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| | Sunday, 13 May, 2001, 15:28 GMT 16:28 UK Eurovision Song Contest: Your views  Estonia triumphed this year with the song Everybody The BBC's Michael Osborn called it "a festival of camp, kitsch and undeniable cheesiness" - but it was a night of fun that produced a surprise result with Estonia's win. What did you think of this year's show? Were you pleasantly surprised by the talent paraded? Or would you rather Eurovision called it a day?
Eurovision is superb - a group of friends, lots of Pimms and the inspired, not to mention hilarious, comments from Mr. Wogan make for a thoroughly enjoyable summer's evening. Although 38,000 Danes turned up to watch the event, the organisers showed little respect by fielding what must be the country's worst presenters. Wogan's description of them as Dr Death and the Toothfairy was entirely appropriate. The Russians should've won, with Denmark second - and Terry Wogen was right about the Tooth Fairy and Dr. Death...
He had not one positive comment about the show or the songs - he was close to rude. I'd been out for a drink and came in just in time to see the winning song being sung and I prayed to God to thank Him for letting me miss the previous two hours. If that was the winner, I dread to think what the rest were like! Great show, great presenters, great songs - but that winner?! Oh my goodness...from the moment I heard the song I despised it with a passion, and nothing tonight served to change my mind. Without doubt the worst Eurovision winner ever, only the UK's entry was worse. Next year Tallinn then, do we all have to enter novelty songs like the winner to survive?
Lindsay hit the high notes and performed well. Although perhaps not the best overall song she would have stood a better chance without those daft male rappers - and the usual European 'tactical voting'. Why does the UK always have pathetic entries? Look at how many countries sang great catchy songs in English. Until the UK can enter a band who can sing something with a good hook to it we will struggle. Well done to Estonia - the best song won. The comment from the Russian commentator about the British song was that it was a lovely melody, had a great keyboard sound, was beautifully sung - but spoiled by the rap. He said it was like mixing milk with pickled cucumber, and I agree - without the rap we would have won. Estonia - well, well, who would have thought? Congratulations to them, they deserved to win, so we are all off to Tallinn next year! Ireland only managed 6 points, does this mean they are exempt from competing next year?
I was at the stadium, excited because I just moved here but I have to admit it was boring, with terrible hosting. What was all the rhyming about? And the audience was worse - after Malta voted, and the Danes knew they had lost, most had cleared the stadium within minutes and made their way home, not even waiting for the winners to get to the stage. Talk about sore losers. The only consolation was listening to Terry on our hand-held radio and laughing at his sarcasm - thanks man, you made my night! I thought last year's show was fantastic! I really love to watch Eurovision... there's such diversity of talent, which totally sums up the diverse culture which exists throughout Europe. Enough is enough, it's about time we stopped entering this complete rubbish - drunken karaoke singers have more class (and more talent judging by the winning entry!) It was a good show. A bit disappointed with the result but these things happen. I have one problem though with the relegation system. If France, Britain or Germany (I think it was Germany) came last in the contest, they would still have been guaranteed a place in next year's contest. I dont think that is fair. If they had come last they should have been relegated like anyone else. I think the EBU are tinkering with the rules too often too. Every contest seems to have a different rulebook every year now.
Colin Woodcock, UK A great venue but the hosts were the most painful thing in Eurovision... possibly ever! Thank God for Terry's wonderful commentary for the BBC and roll on Tallinn! It's worth watching it just to listen to Terry Wogan's remarks during the score time. It is so ironic that we can tell who will win the contest just by listening to the first vote that receives 12 points, even if the song was dire. Whatever happens, voting will always be distorted by political and geographical bias. Wogan may receive constant criticism for his controversial commentary, but he does echo what we the average viewer would be saying in our front rooms. What about the countries which are not even in Europe?! Why do countries not vote for us? We had a far better song than some that got more than us. Are British people not seen as good enough to European viewers? Anyone agree that people unfairly vote for other countries? Terry Wogan is a genius! He makes the whole thing worth watching. He knows exactly how to approach it: tongue firmly in cheek. Shocking, that's all I can say. The UK entry couldn't even sing. Ireland was bland.
