The classic opening ident that preceded all Eurovision network transmissions until the mid-90s. The logotypes of both the sending and receiving company were shown in the middle. The pattern around the middle is based on the Flag of Europe. This sample shows the old logo of BBC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Having now sat through all 33 Eurovision entrants for this year’s Swedish based contest by watching both semi-finals on BBC Three, I can safely say that fans of averagely bad music will not be disappointed. Having said that the songs from yesterday night’s semi-final (I was at band, so catching up on it today) were far better than Tuesday’s in my opinion.
Tuesday appeared to be dominated by female vocalists in white dresses, whereas the second semi-final only featured a handful of white and a lot of guitar based music. I enjoyed the songs far better than Tuesday, there was more to enjoy I think overall.
The semi-final approach has been in play since 2004, where the vast array of songs gets chopped down to a more manageable group for the main event. Between 2004 and 2007, there was just one semi-final. Since then, however, there have been two semi-finals, to produce 20 songs to go along with 6 other pre-selected countries. These are the only countries which automatically qualify for the grand final, the host country (Sweden this year), and the Big Five: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, who continue to enjoy their protected status since they contribute most to the European Broadcasting Union.
Anyway, I haven’t actually heard our song this year and tomorrow night will be the first time. I doubt we’ll do well, but I still enjoy the spectacle of the show, the party and most of all, the voting!
Bring it on.
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