Eurovision

[grumpy01]

Just heard on the news that management of Dua lepa and others are to choose our entry for next year.Best of luck with that,given Europe’s attitude towards better we withdraw gracefully.

[bhg481]

You can't withdraw gracefully after a nil-points verdict. Mind you, I suspect you could back free TV licences to 75-year olds with the money the BBC would save by not participating.

[Mamyalynne]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58753193

Never surrender.

[ichkeria]

Like it or not (and I happen to) the Eurovision event is one of the most popular programmes of the year, in the UK as much as anywhere.
Every year the UK chooses an awful entry then blames everyone else when it does poorly.
When football teams do badly they sack the manager, they don’t withdraw from the competition - that’s what’s Hellenes here and quite right too, although unless they have a serious look at it I can’t see much changing

[ichkeria]

That’s what’s “happened”
Nothing to do with the Greeks ..

[grumpy01]

I used to like it Ichkeria but the music now is not for me,too many novelty songs and even more political voting than ever was.

[Mamyalynne]

Maybe Tap management will do a better choice of song, it won't have a great effect on the voting sadly.

[pat2604]

We could produce the best song ever heard and we would never get anywhere. They just don't like us. The whole thing is a waste of time and rubbish to watch. We should get out of it. Eurovision Brexit!!

[andy-hughes]

I heard someone on BBC Breakfast - not sure if he was an expert because i came in part way through, and he said that voting was not political.

Somehow I doubt that - it went back to the 60's when Greece Turkey and Cyprus would ignore each other in the voting, and it has clearly got worse.

He did also say that our songs lose because they are simply not good enough, and there I think he absolutely has a point.

[pat2604]

Personally, i don't know anyone who enjoys it. Young or old. It's just become a gay music festival. The songs don't matter any more.

[ichkeria]

We’ve been over this countless retuned but the political voting so-called is largely a myth. Greece and Cyprus juries have always voted for each as far as I can recall. And Spain was accused of nefarious voting shennanigans back in the 1969s.
Things evolve with time (unless you’re Greek or Cypriot it seems). The competition is now much bigger and although there’s the odd biased vote by a jury (which currently only counts for a fraction of the total, it’s not IMO significant
Nowadays the songs get a much wider airing and the best ones get played millions of times before the big day.
The British entries are simply no good: it’s as simple as that. When was the last time the UK was quoted among the best entries in advance?

[ichkeria]

“ Maybe Tap management will do a better choice of song, it won't have a great effect on the voting sadly.”

I beg to differ on that: each year a fancied song nearly always wins and that song can be from anywhere: east, west, north, south.
If there’s dislike of the UK it’s more dismay that a country famed for its music doesn’t appear to make more of an effort.
Get a decent entry and you gave a chance at least of being up there
Look at Ireland: popular old Ireland you’d think, who used to win every year.
Now they hardly ever even make the final.
And it’s partly because their songs are hardly better or at least better equipped than the UK’s

[ToraToraTora]

dunno why anyone bothers, it's not been a song contest since the 80s

[lankeela]

Why don't we have well known singers representing us - maybe even bring back Cliff or Lulu at least we had a chance with them.

[ichkeria]

Indeed.
It seems no one wants to do it for risk of humiliation.
Maybe that is part of the problem with UK entries generally.
We always pick something bland, and the poor sod who has to sing it loses little by reputation even if they do badly.

[Paul22118]

Give it to ITV. Let fresh eyes have a go. I don't think we have a hope in hell, too political but the BBC have graphically failed to turn it around. ITV are entitled - let them have it.

[Gromit]

With the split up of the USSR there are far more countries in it now than ever before. And we let Turkey, Israel, Morocco and Australia in too.
So to get no points is a great accomplishment.