Rod, Netherlands I think the prize will stay within the Nordic countries from now on. Not because they are very good, but because they make up over six countries and they give top scores to each other and not to the others. I think this year's Euro contest was truly dire, one of the worst I have seen. The only redeeming feature was Terry Wogan's sarcastic comments! Some of the songs were okay for the Eurovision contest but I think ours would have been better without the screeching 16-year-old and the duo rapper wannabees who ruined it completely. I think this was reflected in the voting! I was so glad that Denmark did not win it again! It was the worst ever from the trivial banter between the hosts to the tedious interlude courtesy of the miming Aqua! I thought the UK entry was poor. However, the Estonian entry was equally bad. I thank the thinking god that we are in Eurovision next year. The whole contest was wonderful! Plenty of different music. The only thing which I do not understand is why do they give all the UK singing power to a 16-year-old? Why not have some professional there? The Eurovision is just an extension to the pop music farce that we endure on our radio stations every day. Our airwaves are filled with middle of the road tat as it is. I would predict that in a genuine cross-section survey,70 - 60% of the UK find the show very dull and uninteresting. Excellent lively presentation this year - very typical of the Scandinavians and mostly in English. Not a lot to choose between songs, shame about Ireland being ousted. Would suggest that the Eurovision Song Contest may have had its day on reaching its 50th birthday - the music world moves on. Also, as most countries now sing in English, the UK has a hard job to win again. When it was only the UK, Ireland & Malta singing in English, we did much better. Some entries were good, some were typical Eurovision 'cheese'. It is obvious that certain countries stick together with an exhibition of extraordinary voting. But whatever the quality of the songs, whatever the eccentricity of the voting, Terry Wogan makes the whole night worth watching. Long live El Tel! (Personally, I think Malta should have won!) This contest is frankly an insult to the people of Europe. This is what I would think, if it weren't for the fact that thousands of people actually bothered to vote for Estonia. Europe - get a grip. No wonder this continent has no pride in itself when we are subjected to this yearly embarrassment.
Next time I suggest the British entry is sung by someone whose voice is in tune. It was excruciating. Were they casting votes for songs or countries? The Eurovision song contest is so predictable, what always amazes me is that half the countries in it aren't even in Europe! Terry Wogan's comments are definitely the best thing about it! I was surprised at the reception our song received, I thought it had a good chance at least to become the 16th runner-up in the competition for the UK. I thought Lindsay did justice to this decent little pop ditty. Anyway, if the winning song wasn't too memorable, the performance of the hosts will go with me to the grave. Their script was dire. Well, let's admit, it's a comedy show. No-one watches it except for the fun of laughing at the trite Euro pop! Which includes the awful UK entries. And it's great fun!
James Rimmer, England What a great night of entertainment, I just love the scoring, So exciting. This year was awful! It hasn't been this boring for years. The set designers could have done a better job. Last year at the Swedish contest, there was a new and interesting stage. This year it was just too much. Bad show Denmark! Although 38,000 Danes turned up to watch the event, the organisers showed little respect by fielding what must be the country's worst presenters. Wogan's description of them as Dr Death and the Toothfairy was entirely appropriate. I am surprised that the UK entry didn't get more votes. I thought Lindsay D had a very strong voice and performed a good song well. Straight after it finished I thought 'Wow, that's the winner'. I can only guess that other factors apart from music affect the voting. Some of the other entries with more votes were absolutely dire. Maybe if we join the Euro we will get more points next year? The Eurovision Song Contest is fantastic - we have a party every year which makes a night out of the event. Terry Wogan is a god and always has a unique way of looking at the singers and songs - Terry is the real winner of Eurovision - we salute him! The presenters were dire, the songs were OK, the atmosphere was good. Howeve, Mr Wogan has had his day and should take his rude and invasive commentary elsewhere and leave the presenting to someone who is a little more interested in the show. What a wonderful contest. I am so glad that it is only for European countries and thank goodness the Americans are not in it. I was hoping that the UK would do better this time around. A very good job by all the singers. I think the quality of the music in the Eurovision gets better all the time and this year was no different, except there were too many ballads in my opinion. Shame about Ireland being relegated for next year's competition though. I had a very pleasant time during the Eurovision Song Contest. The TV was off and I was doing something far more interesting.
