Austrian singer JJ took the Eurovision crown after a night of protest as the UK’s entry Remember Monday came 19th
The 2025 Eurovision Song Contest winner has finally been confirmed as Austria’s JJ! The singer was in tears as he beat Israel and Estonia after a tense vote.
He said: “I want to thank my entire family, my entire team, thank you so much for making my dreams come true. And especially to you Europe, thank you for making my dreams come true. Love is the strongest force in the world, let’s spread more love. Thank you so much.”
The UK’s entry, Remember Monday, gave it their best shot, following the likes of Ukraine, Israel and Norway and performing in the eighth slot just before 9pm but sadly placed 19th in the competition.
Meanwhile there was chaos off stage as a Eurovision crew member was hit with paint during a disrupted protest against the Israeli entry and the EBU was forced to issue a statement about fixing allegations.
Outside the contest venue in Basel, pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen protesting against Israel’s entry in the city’s Barfüsserplatz .If you want to take your viewing experience to the next level, you can rate the best and worst songs from the show with the Mirror’s interactive tool.
Rose Hill
The UK’s Remember Monday break silence on nul points
Girl group Remember Monday are not admitting defeat after receiving zero points from the public on Saturday evening.
Instead, they have vowed that it is “just the beginning”.
They said in a statement: “WOW – what a ride! Three best mates walked onto the world’s biggest music stage and came out with a Top 10 Jury score, massive streaming numbers, and memories that will last a lifetime.
“Performing at Eurovision was one of the most surreal and emotional moments of our lives. The love we’ve felt from fans, our incredible team, and everyone who streamed, voted, and believed in us has been overwhelming.
“This is just the beginning for Remember Monday. We’ve got new music coming your way, a UK & Ireland headline tour this year, a summer packed with festivals, and we’ll be hitting the stage at Wembley Stadium for the Summertime Ball… no big deal!
“We’re so grateful for the platform, the media support, and every single new fan who’s joined us on this wild journey. Eurovision? Completed it. Let’s go! Charlotte, Holly and Lauren x.”
Read more here.
British group Remember Monday representing the United Kingdom with the song “What The Hell Just Happened?”
Rose Hill
What The Hell Just Happened to the UK’s points?
Another year, another null points. We should be used to it by now, but Sam Ryder’s 2022 performance gave us a dash of hope we’d never dare dream of.
If you’re waking up this morning and missed the whole of Eurovision last night – or downed a few too many Tequila shots and fell asleep – the UK received a grand total of zero from the public. I know, a truly jaw-dropping moment.
We did, however, receive some love from the juries around the world and managed to rise the ranks to 19 out of 26.
Here’s how every country’s jury voted for Remember Monday:
Sweden – nul points
Azerbaijan – nul points
Malta – nul points
Netherlands – nul points
Armenia – nul points
Slovenia – nul points
Luxembourg – six points
Ukraine – 10 points
San Marino – two points
Norway – seven points
France – nul points
Austria – seven points
Italy – 12 points
Denmark – four points
Portugal – two points
Croatia – nul points
Ireland – two points
Latvia – nul points
Poland – one point
Greece – nul points
Montenegro – nul points
Serbia – nul points
Spain – six points
Czechia – 10 points
Finland – five points
Germany – nul points
Australia – nul points
Belgium – nul points
Albania – nul points
Israel – nul points
Lithuania – nul points
Georgia – nul points
Iceland – five points
Cyprus – nul points
Switzerland – four points
Estonia – five points
Rose Hill
Belgium in Eurovision Israel boycott U-turn
Belgium’s broadcaster VRT appeared to make a U-turn during Saturday evening’s Eurovision final after their choice to air an anti-Israel, pro-Palestine VT during the semi-finals.
It had been suggested by Belgian media that VRT may ignore the EBU’s warning against reference’s to Israel’s war on Gaza and show a black screen during the performance of Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, who survived the 7 October 2023 attacks. However, the broadcaster ultimately decided to air the performance and their semi-final message condemning Israel appeared to have not stopped the Belgian public from voting in favour of Israel.
In fact, the Belgian public opted to gift the top 12 points to Israel, followed by 10 to Poland and eight to France.
The message shown during the first semi-final had read, translated from Dutch: “This is industrial action. We condemn the violations of human rights by the State of Israel. Furthermore, the State of Israel is destroying freedom of the press. That’s why we interrupt the picture for a moment. #CeasefireNow #StopGenocide.”
