It’s May 9, 1998. All Saints top the list, New Labor has been in power for a year and David Beckham has not yet been sent off against Argentina at the World Cup. Life is good.
Fast forward 24 years and forgive me for forgetting that in the midst of the fog of the late 90’s it was also the last time Britain hosted the Eurovision Song Contest, following the success of Katrina and the Waves with Love Shine a Light. 12 months earlier in Dublin.
Prior to 1998, the United Kingdom had hosted the competition in London four times (1960, 1963, 1968 and 1977) and once in Edinburgh (1972), Brighton (1974) and Harrogate (1982). And with this year’s winner, Ukraine, unable to host due to the Russian invasion, Eurovision could return to Britain.
“Welcome one, welcome everyone. To paraphrase a football song, Eurovision returns home. In 1998, these were the first words of the late Terry Wogan, who organized the evening with Ulrika Jonsson at the National Indoor Arena (NIA). of Birmingham.
The UK may have been hosting the competition for the eighth time, but surprisingly, it was the first time in 16 years. The longest previous Eurovision gap in Britain was only five years between 1977 and 1982.
Interestingly, even though the NIA had a capacity of 12,700, the BBC decided to fill less than half the premises. Only 4,000 Eurovision fans attended the night, paying £ 60 for their tickets.
Welcoming Europe Day, it was a much more modest affair than the long, long shows we have become accustomed to in recent times. Only 25 artists competed for the coveted prize, compared to the 40 acts that took to the stage in Turin earlier this year.
However, it would not be Eurovision without the controversy stealing the headlines. During the score, Spain gave its 12 points to Israel and 10 to Norway. But then it was announced that the Spanish station had made a mistake and Germany should have got the highest rating – 12 points – instead of receiving zero.
For Britain’s entry, Imaani, perhaps best known for her voice in a version of Freak Like Me two years later, was a case of what she could have been. His song Where Are You? she finally finished a respectable second behind Israel’s Dana International with success in Hebrew Diva.
The second position would continue to be the UK’s best performance at Eurovision until Sam Ryder achieved the same feat in 2022. During the intervening years, the UK accumulated five last positions, including two: Jemini in 2003 and James Newman in 2021. – who received no points.
The show is available on YouTube, and while it feels a little old-fashioned, it’s fair to say that the BBC did an almost flawless production, no doubt when it faced some of the cringefests we’ve seen most recently.
If the UK hosts the famous old competition again in 2023, Terry and Ulrika will surely be a difficult event to follow.