| 1988 | Gillian Bell | ||
| 1989 | Amanda Dyson | ||
| 1990 | No contest | ||
| 1991 | Zoe Charlesworth | ||
| 1992 | No contest | ||
| 1993 | Kathryn Middleton | ||
| 1994 | Michaela Pyke | ||
| 1995 | Sarah Jane Southwick | ||
| 1996 | Anita St. Rose | ||
| 1997 | Liz Fuller | ||
| 1998 | Leilani Dowding | ||
| 1999 | Cherie Pisani | ||
| 2000 | Michelle Walker | ||
| 2001 | Michelle Evans | ||
| 2002 | Yana Booth | ||
| 2003 | Nicki Lane | ||
| 2004 | Emma Spellar | ||
| 2005 | No contest | ||
| 2006 | Danielle Lloyd (stripped) Preeti Desai (replacement) |
||
| 2007 | Rachael Tennent (resigned) Gemma Garrett (replacement) |
||
| 2008 | No contest | ||
| 2009 | Sophie Gradon | ||
| 2010 | Amy Carrier | ||
| 2011 | No contest | ||
| 2012 | Charlotte Perkins | ||
| 2013 | Ashley Powell | ||
| 2014 | Shelby Tribble | ||
| 2015 | Zara Holland (stripped) Deone Robertson (replacement) |
||
| 2016 | Ursula Carlton | ||
| 2017 | Saffron Hart | ||
| 2018 | Kobi-Jean Cole | ||
| 2019 | No contest | ||
| 2020 | Jen Atkin | April Banbury | |
| 2021 | Eden McAllister | Kat Henry | Kirsty Fletcher |
| 2022 | Amy Meisak | Charlotte Casie Clemie | Nicoll Moss |
| 2023 | Madeleine Wahdan | Larissa Palmer-Hirst | Gina Broadhurst |
| 2024 | Ava Morgan | Emma Powell | Debbie Hughes |
| 2025 | Alice Cutler | Kirstie Haysman | Laura White |
| 2026 |
Miss Britain
[edit]In 2026, the organisers announced the creation of Miss Britain, a related pageant intended to complement the existing Miss Great Britain title. It aims to attract new participants through a contemporary competition format while maintaining the long-standing heritage of the Miss Great Britain brand.
Archives
[edit]Archives of Miss Great Britain are held at The Women's Library at the Library of the London School of Economics. Most surviving material is held at Lancashire Archives as part of the Morecambe and Heysham Borough Council collection.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Hill, Mike (28 November 2020). "Golden age of the beauty pageant when hopefuls flocked to Lancashire". Lancashire Evening Post. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
- ^ Stearns, Peter N., ed. (2008). "Beauty Contests". The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World: 1750 to the Present. Vol. 1. OUP USA. p. 371. ISBN 9780195176322. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
- ^ "Records of Miss Great Britain". Archives Hub. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "BBC to Stop Televising Beauty Pageants". The New York Times. 18 November 1984. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ …
- ^ …
- ^ "Goodbye Rachel, Hello Gemma!". Miss Great Britain. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009.
- ^ "ChronicleLive - News - Today's Chronicle - Winner of Miss Newcastle 2008 revealed". 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 February 2010. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ BBC News – “Liverpool law student crowned Miss Great Britain” (2010)
- ^ YouTube – “Miss Great Britain 2010 winners”
External links
[edit]Beauty pageants in United Kingdom | ||
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