Read more here.
Michael D. Carroll
Spanish broadcaster threatened with fines for Israel reference
Al Jazeera is reporting via its X account “The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has threatened Spain’s public broadcaster RTVE with punitive fines if its commentators repeat references to Israel’s devastating war on Gaza during the Eurovision final.”
Michael D. Carroll
Israel backers share their support for Yuval Raphael
CNN anchor Barak Ravid said via a post on his X account: “Congratulations to @YuvalRaphael_IL for winning the 2nd place in the @Eurovision song contest and winning the 1st place (!!!) from the audience with 297 points”
Human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovskyposted via his X account: “That Israel won the public vote in the Eurovision Song Contest for the second year straight, is incredibly telling.”
Journalist Emily Schrader said via her X account “During Yuval’s performance at #Eurovision, two attempts to break into the stage were thwarted, one involving an attack on security guards. Outside the show protesters burned American and Israeli flags.”
Michael D. Carroll
Israel issues travel warning for its nationals leaving the contest
The government of Israel has issued an official travel warning to its citizens attempting to leave the contest in Basil, Switzerland, with the intention of avoiding possible disorder from pro-Palestinian protestors.
The advice states:
a. The Eurovision Song Contest events will take place in Switzerland from May 5th to 18th.
b. International events of this type are a prime target for threats and attacks by various terrorist groups, given the potential for widespread media coverage in the event of a terrorist attack or violent protests during the event.
c. In recent years and especially following the Swords of Iron War, various terrorist groups (global jihadist groups, Hamas, Shiite terror organizations, Iran and Hezbollah) are actively working to carry out attacks on Israelis and Jews in Israel and abroad. Since the beginning of the war, dozens of attempted terrorist attacks against Israelis around the world have been thwarted.
d. Over the past year, there have been 360 protests and anti-Israeli demonstrations in Switzerland. These are expected to continue during the Eurovision song contest, directed at Israelis or the Israeli delegation.
e. It is recommended to stay away from these centers of friction and demonstrations, which may escalate into violence. There is also concern that supporters of terrorism or individual terrorists will try to blend in a demonstration in order to carry out a planned or spontaneous attack.
f. For Israelis visiting Switzerland during the Eurovision, be better prepared by downloading the Home Front Command app to stay updated quickly and in real time with NSC announcements on updates or events that the public should be aware of.
Daniel Bird
JJ’s tearful response
After being crowned the winner, a tearful JJ said: “I want to thank my entire family, my entire team, thank you so much for making my dreams come true. And especially to you Europe, thank you for making my dreams come true.
“Love is the strongest force in the world, let’s spread more love. Thank you so much.”
He then performed ‘Wasted Love’ again. After the jury vote, which saw Austria take a 44-point lead over second-placed Switzerland – who ultimately plummeted to 10th after receiving nothing from the public – JJ was visibly nervous.
He held up his shaking hands and said: “This is insane, thank you so, so much to the entirety of Europe for letting us be the jury winners.”
KEY EVENT
AUSTRIA TAKES THE CROWN
Austria’s star JJ has taken the crown following a tense battle with Israel. JJ burst into tears when it was announced that Wasted Love was the winning song.
Austria has taken the crown (
Image:
AP)
Daniel Bird
Spain could be in trouble
Broadcasters in Spain have risked breaking a major rule!
The country entered singer-songwriter and dancer Melody into the competition with an upbeat tune. However, despite the song being enjoyed by viewers across Europe, Spanish broadcasters ignored warnings from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). They displayed a statement ahead of the final, showing a black screen with white text in both Spanish and an English translation.
The message read: “When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and Justice for Palestine.” The statement stayed on screen for 16 seconds.
Daniel Bird
Nil pois!
It’s bad news for Remember Monday… We got nil pios in the audience vote!
Daniel Bird
Jury votes are in
The winner should be announced soon, but the final votes from the jury have been tallied up and Austria are currently in the lead… It’s going to be tense!
KEY EVENT
Remember Monday’s fate sealed
What The Hell Just Happened?! Remember Monday won’t be going home with nil pois this year.
Daniel Bird
Graham Norton left fuming
Graham isn’t happy – and rightly so. Throughout the night, the broadcaster has been sharing his hopes of Celine Dion taking to the stage.
However, as the scores have started coming in, the chances of us seeing Celine are very slim, sadly. Fans have predicted that Graham will be left enraged by this.
