Eurovision 2013 - 14/16/18 May 2013

That's Swedish in an English context, like me saying I ate Gravadlax. No "God kväll Europa" or anything like that. Quite unusual. But an acknowledgement that English is close to universally spoken in Sweden - less a second language, more a "not quite first" language... And SVT will have had commentators like everyone else.

How many rehearsals with voting do you think they had? It's usually only two or three. And one of those usually involves a tie to ensure the countback system is understood.

I don't think the green room was that far away, but isn't this the first time in three/four years that the it hasn't been behind the stage? I always remember the cringiest moment of Eurovision for years was the slow, unrehearsed, uncontrollable walk for miles behind the scenes to get the winner back to the stage, and this specifically being one of the reasons for putting the green room behind the stage so we didn't have it.

If they do a separate green room again, maybe they should fit possible winners with mics / IEM and bring them to the stage for the last 10(ish) results (during a new advert break slot), so they don't have the "pointless" result section, and get the winners to the stage without a pointless delay. After all (for those who don't know), they already know the winner 30+ minutes before the reprise.

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Overall, good show and an improvement on last year. The lack of LED was very much appreciated here, although it would be nice to see a show without bloody Sharpy's. Yes, they can look amazing, but the wow factor disappears when they're used on every blinking show from tiny 200 cap local bands up to Eurovision arenas. Anyway, good luck to Denmark on trying to improve! (and will Lynda Woodruff still be stuck in Denmark with her Bonnie Tyler sat nav come next year?)

Not far to travel for next years Song festival, if held in Copenhagen, as its only over the bridge!

Sorry did SVT censor it or the BBC?

Did the BBC run the credits themselves and opt early? Presume the feed included the whole of the winning song?

14km according Danish broadcaster DR and this lorry they parked up outside Malmo arena!

https://twitter.com/_escwebs/status/335903747144286208/photo/1

Surprised the BBC didn't cut the credits before all the sponsors appeared. An error or have they realised it doesn't actually matter?

No the end of the closing song was crashed by the host broadcast feed.

I really enjoyed the show last night, and the staging was very well done. Loved the start with the contestants walking over the bridge behind their flag

I take it all back - Petra was outstanding last night, the show was executed well and SVT did a cracking job. Graham Norton was brilliant as ever.

Interesting point about the Irish feed, Marty Whelan, the RTÉ commentator never said we were in last place, he always referred to it as 26th place.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there no green room one year? instead all the countries were in front of the stage and the audience surrounding the back and sides?

Yes that was last year in Baku.

That was my assumption, or because they were seriously over running. It was the one wrong move though in an otherwise excellent show from SVT and Petra was easily the best host in a long time. I do miss the bi/tri-lingual nature of it all though.

Graham Norton was excellent - very matter of fact with the voting rather than the poor ill-informed bad loser Wogan was. This article though sums up why the UK doesn't do any better. It's usually the songs that wouldn't be out of place in the charts which do well, not the songs that wouldn't be out of place in the charts in 1984.

http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/8910331/my-vision-for-eurovision/

Was surprised though that Ireland coming last - thought that would be in the top half at least.