
Love it or hate it, the Eurovision Song Contest has not only redefined Europe, it has redefined music. Conceived in 1956 as a great televised musical event which would bring peace and harmony to Europe, it has since launched meteoric careers and made hits of songs such as Waterloo, Volare and Boom Bang a Bang. It has also bred an annual hotbed of political intrigue, racial rivalry, allegations of bribery and plain old sour grapes. In this programme Abba, Sandie Shaw, Cliff Richard and many others sing while Katie Boyle, Bucks Fizz, John Peel, Michael Ball and Johnny Logan try to explain that special Eurovision "ring-a-ding-ding".


Love it or hate it, the Eurovision Song Contest has not only redefined Europe, it has redefined music. Conceived in 1956 as a great televised musical event which would bring peace and harmony to Europe, it has since launched meteoric careers and made hits of songs such as Waterloo, Volare and Boom Bang a Bang. It has also bred an annual hotbed of political intrigue, racial rivalry, allegations of bribery and plain old sour grapes. In this programme Abba, Sandie Shaw, Cliff Richard and many others sing while Katie Boyle, Bucks Fizz, John Peel, Michael Ball and Johnny Logan try to explain that special Eurovision "ring-a-ding-ding".
1992-08-31
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A Brief History of the Eurovision Song Contest
0.0Eurovision aka the Gay World Cup. A poetic documentary about Eurovision Song Contest fans. The film hears the intimate testimonies of what the contest means to them.
A short documentary on Monika Liu's Eurovision journey in Turin 2022.
0.0Celebrating 50 years since ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with Waterloo, through the extraordinary and entertaining story of how international stardom almost didn't happen for the group.
7.5In December 2016 a remarkable chapter in music history was closed as the Finnish punk rock band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN) retired. Punk Voyage is a feature length documentary film about the last years of the band, with all the ups and downs included. After becoming celebrities in Finland, this incredible quartet continued to conquer new fans around the World. In its seven years run PKN played nearly 300 gigs in 16 countries. In 2015 the band was selected to represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest, where they played to over 100 million television spectators. However, the busy traveling and success created a lot of pressure within the band: Kari struggled with the temptations and responsibilities brought by publicity; Sami extended his territory to politics and religion; Toni's and the band's roadie Niila's crush to the the same girl caused conflicts; and Pertti, tired of this all, decided to retire.
0.0Olly Alexander is preparing to fulfil one of his biggest life ambitions - to represent the United Kingdom in the much-loved Eurovision Song Contest. Ahead of the grand final in May, Olly joins fellow Eurovision lover and commentator Graham Norton to talk candidly about competing in Sweden. As an extra treat for Eurovision fans, Olly reveals the first full play of the music video on TV for his Eurovision song Dizzy.
0.0A documentary project that shows viewers behind the scenes of this cultural exchange and explores the current processes of integrating Ukrainian culture into the European context. The heroes of the project are the participants and visitors of the festival, who demonstrate with their own stories the unique connection and cultural integration of Ukraine into the plane of Liverpool, one of the cultural capitals of Europe. In particular, Sarah Fisher, director of Liverpool's Open eye gallery, Yuliia Kurinna, a volunteer and displaced person from Nova Kakhovka, and actor and director Yurii Radionov will share their thoughts.
0.0A documentary story about the participation and victory at the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 by the Ukrainian band Kalush Orkestra.
0.0A nostalgia trip back to the 80s when the Herrey brothers created hysteria with their win in Eurovision 1984 with the song Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley. It's about what it was like to deal with the fans, the press and the sudden celebrity. This year marks 40 years since their breakthrough, and it's time to make new music and get on the stage again.
1.0Stien den Hollander, stage name S10, a candid and vulnerable insight into her life. In the documentary, directors Linda Hakeboom and Rolf Hartogensis follow the life of the young singer for two years. S10 shares stories from her early childhood and about her psychological problems with unprecedented openness through her music. S10's career gains momentum due to her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, but her past continues to haunt her. Doubt, fear and uncertainty arise in the whirlwind of her artist life.
0.0After ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 Sweden was tasked with hosting it the next year. This documentary tells the story of that production and places it in the social and political context of Sweden in 1975 and a music scene that was anything but supportive of the endeavour.
0.0Follow Netta: Queen of Eurovision through her celebrations after victory.
5.0Comedian Jason Manford and singer-songwriter Chelcee Grimes present Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide. This entertainment programme will see the pair explore why the Eurovision Song Contest is the greatest show on Earth. Using a mix of fascinating archive footage and revealing interviews with fans, experts and competitors, this one hour film will delve into the story of how the Contest has become the world’s largest live music event, creating global superstars and leaving an impact on the lives of many.
0.0From Liverpool's world-famous waterfront, Fleur East presents a special Top 20 Eurovision Countdown - songs that missed out on the big prize but still went on to become monster hits. Compiled by combining worldwide online streaming and viewing figures, Fleur reveals the Eurovision entries watched and listened to in their millions.
0.0Sam became a viral TikTok star during the pandemic, reaching a huge fanbase of 12 million people. We follow his journey as he represents the UK at the 66th Eurovision Song Contest
8.6The pro-Palestinian, anti-capitalist, BDSM-provocative, techno-punk performance art ensemble Hatari unsurprisingly drew attention to themselves with their performance at the Icelandic qualifiers for the Eurovision Song Contest. So much so that they won and therefore were allowed to perform at the main event in Tel Aviv. But what now? Should they boycott the event, swallow their idealism, or use their airtime to criticise the host country for their illegal occupation of Palestine? The Icelandic director Anna Hildur joins the boys in the band all the way to the fateful final.
0.0Peter Urban has commentated Eurovision for German audiences for 25 years and as he is stepping down he takes a look back at his memories and the evolution of the contest during that time.
0.0BBC Eurovision Commentator for over 10 years Scott Mills loves the annual song contest and in this special compilation he is joined by EastEnders’s star, Natalie Cassidy for a celebration of the pure joy, unity and downright banging tunes that is… Eurovision. They will delve in to some of the most iconic performances and look back at incredible staging, memorable moments and of course costume.
0.0Behind the scenes of the 1992 Eurovision Song Contest from Malmö, Sweden. See the stage builders create the giant viking ship that was the centre piece of that year and everything else that goes into creating the spectacle of Eurovision.
0.0It started with a writing camp and a banana... and became a phenomenon that captivated Eurovision fans across the world. But who could possibly be behind the masks? Worst Kept Secret tells the story of Subwoolfer - Norway's iconic Eurovision entry in 2022 and the first ever anonymous yellow wolves from space to grace the Eurovision Song Contest stage. Finally the identities of Jim and Keith have been revealed... but not everything was always as it seemed.
New girl band Precious are representing the UK in next Saturday's Eurovision Song Contest. This programme follows the five girls' rise to fame, from their first appearance on Top of the Pops to the point where they learnt that they will represent the country with Say It Again.