Zoe Delaney
Eurovision boss shares major update as Vatican City now eligible to take part
Conclave hive assemble. Eurovision bosses are eager for Vatican City to throw its hat into the ring for next year’s musical showdown. They reckon the Pontiff’s involvement would be a smash with fans.
Pope Leo has only been in the job a few days so he might have bigger issues to consider but we could see it happening. First American pope AND first to do Eurovision? Someone let Pope Crave know ASAP!
Zoe Delaney
Where is Celine?!
Graham may still believe Celine will still show up but she’s cutting it fine if she is planning to make a not-so-surprise appearance. Instead, we have these interval performances – aka the perfect time to nip to top up your drink!
Brb, just going to find out who started the rumour and ask them why they got our hopes up!
Zoe Delaney
How to vote for your favourite
If you’ve not been listening to Graham spend the last ten minutes explaining how to vote, we’ve got you.
Eurovision 2025 final: How to vote for your favourite act and how voting system works
Fans can vote over the phone, text or via the Eurovision app. Each person can vote up to 20 times but you will be unable to select your own country.
Voting is open for another 35 minutes so if you care, get that app downloaded NOW!
Another British icon lookalike has hit the Eurovision stage
And that’s a wrap! Albania’s Shkodra Elektronike was the final of the 26 acts to take to the stage to perform the trippy ‘Zjerm’.
We had a Sharon from EastEnders lookalike with Denmark and we have another to round off the show. “Albania is Jessie J and her dad True fact #Eurovision #EurovisionSongContest,” @chris_facey_uk wrote on Twitter.
Graham is still clinging on to hopes of a Celine cameo, telling BBC viewers he still in his “heart of hearts” believes she will be making an appearance before the results are announced.
22:11Zoe Delaney
Sweden giving Big Scout Energy
Sweden’s KAJ are giving it their all with their very Eurovision rendition of Bara Bada Bastu. Look, it’s not going to win (or it might – what do we know?) but it’s camp, silly and ridiculous so it’s a hit with us.
“It is like we’ve gone into a Eurovision time machine but maybe that’s what people want, nonsense” – yes Graham, we want all the nonsense.
Serving camp around the camp fire (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
22:07Zoe Delaney
Sharon from EastEnders alert
“Did anyone think Sharon from EastEnders has moved to Denmark to become a singer?”
We can’t beat Graham’s commentary on Denmark’s Sissal performance of Hallucination, so we won’t try!
Zoe Delaney
Serving kant Geri Halliwell style
The act that caused all the controversy a few weeks ago regarding lyrics being lost in translation is up – Malta’s Miriana Conte with ‘Serving’.
As you can hear, overly zealous Eurovision bosses won and Miriana has been reined in. Booo. She still served though, coming out of a pair of legs reminiscent of Geri Halliwell’s performance at the 2000 Brit Awards.
For readers too young to remember, the artist formerly known as Ginger Spice emerged from a giant, inflatable model of her legs ahead of belting out Bag It Up to mark her rebirth post Spice Girls.
Iconic tbh (
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Two Eurovision Song Contest favourites perform
Lets return to what is happening on the stage. Bookies favourites Dutch singer Claude Kiambe and Finland’s Erika Vikman have both performed and it’s not hard to see why the odds are in their favour.
Congolese-born Kiambe, 21, sang C’est La Vie, inspired by his mother’s advice of understanding that there are good and bad moments in life, while dancing in unison with his dancers, and being surrounded by violins.
He finished, breaking down in tears, and thanking the audience.
Opting for a different tack was black leather-clad Vikman, who rose to fame in Finland as a tango singer, with the tongue-in-cheek Ich Komme – which caused a stir in the Eurovision media centre, and a dancing circle.
The German-Finnish song finished with her taking off on a giant microphone with sparks flying.
KEY EVENT
Eurovision crew member hit with paint!
Eurovision bosses have been trying their best to keep politics out of the contest amid controversy surrounding Israel’s conclusion but protests and demonstrations are overshadowing the performances this evening.
A Eurovision Song Contest crew member has been hit with paint, after two people tried to rush on stage to disrupt Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s performance, organisers have said.
A spokesman for SRG SSR said: “At the end of the Israeli performance a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage.
“They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.”
Zoe Delaney
‘Interesting’ backstage video
So Graham introduced this as “quite interesting backstage footage” before this behind-the-scenes montage of the build up to tonight’s final began.