Enquest, Belgium Great! The Danes really made it a thrilling event. It was more of a European Championship than a song contest! And the winner is Estonia Just love this outcome. The worst one I have ever seen. Normally, at least one or two songs make me pay attention - last year five did. But last night not one song stood out from the rest. Very poor show. As usual, rubbish presenters, no rehearsals done with the representatives of each jury and some terrible songs. Loved the winning song though. Very Tom Jones/Ronan Keating... It is an important event, not particularly for the standard of music on show, but as an opportunity for the people in European countries to get a brief wider view of Europe and share in a common event. I do find it sad, however, that countries seem to be deserting their ethnic origins and the music is becoming very American. Just as kitschy and amateur-ish as you have come to expect and to be honest, I don't think it would be as much fun if successful bands were performing! It's Terry Wogan who makes it possible to stand watching it.
Apart from that, it was as much fun as usual to see what Europe has to offer, it provided us with a lot of laughs and a huge surprise (Estonia?). By tomorrow I will have forgotten all the songs again and forget that the Eurovision Song Contest exists until next May when I tune in to hear Terry bring us the delights that Estonia has to offer! Well done Lindsay, the song is great! If other countries vote (predictably) for their "neighbours", ours don't. Nothing from the French etc. Why do they allow political voting each year? Why don't we pull out now? It's such a farce. Our entry was alright but the poor girl just could not hit those high notes. If she couldn't hit it live, she should not have had the job. Denmark were robbed. The winning entry was dreadful, but hey, I'll always come back for more It may be damning with faint praise, but I thought there were very few outstandingly awful entries this year. It seems that many countries have spotted the huge gay following for the contest and used a hi-energy/eurobeat feel, even if it doesn't suit the song. My personal favourite was the deliciously weird Russian entry, evidently trying to copy last year's Latvian slab of indie-pop, 'My Star'. The Irish song was probably the worst - Val Doonican would have rejected it for being too bland. And was the Danish song a complete rip-off of 'Young At Heart' by the Bluebells or what? Thanks to Wogan, as ever - his hatchet job on the zombie presenters was magnificently evil. See you in Tallinn! The venue was too large so it was hard for the acts to connect with more than a tiny part of the audience. What makes Eurovision so good is that it is so bad. What some countries call music is what makes it amusing and Eurovision would not be Eurovision without Terry Wogan. He makes the show, especially the voting. Always watch it. I'm very happy for my country though it wasn't my favourite song (I liked France) but it was one of the best ones what Estonia has had.The show was good but the Danish hosts were horrible! Sorry! The songs and performers may have been as bad as usual, but what really stood out this year was the shameful attitude of the Danish audience. Maybe other countries don't have anyone like Terry to remind them how amusing the whole thing is (I played Ken Bruce of Radio 2's commentary over the internet to my Swedish girlfriend and the amusing banter was a revelation to her). They just seemed to take it all too seriously. Booing just because a country didn't give you any, or not many, points (as happened on about four occasions) shows that there were a lot of people in the audience who just needed to lighten up a little.
