At last, some real change in Europe! New Eurovision rules could spare us from ‘nul points’
ITS famously political voting was enough to drive long-standing commentator, the late Sir Terry Wogan, to distraction.
But the years of backbiting and tactical scoring in The Eurovision Song Contest may finally be over as a new points system is introduced this year.
While David Cameron is struggling to strike a fair deal for Britain within the EU, the new rules mean our standing on the Continent looks likely to improve at least in the singing contest, in which we have traditionally fared very poorly.
They will also make it much harder for any act to face the humiliation of getting nul points – as the UK’s duo Jemini did in 2003 for their song Cry Baby.
When it comes to voting, every country has a ‘jury’ of music professionals which gives scores for other nations’ performances, while viewers can vote by telephone.
Previously, each country’s jury and public votes were added together and announced as one combined score, with the two given equal weighting in the final result.
But now, the two will be split into separate scores. Each nation’s jury will announce their decision first, while votes from viewers in all countries will be combined and announced at the end, starting with the song with the lowest public vote and working up to the most popular.
This means the leaderboard of countries after the juries’ announcements could be overturned as the viewers’ votes are revealed.
The contest’s organisers hope the new rules – said to be the biggest change in how the competition is run since 1975 – will increase suspense as, under the old system, winners often knew they had won up to 20 minutes before the end because no other country could mathematically catch up with them.
And with two sets of points being awarded, the likelihood of collecting none falls dramatically.
Eurovision is famous for seeing neighbouring countries awarding each other top points, with the UK often left behind.
Many, including former host Sir Terry, who died of cancer last month at the age of 77, have blamed this on politics rather than the quality of the songs.
He described the system as a ‘debacle’ after Russia won in 2008, adding: ‘They were going to be the political winners from the beginning. At least the voting used to be on the songs. Now it is really about national prejudice. As far as the Eastern bloc countries are concerned they are voting for each other.’
Jon Ola Sand, of the European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, said the changes are an attempt to keep the contest ‘relevant and in pace with shifting media trends’. He added: ‘The change will lead to a more dynamic voting sequence and keep the suspense and entertainment levels high right until the end.’
Since coming joint third in 2002, the UK has scored a dismal 20 points or less seven times – including last year when Electro Velvet scored just five. The last time we won was in 1997 with the band Katrina and the Waves, best known for their 1985 hit Walking on Sunshine.
This year’s act – and the song they will sing – will be voted on by the public during a televised competition on Friday, February 26, rather than being chosen by a BBC panel.
The Eurovision final will take place in Stockholm on May 14.