“Quite interesting” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in our opinion – stick it on the official YouTube channel for superfans to watch tomorrow and let’s get on with the rest of the performances! Some of us want to get to bed before midnight!
Daniel Bird
Charli XCX is that you?!
Germany have taken to the stage with an electro-mix and it’s going down a storm with social media users.
The lead singer looks very much like Charli xcx and has very similar vibes. “Germany sent Charli xcx,” said one social media user. A second added: “I love Germany #eurovision2025 charli xcx vibe.”
“German Charli xcx looks great,” commented a third. The Mirror’s Daniel Bird said: “Not usually a fan of Eurovision but Germany are changing my mind!”
Fans likened Germany’s participant to Charli XCX (
Image:
AP)
Zoe Delaney
Eurovision fans in stitches at Estonia’s ‘joke act’
(
Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Right, 12 acts have performed so far (full list below of who sung so far) so lets look back at the one getting the most attention online as we didn’t give it any love at the time (sorry!)
Estonia’s contender, Tommy Cash, delivered the peculiar track Espresso Macchiato, sparking an uproarious response on Twitter, where fans claimed it sounded “’like a joke that went too far”.
Given the controversy surrounding this year’s contest, a joke – even one that goes too far – is what the show needs in our opinion. What would Eurovision be without one or two acts making you question if you’re having a fever dream?
Norway
- | Kyle Alessandro – Lighter
Luxembourg
- | Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son
Estonia
- | Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
Israel
- | Yuval Raphael – New Day Will Rise
Lithuania
- | Katarsis – Tavo Akys
Spain
- | Melody – ESA DIVA
Ukraine
- | Ziferblat – Bird of Pray
United Kingdom
- | Remember Monday – What The Hell Just Happened?
Austria
- | JJ – Wasted Love
Iceland
- | VÆB – RÓA
Latvia
- | Tautumeitas – Bur Man Laimi
Netherlands
- | Claude – C’est La Vie
The EBU speaks out over ‘favouritism’ row
We have had a response from Eurovision bosses over claims boos were drowned out with fake applause during Israel’s performance earlier this evening!
The statement reads: “For the Eurovision Song Contest, the host broadcaster SRG SSR is working with the “audio sweetening” method, which is common practice for major international productions.
“This process helps to harmonise the sound of the transitions between moderations, video clips and the individual acts and to create a consistent soundscape for the TV audience. It is used exclusively for the technical rounding off of the programme.
“This process is used equally and identically for all acts. The competition and its results are not affected in any way.”
KEY EVENT
What The Hell Just Happened?
What The Hell Just Happened? Well, Remember Monday finally performed – and just before 9pm so we didn’t lie when we said they’d perform in the first hour!
The BBC Eurovision team of Graham, Rylan and Scott Mills have been hyping the trio up for weeks but what do the general public think of Britain’s 2025 offering?
“We couldn’t have asked for more,” Graham just said. We beg to differ. The Mirror Online group chat is split. “This is the cringiest thing I’ve seen. It’s a mixture of West End attempting pop music while copying Little Mix’s looks,” said Daniel Bird. However, some are arguing “it’s actually quite good” and “vocals are at least spot on”.
‘It’s giving Little Mix does West End’ (
Image:
AP)
Over on Twitter, viewers are also picking up on the West End vibes the girls gave off. “Say all you want about this song being just a random West End number, you cannot deny that Remember Monday’s chemistry together on stage is immaculate,” one writes. “They really look like they’re having the time of their lives on the #eurovision stage!”
Another adds: “Every vocal & every harmony was flawless, their energy was electric and they SMASHED it. West End is one of our main exports, and our entry representing that is so FUN.”
And to conclude on a negative note, here’s a less complimentary tweet – “Remember Monday – “What the Hell Just Happened?” – Look, I respect the vocal and the energy but the lack of staging and the overdone ‘dumb girl’ energy at times just kinda made it still have that ‘off West End’ feeling, as cute as it is in a way #Eurovision2025”
The trio, made up of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, sang their song What The Hell Just Happened?, dressed in colourful Bridgerton-style outfits. 12 points for fashion choices at the very least?
Zoe Delaney
Apologies!
So remember earlier in the blog when we said Remember Monday would likely perform within the first hour? Yeah, sorry about that – we forgot to account for the hosts enjoying a little sing-song and giving us a little show themselves (and doing some awful impressions of a British accent).
However, it’s almost time… the first girlband to represent the UK since 1999!