Please don't ever stop though, it is one of the greatest television annual events. The most entertaining thing about the whole evening, thanks in part I think to a sherry or two, was Terry's witty and cutting comments. Top fun as always, with the added drama this time of a significant relegation zone. Tactical voting has never been more important! I though the CIS states did this quite blatantly! The winning song was an upbeat, but meaningless ditty. My vote: Greece then Denmark. Compared to previous years, the overall standard of performance has definitely improved. The standard of our (English) performers has not! Are we, the general public, given adequate opportunity to decide which song and which performer shall represent us? I was not impressed with our entry, particularly knowing that so much talent lies virtually untapped. Yet another case of 'not what you know, but who'? I thought that for the standard of talent, the votes were not commensurate with the songs. Some countries were completely ignored out of all proportion with the talent they offered. Very much a case of 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours' within the European Countries. It would take a lot to get me to watch this again as it has become a total farce. We won! Thanks for the votes. Everybody is welcome to come to Tallinn next year and party! The show is mildly entertaining and appeals to a certain generation so its days are probably numbered. The only way to spice it up would be to replace Terry with Murray Walker. I enjoyed the show but I thought the presentation by the Danish couple was dreadful and most of the songs were utter garbage.
Other countries, like France for example, vote for songs that nobody else seems to care for, just to be contrary. There are too many small countries that have no connection with contemporary worldwide music - it's just a waste of money to continue. I only watch it for Terry Wogan's entertainment value - what does he think? It's nice to see a different country winning the Eurovision, however, Terry Wogan did say that some countries were predictable with regards to who they would vote for. If this is the case, perhaps people should judge the song and then be told when the voting is done what the country is. I really enjoyed it, I didn't expect so many pop songs, but it was fine. I'm happy that Estonia won the contest, but it was surprising for me that Ireland and the UK got less points. I loved these songs. Unfortunately, Switzerland and Austria weren't able to vote, so the German song had no chance to be one of the top five songs. I watched very little of the contest because it was so bad. It seems that the modern young singers are 75% presentation - costumes/makeup/dance/lighting, and 25% singing ability. The standard of the arts in today's world is at an all-time low.
Estonia was good but I think the Greek entry was better. Good luck for next year, the UK needs it. Ireland derserved no better than last place. The fact that they were 3rd last must be seen as a victory in Dublin. The Eurovision Song Contest looked tired, old and in dire need of either a pension or even being laid to rest permanently. Lets remember it from those days when it looked fresh, joyful and innovative. Finally, what a total waste of a Saturday night's primetime viewing. Where do they pick those UK songs? There was nothing wrong with Lindsay D herself, but the song was excruciating. I hope it is not the last we hear of the poor girl, but whatever happened to the popular vote? Why not organise a 'Popstars' kind of competition to choose the entry and contestants? As for Wogan, he sounded utterly bored instead of being in his usual sarcastic mode. Isn't it time to perhaps find a fresh approach for that as well? The Brits seem to take a smug approach to the contest like 'I couldn't care less because we don't need this'. That says a lot about their European attitude...(I am Italian). I was more interested in what Terry Wogan was going to say about the singers than listening to the songs because he was more entertaining than 'Dr Death and the Tooth Fairy' as he called them. The voting was very neighbourly from some countries. I think the best song won this year but I thought the UK entry should have got more votes. I am not happy with the voting system, the way some countries vote for each other but I don't know what the alternative is. I think it is great entertainment and am fed up with people saying every year that we should scrap it. I have been listening to this contest for the last 20 years or more and it gets better every year. I would be worried if Terry Wogan left, he is great and has got it all worked out regarding the votes. I am looking forward to next year. Hi all Europeans! I think it was a great show in Copenhagen Saturday night. It was the best lightning performance that I have ever seen in a live show before. (Go home Michael Jackson!) It was a very good evening; I just hoped that the Danes or the French had won the show. Better luck to the UK next time! I much preferred the Eurovision Song Contest to have the orchestra as in previous years. But to replace them with backing tapes is dumbing down the contest. There were a few acts miming as well. Since Katrina and the Waves, our UK entries have been in the lower half of the table. Lets pick someone who is unheard of in the rest of Europe and has had chart success in the UK chart.
