Hands up, who’s ready to sing their heart out? The wait is finally over – it’s time for the Eurovision final! The greatest show on earth concludes tonight and it’s set to be colourful, glam and packed full of fun, which is everything you all love about PlayOJO.
This year is the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, with last year’s winners Sweden welcoming the world following their triumphant win last year. After finishing second back in 2022, the UK were brought back down to earth last time, finishing second last.
Can we do better this time around? We hope so! Check out our preview to find out all the deets and even test your Eurovision knowledge. Enjoy!
Know your Eurovision history?
Following their win last year, Sweden are now level with Ireland as the top Eurovision nation. Both countries have won the contest seven times, although the UK isn’t too far behind with five wins. But it’s pub quiz time – how many of these previous winners could you name?
- Sandie Shaw (1967)
- Lulu (1969)
- Brotherhood of Man (1976)
- Bucks Fizz (1981)
- Katrina and the Waves (1997)
As you can see, despite being historically one of the most successful Eurovision nations, we haven’t got our mitts on the trophy since 1997. We also hold the unenviable record of having finished runner-up 16 times, including two years ago courtesy of the UK’s favourite Space Man, Sam Ryder.
Will we add to our five wins this time? We know one person that will be hoping so!
Who’s representing us this year?
Representing the UK this year is Olly Alexander, who is best known for being the lead singer of Years and Year, as well as starring in hit Channel 4 drama ‘It’s A Sin’. He was announced as our entry back in December and he’ll be hoping to wow the world with his track ‘Dizzy’.
Like Mae Muller’s ‘I Wrote A Song’ from last year, you can’t help but tap your feet and sing along, which is everything you want from a Eurovision song. While we all hope we do better than last year, the odds aren’t quite in our favour, with bookies putting the UK at around 50/1 to come out on top.
Here’s our entry – have a listen and see what you think:
Croatia are the clear favourites with Baby Lasagna’s ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’, while Italy, Ireland, Ukraine and Switzerland are also in contention.
We absolutely love this Croatia track, which perfectly encapsulates everything good about Eurovision. It’ll take some beating – check it out:
Where is Eurovision being held?
As is tradition, the winners of the previous year get hosting duties so this time around we’re off to Malmo in Sweden. They came out on top in 2023 thanks to Loreen’s hit tune ‘Tattoo’.
How can I watch the Eurovision final?
This week’s semi-finals took place on Tuesday and Thursday, and we’ve now got our 26 acts ready to compete in tonight’s final. The coverage starts at 8pm on Saturday 11th May on BBC 1 and BBC iPlayer.
We should warn you, the show lasts four hours so make sure you’ve got plenty of snacks to keep you going. You wouldn’t want to fall asleep and miss the grand finale!
How does voting work?
Scoring in Saturday’s grand final will be a mix of votes from a jury of industry professionals from each country, and from a telephone public vote, which means you get a say in who wins. Eurovision used to be seen as a geopolitical popularity contest, but the public vote is now the deciding factor, with many recent winners scoring higher in the public vote than the jury vote.
The number to call for each act will be shown on screen once all acts have done their thing. You can’t vote for the UK, so you’ll have to pick your favourite act from the other 25 countries instead.
Have fun!
Whether you’re off to a Eurovision party or just enjoying a chilled night on the sofa, we hope you have a wicked time. While we all secretly hope we win, whatever happens, Eurovision is one of the most fun nights of the year. Enjoy!