20:39Zoe Delaney
Graham Norton appears to confirm favouritism row
Following Israel’s Yuval Raphael performing her power ballard, Graham seemingly confirmed the EBU has employed fake applause to drown out any boos during her time on stage.
“Not sure what you’re hearing at home but a mixed response from hear Basel,” the Irish host commented as Yuval wrapped things up – a nod to the reports Eurovision bosses are meddling with what makes it to TV screens across Europe.
The October 7 survivor, 24, sang her entry New Day Will Rise, and saw cheers and boos, Graham added.
Yuval Raphael from Israel performs the song New Day Will Rise during the Grand Final of the 69th Eurovision Song Contest (
Image:
AP)
20:30Zoe Delaney
‘When you have Eurovision at 8 but a medieval re-enactment at 9’
Kyle Alessandro from Norway drew the short straw and had to be the first to perform with his song Lighter. Dressed in chainmail, as someone on Twitter said, it was a bit ‘when you have Eurovision at 8 but a medieval re-enactment at 9’. Nice fire stunts on the stage though.
As Graham just said, no song that has gone second has ever won Eurovision, so bad news for Luxembourg, as Laura Thorn is currently belting out La Poupée Monte Le Son in the jinxed running-order position.
It’s giving Games of Thrones (
Image:
AP)
20:23Zoe Delaney
Voting is open!
No-one has performed yet but that doesn’t matter, voting is now open! If you’re planning to vote politically and don’t care about the performances, go ahead and cast your vote!
You can vote via phone up to 20 times but it does cost 15p a vote so save yourself a few quid and vote online through the app and via www.esc.vote
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20:14Zoe Delaney
Graham add fuel to the fire
Did we just hear Graham tease an appearance from the icon that is Celine Dion? Earlier in the flag parade (what feels like three hours ago), our Graham mentioned the fact the My Heart Will Go On singer is watching backstage but didn’t rule out a little performance from the Eurovision legend.
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20:10KEY EVENT
Eurovision bosses ‘cover sound of audience booing’ Israel with ‘fake applause’
We have a bit longer of this Eurovision foreplay to go before the acts take to the stage, but we should see Israel perform within the next hour judging by the running order – but those watching on TV hear what those in the live audience hear?
The Eurovision Song Contest has come under fire after allegedly masking the audience’s boos during Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael’s performance with artificial applause. It’s claimed that the show’s bosses drowned out the booing when she performed ‘New Day Will Rise’ during a rehearsal on Friday night.
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20:07Zoe Delaney
Nemo returns
Last year’s winner has returned to open the show, after a random pre-recorded montage.
The Swiss singer, who triumphed with The Code, has performed their new song Unexplainable and kicked off the show in style.
Nemo returned to the Eurovision style in unforgettable style (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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20:01Zoe Delaney
And we’re off…
… kinda.
The live coverage on BBC One and BBC iPlayer is now beginning – get ready for Graham’s cheeky comments!
The first three acts to perform are:
Norway
- | Kyle Alessandro – Lighter
Luxembourg
- | Laura Thorn – La Poupée Monte Le Son
Estonia
- | Tommy Cash – Espresso Macchiato
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19:52Zoe Delaney
Eurovision host forced to follow strict rules after joining cult
We know all about the UK Eurovision team like Rylan Clark, Scott Mills and Graham Norton, but what about lesser-known stars to us from across the rest of Europe?
Well, Michelle Hunzikel, who will join Hazel Brugger and Sandra Struder as they host the show shortly, has quite the packed Wikipedia page.
Writing in her 2018 memoir, she revealed she had been part of a cult during her first marriage! Read more here.
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19:25KEY EVENT
Eurovision fans with ‘blood’ on their faces march on contest in protest at Israel’s entry
Pro-Palestine demonstrators were seen with fake blood on their faces as they descended on the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland.
It’s almost time for the show to begin but protests have broken out in Barfüsserplatz over Israel’s participation in the grand final of the contest.
Throngs of Palestinian supporters are gathered in the centre of the Swiss city with anti-Israel placards.
An activist from BDS holds a mock body of a baby in front of riot Police officers during the demonstration (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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18:51Zoe Delaney
Past UK acts issue warnings to 2025 contestants
Olly Alexander is seemingly trying to distance himself from the contest after representing the UK in Malmo last year.
While Sam Ryder may be happy to be Mr Eurovision thanks to revitalising the UK’s interest in the competition back in 2022, Olly doesn’t seem to have the same love for the annual event.
