Wouldn't it be fairer if UK (and the other big 4 countries) had to qualify like all others? Has that every been seriously considered and if not, why not?

 

It’s been discussed at length, and ultimately if the ‘Big 5’ didn’t contribute the amount of money they currently do to the contest then there would be no contest (or certainly not on the scale we’re used to).

Thanks for clarification but that feels a bit "all countries are equal but some are more equal than others" But we live in a world where money talks.

 

Although the fact that UK phoned in its entrants with no.hope of winning for several years but people still watch means that maybe there would still be healthy ratings for a UKless show f they didn't qualify on merit.

It would be interesting to know in other countries how much them not being in the final affects the ratings.

 

I’ve long thought auto-qualifying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as it actually means you’re statistically likely to have a higher proportion of very low finishes in the final. Better that the song is put out of its misery in the semis if it isn’t good enough.

I’ve long thought auto-qualifying isn’t all it’s cracked up to be as it actually means you’re statistically likely to have a higher proportion of very low finishes in the final. Better that the song is put out of its misery in the semis if it isn’t good enough.

That is the reason why Germany has done so badly in recent years - two last positions in a row 2022-2023. Now they did way better. It's a bit like a gamble for the automatic qualifiers.

Thanks for clarification but that feels a bit "all countries are equal but some are more equal than others" But we live in a world where money talks.

 

Although the fact that UK phoned in its entrants with no.hope of winning for several years but people still watch means that maybe there would still be healthy ratings for a UKless show f they didn't qualify on merit.

I think part of the appeal to UK viewers is tuning to see how bad our Eurovision entry is. Then if we send something decent like Sam and there is a bit of hype the papers pick up on then they tune in to see what all the fuss is about. Take that away and you end up losing a lot of casual viewers.

I remember 2010 having a really low rating in the UK compared to most others in the last twenty years, probably because there was very little hype for Josh Dubovie to do well at all compared to Jade and Blue either side of it and no obvious big novelty entries that year to tune into. I think it also took place on a very sunny day which might have hit ratings further.

 

Many of my friends this year didn’t even realise it was on compared to the massive publicity Liverpool got, and yeah no one ever thought Olly had a shot at winning compared to his almost-namesake Molly a decade ago, which was another big ratings year here.

I wouldn't watch the show if it wasn't for the UK being in it and I suspect the majority of the UK wouldn't either. The lure of it is the inevitable lack of televotes or the surprising votes from some juries, the campness but also how bad the show is really. It's always incredibly naff with moments of brilliance which makes it so entertaining.

I remember 2010 having a really low rating in the UK compared to most others in the last twenty years, probably because there was very little hype for Josh Dubovie to do well at all compared to Jade and Blue either side of it and no obvious big novelty entries that year to tune into. I think it also took place on a very sunny day which might have hit ratings further.

 

Many of my friends this year didn’t even realise it was on compared to the massive publicity Liverpool got, and yeah no one ever thought Olly had a shot at winning compared to his almost-namesake Molly a decade ago, which was another big ratings year here.

2010 was a complete embarrassment for us. The entry just had nothing going for it whatsoever. The song would have sounded dated in the 80’s , the lyrics were awful and it wasn’t particularly sung very well and the staging was terrible. To me that was an entry that deserved 0 points.

Thanks for clarification but that feels a bit "all countries are equal but some are more equal than others" But we live in a world where money talks.

 

Well the fact there wouldn’t be a contest on the sheer scale we currently have without the ‘Big 5’ then I’m kinda glad 5 countries still heavily invest in it which allows others to participate.

Well the fact there wouldn’t be a contest on the sheer scale we currently have without the ‘Big 5’ then I’m kinda glad 5 countries still heavily invest in it which allows others to participate.

 

This tbh! The Big Five with autoqualifiers allows for there to be a competition in thr first place :lol:

Has Olly given any press interviews since the contest? I can't find any.

Has Olly given any press interviews since the contest? I can't find any.

 

No but he did post this the other day:

 

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Oh he has spoken :o glad he’s seeing the nil points as iconic at least. I thought he’d have a TV interview at least.

So we might as well go back to having a national selection next year, right? Could be fun - maybe have each local radio station pick their artists / songs and put them forward for a grand final?

I’m not against a national selection but the problem is that if it’s controlled by the BBC you tend to end up with a MOR winner. If the public are just asked to choose between 50 shades of Dizzy it won’t necessarily help. And I’m not sure the general public in this country are invested enough in Eurovision to make a selection contest a success.

And I’m not sure the general public in this country are invested enough in Eurovision to make a selection contest a success.

I'm sure they do like how Spain really upped the interest of Eurovision these years with Benidorm Fest. The UK can do something similar but as you said in the former, the problem lies in the style of music BBC picks, so can't see an NF being a success if all songs are vetted to suit a narrative that has not been working most of the time.

I am absolutely against a national selection. I'm sorry. The public cannot be trusted with ANYTHING. Seriously.

I am absolutely against a national selection. I'm sorry. The public cannot be trusted with ANYTHING. Seriously.

 

This is absolutely true, it could do more harm than good.

 

I mean this is the same British public that would vote Mrs Brown's Boys as best comedy, let's not forget.

But the real competition is decided by the public, so saying the public can’t be trusted with it seems slightly circular. :lol: OK it’s only 50% public votes and by all countries not just the UK, but I don’t think there’s any evidence that the UK public televotes are out of line with other countries’. And you could have 50% jury votes in the national contest too.

 

Of course you still have to make sure that the selection show is being watched by a representative audience and that you’re shortlisting enough variety in the first place. The last bit is where I worry it would fall down.

I think that’s why the shortlist should come through local radio - enough decent musical experts there. You could have a 50/50 voting split with juries for the final.