Eurovision 2015 - 60th Anniversary Edition

The issue is, in the UK, Eurovision is a toxic brand when it comes to musical credibility. That isn't going to change overnight. The BBC can't change that by clicking its fingers.

Big labels, in fact even small labels, won't touch it with a barge pole.

How would you do it without label support?

Is it Eurovision or "BBC Eurovision" which is the toxic brand though?

It all goes back to 2003...

In the UK - Eurovision.

I would disagree - a decade ago certainly it was Eurovision but all the comments now are about the BBC's entry being the laughing stock of the competition, not the contest itself.

Then something needs to be done to alter the perception. I'd go as far as ditching Norton and Mills and putting in straight commentators instead (in the delivery sense!)

It also needs to be taken out of Katie Taylor's hands completely. The woman doesn't get it.

The labels need a financial incentive. A British Melfest WILL work but it just requires the work being done to drop this idea that Eurovision is a comedy.

I wouldn't ditch Norton - he gets it I think and treats it with much more respect than Wogan ever did. It doesn't need a dry straight commentary for the event to be more credible - indeed the damage is done long before Graham steps up to the mic every year.

I just think a change in channel would do it good - the BBC have got complacent and it would be good to see another approach. I'm not sure ITV would be right for the job but it would probably sit on C4 well enough - promote the semi-finals to the main channel and add a one-off British Song Contest (as a two-hour Saturday night event) to select the entry and it would do fine I'm sure. Then when it inevitably returns to the BBC hopefully it'll have been rejuvenated for them and they themselves will look at it with fresh eyes.

Glad someone is on to the ditch Norton and Mills idea too, I'd be absolutely delighted to see it presented straight. The fact that the presentation is ridicule in nature, fails to impress those 'in the know' elsewhere.

Basically you want to kill Eurovision in the UK. Your plans would see it become a very niche thing indeed.

Get a much different 'class' of viewer, if so, fine. The respect of the Record Labels and artists would return too.

The naff reputation in the UK goes back to the 60s. Both Lulu and Sandi Shaw were effectively bullied into doing it by their management as part of long term tv deals with the BBC.

Shaw is still very bitter about it ruining her "credibility".

You know we’d win the Eurovision Song Contest if you just had the balls to enter me.

— James Blunt (@JamesBlunt) March 9, 2015

Not sure whether he's being serious or not, but could the BBC just be presuming that bigger talent would not want to enter therefore have not asked. Unlikely I think but I think there's some truth in that potentially.