Gavin, Scotland Firstly, the UK entry was very poor. It didn't really have a catchy enough tune compared to some of the pop on TV today. The level of music isn't really the point, it's all about the glitz and glam, a very good reason to finally replace Terry Wogan, who isn't exactly glitz or glam. They should definitely start broadcasting all the preview footage again, it adds to the whole Eurovision experience to see all the contestants in their few days before the contest. Other than that, it was quite a nice show, although the British contestant was an embarrassment. Oh yeah... and isn't it so sad that Italy don't compete?! I think that Terry Wogan was insulting in the extreme about both the presenters and the various acts that were all doing their best. Could Wogan do it in Danish? One of the poorest for many years. Standard of presentation was pretty low and they didn't exactly pull out all the stops with the the "half-time" act (Aqua). Still think the French were right when they said, "It's a monument to drivel." I'd just like to say, I was really impressed by the singing talent of the girl representing the UK. It's a shame her performance was ruined by the two boys who were trying pathetically to look cool and trying very hard to rap. One day, Terry Wogan will sing a song. Until that day, let the beat go on.
The hosts grew on me, they were cute despite Terry's commentary. Much entertainment from the Polish entry (huge backing singers wearing bin liners and Cleopatra wigs), Norway (what a singer that guy is but a bit freaky looking) and not one but two Ricky Martin impressions (only 3 years after he's become really popular). Lindsay Dracass was really nervous and kept her eyes closed most of the time and there were no out-and-out howlers (like Macedonia last year) and too many songs sounded really 80s. Should be interesting to see how Estonia pulls it off next year! The song that won was the one song that neither I nor my husband could remember by the time it came around to the voting! I didn't expect our entry to win, although I did expect it to do better than it did, and I also thought that the "Abba" band would have done better. But I think Denmark should have won...their song was pure Eurovision! The man Wogan's a master...brilliant commentary as ever! If we ever want to win this thing again, though, we've got to stop voting for the songs we like in the Song For Europe, and instead vote for the one we think Europe will like, which is almost always something toe-tappy, not head-banging! Thought last night's Eurovision was poor. The venue was completely unsuitable, it was far too large. The presenters were ghastly. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to have them speak in rhyming couplets was way off the mark. Standard of the songs was very poor and I don't think we'll be hearing much of the winning song in the future. All in all it's "nil points" from me I'm afraid. Why does the BBC help fund this claptrap every year? The voting is so obviously political in many cases and the merits of the songs has nothing to do with it. The contest is a huge joke. This is not sourgrapes - the UK song was far from the best! Please, please, please BBC - don't waste any more time and licence payers' money on this shambles any more! Greece had the best song, the best band, the best looking singer and the best performance and biggest cheer from the audience, but the ignorant public chose Estonia and the host. No wonder the Eurovision Song Contest has lost all of its credibility. What credibility? It never had any and never will untill it introduces some credible judges. Next year Greece and Cyprus should both enter heavy Zeibekika, Spain should enter a Flamenco, Austria some Alpine music and treat the Eurovision the way it deserves to be treated, as a joke. Having sat through the Eurovision song contest, yet again I found Terry Wogan rude, insulting and constantly moaning. A great way to turn viewers off, he has lost the plot.
All I want is to watch a programme and enjoy the music. I don't want to listen to what he has to say, he's extremely annoying. Greece deserved to win. The fact that the winner was a poor imitation of a 70s US hit, and 2nd place was something similar suggests that there is something very wrong with the contest. In Greece, the telephone voting system had a serious problem - I and many friends were unable to vote. It seems that voters like tacky, bland old-fashioned songs sung in English. Whatever happened to European musical culture? Anyway, a very good song came 3rd and let's hope it does well in the charts. It was such a huge surprise to see Estonia win and to see Ireland get relegated with an OK song. The situation was made worse by Russia getting more than the UK and Ireland. It would be nice if there was some variety, something other than just pop. Currently it hardly appeals to a wide audience. It was good fun particularly with Terry Wogan's good- natured banter. Nice to see a whole lot of young women who certainly did not not suffer from anorexia! Frankly, these days, I do not think anyone takes the Eurovision contest very seriously - whether in my native UK or here in France where I live now. We see the winners each year - but what happens to them? Do we ever see the winning song in the charts? No we don't - so what is the point. In the past, the likes of ABBA and Sandie Shaw have benefited - but with today's music climate the Eurovision is seen as "old hat" and this is reflected in the way the winners are never heard from again... I think the songs presented this year at Eurovision were the most bland pieces of rubbish ever to be seen on television. No song was particularly memorable, nor worthy of remembering. It seems that Eurovision is in a death spiral: true European talent goes straight to the pop charts, not to this contest. Excellent show spoilt by Terry Wogan speaking too much. Both hosts had good English and a fine dry sense of humour. I thought that this year's contest was great. The winning song was different from the rest and had lots of energy. But the song I thought should have won was the opening number by The Olsen Brothers, "Walk Right Back". What an excellent song and I am trying to buy the album today. Now that is what great songs are all about, hear it then buy it.
