Finally, it seems the BBC is serious about the Eurovision Song Contest. They have always professed to be serious about it and I have been happy to believe them. I’ve never been able to comprehend why they would deliberately want to be embarrassed every year.
So it’s a case of thanks Daz, good effort Scooch and you did your best Andy, now it’s time for a full blooded attempt to reverse the fortunes of the most successful of Eurovision countries. The master of the musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber, has agreed to write the UK’s song for Moscow 2009. He will also help choose the singer in a series of elimination shows, starting in January. Another good move. The British public have proved to be, shall we politely say, unreliable, when it comes to choosing who should represent their country; they rejected LoveShy, with the type of song that scores lots of points these days, in favour of a song that would be forgotten by the time the next act entered the stage, Flying the Flag is a children’s party song whereas Cyndi would have finished in the top ten, and Daz is a lovely bloke, but rap?
Lord Lloyd Webber’s presence should also help ensure that we a have decent singer to complement the song. It’s been a mystery to me how so many poor singers have found themselves on the biggest of international stages. The whole country was on the edge of their seats in 2001, praying that Lindsay D would hit that high note at the end. She did, bless her, but should there have been any doubt?
Long gone (hopefully) are the days of a UK national final which lasted five minutes and was tucked away on a Sunday afternoon after the Eastenders omnibus. Next year, we get four (yes four) shows to watch. It’s almost like being in Sweden!
So well done, BBC. This fan can be proud of his country again. Mr Bookmaker, show me your odds.
