Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not get the hype about Eurovision

42 replies

Karcher · 10/03/2023 09:13

Just that really? Whenever it comes around each year theres so much hype, chatter and media coverage about it. But yet it's always made out to seem like 'Eurotrash' and a competition full of tacky performances and terrible songs.

The other day I was listening to the radio and the hosts were talking about Eurovision and mentioned how the U.K. usually places quite poorly in the competition, but that last year we (the U.K.) actually submitted a good entry for once and it came in second (yes I know the song and I do like it!). There was a discussion about how the panel who select the song are trying to choose better songs and artists to enter the competition with the aim to place higher in the results going forward.

Who chooses the artist and song entries each year, and why has the U.K. historically gone with such bad choices? What has prevented them from submitting a good song (equivalent to last years') during the previous years?

I heard the U.K.'s entry for this year on the radio this morning and while I don't mind the song, it sounds a bit dated and not nearly as good as last years song, although better than most of the previous entries from the U.K.

AIBU to not get the hype over the whole Eurovision thing?

OP posts:
Clioma · 10/03/2023 09:16

I don't get the hype about Eurovision at all. It's not my thing and I don't usually watch it. But I saw the UK song on BBC1 last night and I really liked it. Very catchy.

LimeCheesecake · 10/03/2023 09:18

The audience figures are insane. You don’t get it, but it’s massively popular, nothing else comes close. Internationally it’s insanely popular too, however because we are one of the group who always gets a place in the final no matter what (because we pay for it), we don’t really care about the song.

until last year. I’m annoyed they’ve let a not very good song through. Last year showed a good artist and song can make a career out of it. It should have been a turning point.

PeekAtYou · 10/03/2023 09:19

I think it's natural for there to be hype as it's unlikely to be held in the UK ever again and because the media always gets excited when the previous year has been successful whatever the sport.

Mortimercat · 10/03/2023 09:20

I couldn’t stand it when I was a child and was essentially forced to watch it. Fortunately I have managed to avoid it for the last forty years.

LadyHarmby · 10/03/2023 09:23

I don’t get the hype over football but that doesn’t mean other people shouldn’t like it.

It’s fun. It’s entertaining. It constantly (and cheesily) promotes a message of unity and peace.

The BBC choose the entry and I think there was reluctance to do it because of our poor showings and so they struggled to find people. Last year, they changed tack and (I suspect) paid a bit more and put more effort in. They also did a lot more promotion pre-competition across Europe as well and it obviously paid off.

purpledalmation · 10/03/2023 10:21

It's a bit of euro madness, fun and silliness. It has grown on me.

Doggydooda · 10/03/2023 10:48

It is just a bit of fun and the politics are not worth getting annoyed about TBH !

EmmaEmerald · 10/03/2023 10:50

I'm also mystified.

It's part of a storyline in Emily in Paris, I just thought...what?! Why on earth would that feature in a show? It's obviously become massively fashionable, but whyyyyy tho.

murasaki · 10/03/2023 10:57

I love it, the mad entries, the snarky commentary, the costumes, trying to score it, the lot.

DP dislikes it and watches under sufferance. I think he likes it really though but just won't admit it...if he really hated it he'd go out to the pub.

Twizbe · 10/03/2023 11:01

The story goes that after the disastrous 2021 nil points, an exec producer for the UK entry and the exec producer for the Spanish entry drowned their sorrows together (Spain also did terribly) in a bar.

They vowed to do better next year. As members of the big 5 they hadn't needed to try for years and so they didn't.

Spain came third last year I believe.

I think the BBC has finally realised that you do have to try with Eurovision if you want to win.

PopGoesTheProsecco · 10/03/2023 11:10

I love Eurovision! I'm on a WhatsApp group with some friends and every year we watch it while playing Eurovision bingo (there's an accordion playing - drink!), comment on the acts and try to guess what the top five will be. It's just brilliant, mindless fun.

