While the Eurovision Song Contest is sadly unable to take place this year, that doesn’t mean fans weren’t able to celebrate their favourite annual event.
The BBC hosted a TV special on the night of the would-be grand final on 16 May titled Eurovision: Come Together, as part of a wider celebration taking place all this week.
The Come Together show was hosted by Graham Norton; it reflected on the UK’s best Eurovision moments, past and present, and was ultimately won by Eurovision stars ABBA and their performance of “Waterloo”.
The BBC organised a number of shows to lift the spirits of Eurovision fans everywhere, starting with...
Eurovision 2020: The Cancelled Coronavirus Year
In February, BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat began filming a documentary that follows the UK’s Eurovision entrant, James Newman, through rehearsals, as well as backstage during the live debut of his Eurovision song, “My Last Breath”.
The documentary jumps to when the contest was cancelled, and interviews Newman as he reveals what the cancellation means for him. Other contestants speak about how their experiences of Eurovision differ, and what their future plans are.
Eurovision 2020: The Cancelled Coronavirus Year is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer, and on the BBC Newsbeat YouTube channel.
Eurovision at 60
In 2015, Eurovision at 60 aired on BBC to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the song contest. It includes interviews with Graham Norton, Eurovision champion Conchita Wurst, and the late Sir Terry Wogan.
Dana: The Original Derry Girl
Fifty years ago, an 18-year-old schoolgirl left the Bogside in Ireland and journeyed to Amsterdam to represent her country in the 15th Eurovision Song Contest. Against the odds, she won! Dana: The Original Derry Girl looks back at the life of Dana, and how she became Ireland’s first-ever Eurovision winner
Eurovision: Come Together
Graham Norton hosted Eurovision: Come Together, a one-off TV special that gave the UK a chance to vote for their favourite Eurovision performances.
The event was ultimately won by ABBA performing “Waterloo”.
Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light
Right after the Come Together show you’ll get to watch Eurovision: Europe Shine a Light, which will honour all of the 41 songs that would have competed in the 2020 contest in Rotterdam.
This non-competitive show was broadcast across Europe, just like the usual contest, with a special hosted by the original Dutch presenters who were supposed to present the live event this year: Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley, and Jan Smit from the Netherlands. Graham Norton provided additional commentary.
A virtual singalong also took place, with fans dressing up in costume and forming a huge Eurovision choir, which will perform “What’s Another Year”, Ireland’s winning song originally performed by Johnny Logan.
The liveblog is now closed
As an alternative to the Song Contest, our Eurovision Correspondent Rob Holley has been running #EurovisionAgain watch-a-longs on Saturday nights, where disappointed fans of the contest have been simulcasting contests from years past, with legendary ESC participants tweeting along too. Katrina (of the Waves), Alexander Rybak and Dami Im have all dipped in to the #EurovisionAgain twitter stream, providing insights into their time at the world’s biggest pop party.
Why this Icelandic band's Eurovision video is going viral
Currently sailing through Söngvakeppnin (Reykjavik’s answer to Song for Europe) is the synth-pop stomper ‘Think About Things’
All 67 Eurovision winning songs ranked from worst to best
The IndependentSixty-seven songs have claimed the top prize since the competition began in 1956 - and some are a lot better than others
What exactly is the point of the Eurovision Song Contest?
Why was the glitzy pan-European pop spectacular founded?Graham Norton is hosting Eurovision: Come Together, a one-off TV special that gives the UK a chance to vote for their favourite Eurovision performances.
The choices will come from a short list of artists who will all give virtual performances on the night, and the public will be given the chance to vote for their favourites.
Riverdance at 25: How Eurovision gave birth to an Irish cultural phenomenon
Riverdance at 25: How Eurovision gave birth to an Irish cultural phenomenon
Ben Kelly looks back at six minutes that reinvented Ireland’s traditional dance and its image on the world stageNow we're seeing Dami Im and her performance of ‘Sound of Silence’, which won the jury vote for Australia in 2016... but then came fourth in the public vote and ended up second overall... Dami ultimately lost to Ukraine, who didn’t win either vote. Yes, the voting system is mad and it was a weird year.
Feel free to compensate by voting for her (and that incredible dress) this year instead.
The A-Z of Eurovision
Yes, there’s more! Rylan Clark-Neal narrated The A-Z of Eurovision at 10pm on Saturday 16 May, this time on BBC2.
The special took us through all of the disasters, outlandish costumes and other memorable moments that have taken place over 65 years of Eurovision.
TOTP2 Does Eurovision
Hosted by Steve Wright, this Eurovision-themed special was originally shown at the beginning of the 2007 edition of the competition.
Catchup with all of the 2020 Eurovision broadcasts on YouTube and BBC iPlayer.
