All the frills and spills of Eurovision
Channel 5, 8pm
FROM political dramas and faked participants to hidden drug messages and BBC panic, this is a nostalgic deep dive into the colourful goings on in Europe’s famous song contest.
The documentary rattles through some of the more surprising tales about what really goes on behind the scenes at Eurovision, which this year is broadcast from Turin, Italy, tomorrow night.
There are unseen photos and new testimony of an audacious attempt by an Albanian delegation to storm the Royal Albert Hall and demand a place on the Eurovision stage before being uncovered as fakes.
We also get the lowdown on BBC antagonism towards Eurovision – one BBC governor believed Eurovision was “grasping vulgarity that he could not bear to watch”.
With contributions from former winner Cheryl Baker, former loser Andy Abraham and former host Jan Leeming, we get the inside track on life on the Eurovision stage, from defying terrorist threats to blacking out backstage after hitting the booze too hard.
From industry insiders and Eurovision historians we get to hear about diva behaviour, political voting scandals and Cliff Richard hiding in the toilets.
It also explores the murky rumours that Cliff was robbed of his 1968 win when General Franco of Spain bribed the judges.
Among other revelations are insights into Eurovision’s battle with politics, from the Dutch entry that celebrated drugs, the Italian entry that was banned in its home country for fear it would influence a referendum on legalising divorce, to the Portuguese entry that literally started a military coup.