Enfys1982 · 10/03/2023 11:14

There was nothing more joyful than Terry Wogan’s Eurovision commentary, it frequently had me double over in hysterics. Graham Norton started off by taking it more seriously, but even he’s going the same way now. Anyway to get to your point there are lots of things I don’t get, we can’t all like the same things can we? And the entries aren’t all tacky at all, they used to be but over the last decade or so it’s got a lot better.

The U.K used to traditionally do very well but fhe BBC gave up about twenty years ago, it’s no secret that when we do send decent songs performed by people than can actually sing (Sam Ryder and Jade Ewan) then we do very well again. Also as a previous poster has said it rates amazingly well, if the BBC ever did drop it (they wont) then ITV would snap it up.

Twizbe · 10/03/2023 11:19

Jade Ewan's song with Andrew Lloyd Webber was so good. She came 5th that year.

My all time favourite is a toss up between Love Shine a Light and Heroes.

I loved that they used Love Shine a Light for the 2020 show that wasn't a contest.

Ifailed · 10/03/2023 11:24

The audience figures are insane.

8.9 million viewers in the UK in 2022, 13% of the population. Hardly 'insane'.

Toddlerteaplease · 10/03/2023 11:25

It's not as if we even won it last year either.

Twizbe · 10/03/2023 11:27

Toddlerteaplease · 10/03/2023 11:25

It's not as if we even won it last year either.

Last year we won the jury vote. We won the song part of the contest.

Ukraine won the viewer vote which was a huge Fuck you to Russia from the whole of Europe. They needed that boost and we needed to give it.

Enfys1982 · 10/03/2023 11:27

@Ifailed thats still far higher than most things these days bar reality TV show and major sporting events.

Parky04 · 10/03/2023 11:27

It's great fun. We all dress up and go to the pub. Best night of the year.

Parky04 · 10/03/2023 11:29

Ifailed · 10/03/2023 11:24

The audience figures are insane.

8.9 million viewers in the UK in 2022, 13% of the population. Hardly 'insane'.

Many more millions actually watch it in the pub or at friends houses!

DangerPigeon · 10/03/2023 11:34

That's alright, I'll have all your spare hype, can't get enough of it!

purplesky18 · 10/03/2023 11:43

Ok I am a huge Eurovision fanatic and have been since I was a child. I love the camp of it all, the wide variety of culture and togetherness it creates. I love the silly entires and also the absolutely incredible ones. Eurovision is like most things I suppose you either love it or you hate it. The UK was doing so awfully because we sent shite every year whilst other countries were sending their version of Beyonce. Last year we had an incredible artist and it showed, Spains performance last year is one of my all time favourites. It’s just a bit of fun over all and it’s one of those things that if you get it, you really get it 😃

lazycats · 10/03/2023 11:46

I can take or leave but it's really not hard to understand its semi-ironic kitsch appeal. It's silly and it knows it.

Karcher · 10/03/2023 11:47

purplesky18 · 10/03/2023 11:43

Ok I am a huge Eurovision fanatic and have been since I was a child. I love the camp of it all, the wide variety of culture and togetherness it creates. I love the silly entires and also the absolutely incredible ones. Eurovision is like most things I suppose you either love it or you hate it. The UK was doing so awfully because we sent shite every year whilst other countries were sending their version of Beyonce. Last year we had an incredible artist and it showed, Spains performance last year is one of my all time favourites. It’s just a bit of fun over all and it’s one of those things that if you get it, you really get it 😃

But WHY are / were we sending shite every year?? It's a competition. We don't send Beer Belly Billy from the pub down the road to compete and represent the U.K. in the Olympics because we send someone who is the best at what they do and who has a chance at winning.

OP posts:
lazycats · 10/03/2023 11:47

EmmaEmerald · 10/03/2023 10:50

I'm also mystified.

It's part of a storyline in Emily in Paris, I just thought...what?! Why on earth would that feature in a show? It's obviously become massively fashionable, but whyyyyy tho.

Some people would wonder why anyone would waste their time watching Emily In Paris, so there you go.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/03/2023 12:08

Complete and utter pile of shite IMO, but it's easily enough avoided.

Swipe left for the next trending thread