I would write to my MEP if it wasn't so hysterically funny. As for "the tooth fairy and Dr Death", as Mr Wogan so incisively put it, I come over all nauseous just thinking about them. Pure agony. The Euro contest is OK but Terry Wogan rocks. As long as he is on the show I'll watch it. As for the songs, well, they don't really matter, do they ? As always, it is just a political event with second rate performers. More so this year than any other, musical merit failed to make the shortlist of selection criteria for the Eurovision song winner. Singing in a language other than your own (i.e. always in English), appealing to the lowest common denominations of musical currency, and using non-indigenous talent (is Aruba a forgotten Caribbean colony of Estonia?...), together with the usual wildly absurd voting allegiances, conspired to ensure that the most meritorious songs from Greece, France, and one or two other countries were relegated to the icy depths of oblivion. But keep it going. Terry Wogan's consistent gentle yet sarcastic commentaries make this event an annual must. I thought that the winning song from Estonia was rubbish. If you listened carefully, the beat in the verses has been taken from the music that the American marines march to. I thought that the competition was about original songs and music and that beat was certainly not original! As always, it was great! Eurovision is not a forum for discovering new talent, it is a fun competition. As a family we always take proceedings "seriously", working out our favourites with points for music, talent , look , etc. This year we were the closest that we have ever been to the winners. My only negative view is the way more and more countries sing in English. Why? If we want to know the lyrics we have Page 888. I am sure that part of the beauty of the songs is lost through this (note the Russian entry). I didn't like the songs too much but Terry Wogan's commentary was excellent! It's worth keeping it just for that! Loved it! I could watch Eurovision every night of the week. Can we have Terry Wogan as permanent in-vision presenter though please, rather than the Ken and Barbie we had last night? I think England had the best song. Fantastic evening's entertainment - two Danish anchors completely incapable of reading a script written in rhyming couplets! Can't believe they're relegating all but the top 15 - does no-one realise the music is supposed to be ghastly? Never mix politics with music I was sitting in another room editing my novel, but I could hear the um, music, coming from the TV room. Most of the songs sounded like pretty dire 60s style British pop demos. The only entry that caused me to take a peek was Greece's and I thought it was actually very good for what it was, a sort of Anglicized meze with a glass of retsina for the ears. Everything else seemed more like a golden egg fry up with a cup of instant coffee. This year's Eurovision song contest was disappointing because the essential Eurovision ingredients were missing. The elements that I consider make a good Eurovision include: good old fashioned bubble gum pop in any language with a happy, jaunty melody, lots of synth drums and beats coupled with weird and adventurous costumes and set designs. For me, Israel 1999 encapsulated everything Eurovision should have. This year, the only really strong piece was, dare I say, ours - the Lindsay Dracass number was really good. Why didn't this get airtime? Why aren't radio stations playing this? There is absolutely nothing to tell this piece apart from the current top 20 in the UK charts at present, except of course, it is a Eurovision entry which decreases its value 100 percent. So, I consider this year's Eurovision a big let down - but with one bright spark - the "No Dream Impossible" piece - which could have easily been marketed by record companies, TV companies and producers to give it more attention.
