IAN HYLAND

on the weekend’s telly

Europe Shine A Light, BBC1

★★★

Even before Brexit came along, it would have been fair to say the Eurovision Song Contest had attained Marmite status here.

Nevertheless I’m glad the BBC decided to cater for those viewers for whom Eurovision remains an annual treat.

The odd thing was that the BBC’S supporting acts on Saturday were much more in keeping with the fun side of Eurovision than was the main event served up by its continental counterparts. Europe Shine A Light couldn’t decide whether it was a celebration or a memorial.

Luckily, it was rescued at the end by two things. Bjorn from Abba delivering a Morgan Freeman-style love letter to Eurovision, which tipped everyone over the edge (even Graham Norton, right).

And an absolutely wonderful finale, in which this year’s acts performed an isolation medley of Katrina And The Waves’

1997 winner Love Shine A

Light. The most disappointing thing about the preceding two hours was the baffling decision to limit this year’s songs to just 30 seconds each.

Those snippets must have been infuriating for anyone who doesn’t begin to gear up for Eurovision in January – in other words, the vast majority of the BBC’S audience.

I’m not suggesting they should have played all 41 songs in full, but there was a lot of unnecessary filler.

It was hard to disagree with the final words of Graham Norton: “In many ways it was like a normal Eurovision. It was slightly awkward. Some of it wasn’t very good. But there were moments of absolute joy and real emotion. I’m glad they did it.”