Eurovision

My verdict on Eurovision

20 May 2023 9:00 am

I had the sudden suspicion, at about ten o’clock on Saturday night, that I was the only straight male in…

Which country has hosted Eurovision the most?

30 July 2022 9:00 am

The longest heatwave How did the recent heatwave compare with that of 1976? That year, the temperature peaked at 35.9˚C…

What we learnt from Eurovision

21 May 2022 9:00 am

Twice during the Eurovision Song Contest our television lost the signal and the set went blank – once, mercifully, during…

Lviv diary: ballet, bomb shelters – and everyone loves Boris

21 May 2022 9:00 am

It is a glorious spring evening in Lviv and what could be better than a ballet gala at one of…

Oh dear, Abba’s new album is a bit of a dog: Voyage reviewed

6 November 2021 9:00 am

Time has been very kind to Abba. No one back in the 1970s thought of them as geniuses. But they've even lost the talent for writing memorable tunes

Eurovision is too important to let the SNP play politics with it

26 May 2021 6:27 pm

The SNP never passes up an opportunity to make the case for separatism. Now, its campaign for independence has moved away…

Who gave Abba ‘nul points’ in 1974?

24 April 2021 9:00 am

Falling from grace Six Premier League football clubs had announced their intention to join a European Super League, from which…

Not nul points but it’s no Spinal Tap: Eurovision Song Contest – The Story of Fire Saga reviewed

27 June 2020 9:00 am

This comedy stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as an Icelandic duo whose biggest dream is to represent their country…

The hypocrisy of Ken Loach’s Eurovision boycott

9 February 2019 9:00 am

The Guardian last week published a ‘we, the undersigned’ letter from 50 ‘artists of conscience’ urging the BBC to boycott…

Might Eurovision determine the outcome of the EU referendum?

14 May 2016 9:00 am

You might not think that the Eurovision Song Contest (screened live from Stockholm tonight) could have any connection with how…

My tax avoidance tip – win literary prizes!

17 May 2014 9:00 am

David Cameron is said to want a woman to be chairman of the BBC Trust, now that Chris Patten has…

Addicted to Vole

8 March 2014 9:00 am

Earworm: what a wonderful word. It describes, as nothing else quite can, the effect a really invasive melody can have…