Eurovision - Should we leave?

[wearysmith]

Very interesting reading through old Eurovision quotes above. Last night I watched through all the BBC's reflection shows.

Me, banished to the tv upstairs in the bedroom. Wife won’t wear it, but I’m addicted. One of the best nights of the year usually. It wasn't the same, but I enjoyed the vibe.
I’m with Graham Norton: “It’s almost impossible, I think, to explain Eurovision to someone who doesn’t know what it is or hasn’t seen it before because you’ve got to know how it got to where it is today...”. Too right.

Only thing I didn't like about last night was that the artists were clearly reading from boards/autocues for their after-clip comments. Why?? Some of them must have been able to write their own statements rather than reading out the 'let's-all-pull-together' dross that had been prepared for them. I suspect the Eurovision organisers were concerned they might say something real in these difficult times. How refreshing would that have been?

Other than that, great night. REALLY loved the Michael Schulte - Nicole duet of 'A Little Peace'. Still a lovely song.

 

The trouble with Eurovision for many years hasn't been the material. Those taking the trouble to forgo preconceptions and actually watch will have seen rap, grunge, power-ballads, club trax…. No, the issue is with 'issues'. My main shout-at-the-screen moments these past 10 years or so have been at 'causes'. I'm not anti-alternative lifestyles, but it almost seems like the organisers and various countries are picking candidates with a cause to promote. A directive to look for the sympathy vote. Well, that's just cheating. It's a SONG contest, not a 'cause' contest. That seems to have been forgotten. I'm not saying cross-dressers with beards don't face an uphill struggle in the world, far from it. But it shouldn't be a winning ticket.

But I'll still be tuned in year, COVID19 permitting.

Edited May 17, 2020 by wearysmith

[Baron99]

If we're in, (we were last night of course), my wife watches it every year.  I tend to dip in & out & I do like the voting bit when they go to the various countries' capitals for the novelty value. 

 

However for me, the whole thing lost its sparkle when Terry Wogan stopped doing the commentary.  He was genuinely funny. 

 

For me Graham Norton is just plain insulting at times.  Take last night, one of the singers does her little bit of her song & Norton's comment; "She's eighteen & has a cat!  Well we all can't be fascinating." 

 

Think it's about time we found a new presenter for this gig & not Rylan please.  

[geared]

Why can't we watch the show if we don't enter?

 

I can't believe millions of British people are watching it just to see the UK entrance flop again.

[wearysmith]

1 hour ago, Baron99 said:

If we're in, (we were last night of course), my wife watches it every year.  I tend to dip in & out & I do like the voting bit when they go to the various countries' capitals for the novelty value. 

 

However for me, the whole thing lost its sparkle when Terry Wogan stopped doing the commentary.  He was genuinely funny. 

 

For me Graham Norton is just plain insulting at times.  Take last night, one of the singers does her little bit of her song & Norton's comment; "She's eighteen & has a cat!  Well we all can't be fascinating." 

 

Think it's about time we found a new presenter for this gig & not Rylan please.  

I concur. In retrospect Norton was never the right choice. At the time Wogan stepped down though, Norton seemed the natural successor. Hard to speculate whom else they could have gone with back then. 

 

It's getting to be like Dr Who, isn't it? Who's next? I'd go with a woman. Someone like Clare Grogan or Lauren Laverne. 

Alas, I think we've many more Graham Norton years left yet.

[ECCOnoob]

On 04/05/2017 at 23:49, Puggie said:

 

Taxpayers (through TV licence) pay a contributory amount for having a British entry every year.

 

A Freedom of Information [request] made to the BBC back in 2012 found that £310,000 was paid for that year's entry alone.

In the world of television and media £310,000 is nothing.

 

Just think of the millions and millions of pounds that get spent obtaining football rights or access to sporting events.  I personally find watching a load of primadonnas kicking a bag of wind around a grass pitch less entertaining than staring at the wall but it clearly attracts viewers and is popular.  

 

I will say the same about Eurovision.  Personally I quite like the silliness of it.   Its tradition and good for a laugh especially after a few glasses of something.  

 

Whilst it might not be to everybody's taste it certainly attract massive viewing audiences I suspect more than makes a return on investment.

  

[kaytie]

While I'm a ardent EU Remainer/Rejoiner I do think the Eurosplodge (was it Kenny Everett coined that one?) is dire and I'm all for brexitting this twollop.

[speleo1]

All I can say is I don't watch it,watched it a few times in early years when abba ,bucks fizz,but I find it rubbish now so I would not miss it at all.

[geared]

12 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

Just think of the millions and millions of pounds that get spent obtaining football rights

  

 

Not millions and millions, billions and billions.  Amazing amounts of money.

[butlers]

Not so easy to work out tv rights as they split I to ever smaller packages but..

About £3,000,000,000 per year with overseas rights.

Obscene amounts of  dosh