Speaking about his experience competing in the contest on The Graham Norton Show in January, the host asked Olly: ‘Do you have any words of wisdom, don’t say don’t do it, any encouraging words of wisdom?’
“Maybe, just get yourself a really good therapist,” Olly replied, as the guests and audience erupted in laughter. “Yeah, good therapy as you will have a lot to talk about for years.”
Ahead of Remember Monday performing tonight, Olly, who placed 18th in the 2024 final, is yet to post a message for his successors Remember Monday on social media.
Mae Muller, was second to last the previous year in Liverpool, is another UK act with regrets. The singer said earlier this week that she was “fed to the lions” when it came to her production for her performance of I Wrote A Song in Liverpool.
The 27-year-old has also led over 70 previous Eurovision participants calling on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to ban Israel’s public broadcaster KAN from the song contest.
Remember Monday seem happy enough so far but lets circle back in a few months to see how they feel about Eurovision once the fun is over.
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18:35Zoe Delaney
Bad vibes…
If you’re positive vibes only, stop reading now.
UK entry Remember Monday have been dealt a huge blow just hours before the final kicks off.
Has everyone got their crystals charged and sage lit? We’re going to need all the help we can get.
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17:56Zoe Delaney
All Rise for a look back on Blue’s Eurovision stint
Lets continue our trip down memory lane (because not much is going on right now while we wait for the pre-show drama to kick off). Did anyone else forget Blue represented the UK at Eurovision or are we alone in blocking that from our memories?
The boys already had a bumper back catalogue of bangers – including a duet with Sir Elton John – before gracing the stage in Düsseldorf, so surely people had high hopes for them and their track ‘I Can’’.
Well, their former manager was more in the ‘Can you not?’ camp – calling Blue’s decision to do Eurovision “reckless insanity”.
“It is the equivalent of Lewis Hamilton entering a go-kart race – he will be the strong favourite but there is also the possibility he could lose. So why risk it?” Daniel Glatman, who helped form the group in 2000, randomly said at the time.
You can read the bonkers story of how Blue became the first British entry to be picked internally by the BBC and how they fared at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 here.
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17:33Zoe Delaney
Flying The Flag (For Flop Eras)
It seems like a lifetime ago since UK acts were almost guaranteed to end up at the bottom of the leaderboard at Eurovision. Thanks to Sam Ryder almost clinching victory in 2022, it’s now not too insane to imagine a Brit act lifting the coveted glass microphone trophy for the first time since Katrina and the Waves in 1997.
But, because it’s more fun to be bitchy and negative, let’s look back at the dark days when the UK was in its flop era. Who can forget Scooch trying to fly the flag for us back in 2007, only to end up joint 22nd with a measly 19 points? Here’s what they’ve been up to since donning their flight crew attire as part of their quest for Euro victory.
Justice for Scooch, to be quite honest – they deserved better.
Icons not appreciated in their own time! (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
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17:11Zoe Delaney
The Doctor won’t see you now
Many Eurovision fans, like last year, are boycotting this year’s contest. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement that promotes sanctions against Israel, have asked people not to watch the final this evening due to Israel being allowed to compete amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
Some think the organised boycott is due to the reason Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa pulled out from his presenting duties at the last minute. Ncuti, who often uses his social media accounts to advocate for Palestinian people and promote charities providing aid in Gaza, was due to be the UK spokesperson but has been replaced by Sophie Ellis-Bextor following his mysterious exit.
The BBC claim the old “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for Ncuti’s decision to time-travel back on his decision to present, but Twitter sleuths think they know the real reason…
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16:58Zoe Delaney
‘Drink every time Graham Norton says something snarky’
If you fancy playing a game of bingo as a way to keep track of all the cliches that will likely take place this evening, BBC Somerset has you covered!
We do suggest you think carefully about whether to add alcohol to mix and take a shot each time something happens. With ‘Graham Norton is sarcastic about the hosts’ one of the grids on the card, you’ll probably need your stomach pumped by 9pm (or at the very least, run out of tequila).
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16:31Zoe Delaney
Gay Christmas
Eurovision is obviously Christmas for many girls, gays and theys, meaning we’re in for a treat when it comes memes this evening! No offence to everyone else but the LGBTQ+ community really leads the way when it comes to hilarious social media commentary.
Twitter (sorry Elon Musk but we’re always going to keep deadname it and ignore the fact it’s now called X) is embracing the camp spirit of the competition’s big final.
