The 25 most embarrassing Eurovision performances ever
From tone-deaf grannies to uncomfortably sexual siblings, behold the most cringe-worthy acts the song contest has ever seen
22 May 2021 • 7:28am
Amazingly, not all of the most embarrassing Eurovision acts have been sent by the UK - but a vast majority of them have been
Eurovision is back again for 2021 after a year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, exhibiting some of Europe s most eccentric pop talent.
This year, the UK s hopes ride on the shoulders of 2014 Brit Award-winner James Newman, with earnest single Embers .
The first semi-final took place on May 18, and the preview of Newman’s performance at the second Semi-Final on May 20 looked promising. You can see how the London singer-songwriter fares by tuning in to the Grand Final on Saturday, May 22, which will be broadcast live on BBC One from Rotterdam from 8pm.
1970: Mary Hopkin, ‘Knock, Knock, Who’s There?’
Welsh folk singer Hopkin gave the UK another second place at Eurovision, after a string of hit singles including Goodbye (written and produced by Paul McCartney).
After she married top producer Tony Visconti in 1971, she withdrew from the limelight, but still sang on several albums he produced, including David Bowie’s Low. After a late-Seventies comeback, she joined a group called Oasis (not the Gallaghers’ band), and sang on Vangelis’s soundtrack for Blade Runner. She is still recording, and released her last studio album in 2013.
In 2018, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her break out single Those Were the Days, produced by Paul McCartney, Hopkin released a new acoustic version of the track.
Every Eurovision UK entry ranked, from worst to best
All 61 Eurovision UK entries, rated: how have your guilty favourites fared?
20 May 2021 • 7:23am
The UK hasn t won Eurovision since 1998 and most recently placed last in 2019. Surely, the only way from here is up
The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 is underway. Following last year s cancellation, fans are no doubt anticipating a spectacle of excess come the final on May 22.
This year, the UK s hopes ride on the shoulders of 2014 Brit Award-winner James Newman, with earnest single Embers .
You can see how the London singer-songwriter fares by tuning in to BBC Four for the second Semi-Final on May 20 and the Grand Final on May 22, which will go live on BBC One from 8pm.
The 25 most embarrassing Eurovision performances ever
From tone-deaf grannies to uncomfortably sexual siblings, behold the most cringe-worthy acts the song contest has ever seen
20 May 2021 • 7:29am
Amazingly, not all of the most embarrassing Eurovision acts have been sent by the UK - but a vast majority of them have been
Eurovision is back again for 2021 after a year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, exhibiting some of Europe s most eccentric pop talent.
Despite only 10 countries competing at this year s event in Rotterdam, compared to the usual 26 finalists, the competition will be watched not only across the continent, but around the world, being broadcast on TV and streamed online by millions.