Eurovision 2013 - 14/16/18 May 2013

Yep - with a few exceptions it's the quality of the song that matters. Yes, you need a decent singer, but you don't need a well known one. However you DO need a memorable, well written song, delivered consistently (the day before dress is equally important - as it juries have 50% of the votes, and vote on the dress).

The problem is that the BBC is balancing getting good ratings (which are delivered by the UK sending someone people have heard of - like Bonnie Tyler, Blue etc.) and doing well (which is delivered by sending a decent, usually quite MOR, song sung by someone young who can sing in a relevant and reasonably credible style) The ratings are arguably more important...

The UK's best result in the last 10 or so years was from a Pop Idol also-ran (Jessica Garlick who had a great voice) and who sang a memorable, quite catchy song that worked for her voice.

If the BBC could find a decent songwriter to write a song tailored to a popular (but possibly not the winner) Voice or X Factor contestant they might do better in the contest - but would the UK audience be as interested in watching? People don't watch because we do well after all...

There is also the issue that the BBC is not flush with cash at the moment - so spending more money on the same show is hardly going to be an option...

Nobody is expecting record companies to send Adele or Ed Sheran - it's just about sending someone who is in the mould of someone current - their fame matters very little as although others have entrants who have a fanbase in neighbouring countries, it is usually the song that wins out in the end.

If The X Factor can get 100,000 people auditionining then I'm sure the BBC could get a few hundred contenders to choose from and enough interest from song writers if they treat the show with respect, and hence treat those applying with respect. Ideally a cash prize would be thrown in too but with the BBC that's always a sensitive issue - though if they can give away up to £100,000 an episode on In it to Win It something like £25,000 for the winning UK entry isn't too significant.

The BBC has never been great at that sort of thing. I think the last talent show on the Beeb I enjoyed was Star For A Night.

But it's only in the last two years we've sent an old person doing a ballad, and as someone mentioned in the past decade our Eurovision entries have spanned the ages, from nineteen to 76. In the nineties we sent people like Gina G and Love City Groove, who certainly sounded more current - Gina G was a huge hit - and we didn't do that much better when there were fewer countries taking part.

There were mutterings last year that Syco and the BBC were going to work together on a show for that reason but they obviously didn't come to anything.

Ireland tried that with the You're A Star program but that failed miserably.

They could always think outside the box - there may not be a good public service justification for spending money on a big glossy selection process like Melodifestivalen - but they could pre-select a singer like 'Liz from Atomic Kitten' and then launch an online-based songwriting competition open to the general public, with the winner getting to work with a big producer to craft their song into our Eurovision entry.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/1de39a2bcf3b45cbe985e957171e9de2/tumblr_mn5ty9AUqY1srzzmio4_250.gif
NEVER!

Gina G was only a hit in record form though... It helps if you send someone who can sing live.

The EBU feed(s) were downlinked at TVC, then fibred to the BBC Studios and Post operation at Elstree Film studios (I think via BBC Elstree)

The Elstree Film studios gallery was where Scott/Ana or Graham's commentary came back to, graphics were added, BBC Three VTs played in, the BBC Three in-vision feed (which was also downlinked at TVC) was added, jury and televoting co-ordinated from etc. Scott was at Elstree for the Saturday voting.

The resulting mixed feed was fibred back to TVC and then passed to Red Bee for BBC One/BBC Three playout.

The Red Button team were also at BBC Elstree.

I've gathered that. What I am saying is that:

1) Lively entries such as Belarus "Solayoh" which have dance routines one would want to join in and copy I perceive as adult kids' Boogie Beebies big videos.

2) Soothing ballads such as Iceland's "Ég Á Líf" I perceive as adult kids' versions of the CBeebies Goodnight Song, "The time has come to say goodnight". I see Azerbaijan's winning entry "Running Scared" in 2011 as another example of this sort of thing.

It's just the way I personally see the world and think. Some time ago I sent a private mail to the Administrator / mod team explaining my reasons behind this, but don't wish to discuss my personal matters publicly here.

Furthermore, I think Iceland's "Ég Á Líf" was grossly under-rated at 17th place and 47 points. Eythor Ingi gave an outstanding performance of an excellent song (I voted for it in the final) and I think it should have finished second or third.

Put it this way, "Ég Á Líf" was light years better than Greece's garbage "Alcohol Is Free". About the only thing "Alcohol Is Free" is for is a stag night disco. It certainly didn't belong in Euroivision. I was appalled and disgusted to see it qualify to the final last Thursday, and even more disgusted to see it finish 6th with 152 points. Israel, San Marino or Switzerland (whose entries were much better than Greece) deserved the place in the final that Greece undeservedly took.

My only defence to Greece's entry is that I thought it wasn't as bad as Montenegro's mish mash of rap and dubstep, and was able to tolerate Greece qualifying to the final, but would have been aeven more disgusted to have seen Montenegro in the final. Greece in the final was bad enough, but Montenegro would have been even worse. I was really glad Montenegro failed to qualify, I felt their entry was the worst of all 39 songs in the 2013 ESC. Montenegro's entry didn't belong in Eurovision, full stop. Out of Montenegro and Greece, as far as I'm concerned the lesser of two evils Greece reached the final; Montenegro thankfully didn't.

Reply to complaint about BBC Three cutting in/out of the Semi Finals:



So basically - no reply at all!