No lies detected (Image: X/Kristine/@__kristine_h)
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16:17Zoe Delaney
Key times
Hardcore Eurovision fans will be locked in and ready to watch every single second of tonight’s shenanigans, prepping for watch parties as you read this, but this blog entry is exclusively for the part-timers.
If you have a social life and plans to go out this evening, or just don’t think you can endure hours of Europop, here are the key times you need to know if you’re dipping in and out of tonight’s show.
Eurovision 2025 final running order, schedule and full song list for all 26 countries
If you want to see the UK perform then switch off, you’re best tuning in from around 8.20pm onwards. Remember Monday will be the eighth act to take to the stage in Switzerland tonight, meaning their final rendition of What The Hell Just Happened? Will take place pretty early on.
Just want to tune in for the results and to check if the UK avoids getting the dreaded nul points? You’re in for a long night as the winner is usually revealed between 11.15pm and midnight, following the conclusion of voting and the interval acts.
*SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT* Of course, if you’re unable to watch on TV, you can always keep up to date with everything that happens via this live blog!
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15:24KEY EVENT
Celine’s Coming Back to Eurovision Now?
Amid all the off-stage drama and conflict, could the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest final in Switzerland be pulling out the big guns?
Thanks to her private jet being spotted in the area, Eurovison – and general – legend Celine Dion is rumoured to be involved in tonight’s show in some way.
Celine, who won for the Swiss in 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, could take to the St Jakobshalle stage, amid her stepping back from touring due to health issues. The It’s All Coming Back To Me hitmaker is no stranger to making surprise appearances at big cultural events – famously popping up on top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics last year.
Celine Dion in a video message shown in the first Eurovision 2025 semi-final. (Image: BBC/Eurovision)
She did appear during the first semi-final on Tuesday, where she sent a video message saying she wants “nothing more” than to be in Basel, and recalling her triumph as a “life-changing moment”. Switzerland had not seen a winner until Nemo last year.
At a press briefing on Saturday, Eurovision director Martin Green, from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), commented on Celine, saying: “My answer was going to be, Father Christmas exists, you’ll have to wait and see.”
Bit of a nothing answer from Martin there but we’ll have to do what he says and wait and see!
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15:15Zoe Delaney
Remember to vote!
The Remember Monday girls are giving fans a reminder that they need to get voting this evening!
Ahead of tonight’s performance, the group – who are set to perform their tune What The Hell Just Happened – shared their excitement for the show as they wrote a post on Instagram, which read: “Hey everyone, if you’re reading this, firstly, thank you for supporting us on this crazy journey.
Remember Monday are hoping people remember to vote for them this evening (Image: AP)
“We’ve come from singing silly little songs in carparks during lockdown to the craziness that is the Eurovision Song Contest and we wouldn’t be here without all your support and encouragement. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
“WE DO NEED YOUR HELP THOUGH! If you can spare 2 minutes, head to esc.vote and vote#08 for the UK and our song “What The Hell Just Happened”. You can vote up to 20 times each so tell your friends and family to help us if you can! See you tonight! Aaaaaaaa!!!”
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15:15Zoe Delaney
Not so ‘United By Music’
The Eurovision Song Contest famously claims to be apolitical, citing its slogan ‘United By Music’ but the annual event has been unable to distance itself from global events over recent years.
In May 2022, the EBU made the decision to kick Russia out of the competition due its invasion of neighbouring country Ukraine. On this basis, many have called Israel to also be banned due to its ongoing actions in Palestine.
Last year saw multiple protests from activists take place, amid calls for music fans to boycott and refrain from watching the contest, and it looks like this year’s final will be hit with similar demonstrations.
A small group were ejected from the arena after Israeli singer Yuval Raphael’s rehearsal on Thursday was disrupted by what appeared to be pro-Palestinian demonstrators with “oversized flags and whistles”, and the EBU confirmed it has received a complaint from Israeli broadcaster Kan over another incident.
This year, there is no ban on types of flags brought in by fans, unlike acts, but there are restrictions on their sizes, as Palestinian symbols have been seen inside the arena this week.
There were pro-Palestinian protests in Basel on Sunday and Wednesday, which were attended by no more than 150 people, police said, a significant drop from Malmo 2024, which saw thousands of marchers demonstrating against Israel’s inclusion.
On Thursday, a protest was held against antisemitism by around 150 people, which went without incident.