Terry Wogan was bang on with his comments, making me laugh a few times. He did make a few mistakes in his commentating but generally, Terry did a cracking job. It would have been nice if Terry gave the odds on each song, not just a chosen few. Thanks BBC! 16th last year, 15th this year - surely the poor performance of the UK entries says something to the BBC? It's time that the Song for Europe contest was given back its primetime Friday evening slot, instead of languishing on Radio 2 and a Sunday afternoon slot when no-one's watching. The BBC has sidelined Eurovision for the last few years - with popular support, and proper publicity, we surely stand a much better chance of choosing the right song? Lindsay Dracass has a decent enough voice by today's pop standards and the song was standard Eurovision fare. The rap, however, was inappropriate, pitifully executed and sounded like Darth Vader throwing up. However, the winner was only marginally less dire. I prefer the days of the downright cheery and cheesy 'bing-bang-bong' songs rather than the watered down rave efforts of today. I personally thought the opening number from the Netherlands was superb - of course the votes for them tell an opposite story - and it all went downhill from there! I think the Estonian song was best ... last year. But this is a reality TV show contest, not a song contest, admit it! And Estonia was best in that yesterday. I watched the "event" on BBC to avoid the usual back-patting on national TV. Terry's comments were arrogant, mean, insulting and absolutely correct. The arrangements as such were okay, but the presenters... They are usually very good, but whoever directed them and produced their dialogue ought to be fired on the spot. Most of the songs were boring as usual, with a few exeptions including the Danish entry(!) But Germany should have won. She had the best talent. Can't you Brits find a better talent than a 16-year-old schoolgirl who can't even sing? Anyway, be sure to let Terry commentate next year. Everybody is invited to Estonia in a year!
Nicolai, Denmark In response to Babs's comments, I don't think we (the Danes) are sore losers. It was just that the songs and the show were rubbish. But all in all it was a day to remember, not because of the European Song Contest, but because of some lovely Michael Owen goals. Estonia shouldn't have won. The Sweden song was much better by half. The UK should have come more than 15th because our song sounded really Eurovisiony. Estonia were not all that good, they should have done an Anne Robinson and booted them out! Sweden on the other hand were way better, England should have come something like second. Invite me over and I'll rewrite the lot! Thanks for your most enjoyable comments, Terry Wogan! Many Danes found the presentation by Natasha Crone and Soeren Pilmark highly embarrassing, and the "enthusiasm" displayed by them was only surpassed by the presenter of the Norwegian votes, who looked like a cross-breed between a mortician and Dr. Death! I agree with the fact that though the show might have been fantastic "live", it was a bit disappointing on telly. Thanks again, Terry Wogan, for making my evening! Despite all the bitter comments, I'm proud to be Estonian today - you can imagine how we feel. Us against the Goliaths. Our population is only 1.4 million. A very suprising win by Estonia. Only commercial songs seem to do well at the Eurovision. I think Norway had the best voice among all the contestants.That is a true winner. What a great show this year! Plenty of catchy modern songs, the only disappointment was the behaviour of the Danish presenters and audience who very publicly booed the winners - very unsporting and I'm glad they didn't win again. Congratulations Estonia! It is without doubt the worst show on TV. The songs are dire, the presenters appalling and the whole voting system is politically motivated. It is, however, compulsive watching and all because of the genius that is Terry Wogan. Top points to the show, the music and the BBC's coverage with a special mix of fun and embarrassment. The speaker had a dry sense of humour but he was very prejudiced in his views on the perforrmers and the hosts, who weren't bad at all. The Eurovision song contest is here to stay. It was a fairly impressive staging of the contest by the Danish but the presenters were excrutiating! She kept saying "This is really, really exciting" in the flatest monotone possible. Hilarious! Thank goodness English viewers not are setting the overall standard. Insulting commentator, bad song, poor singer. Too bad the UK is a part of Europe.
John Galley, UK Since moving to Amsterdam 18 months ago, my husband and I have made it a point to watch Eurovision every year. Not because of the sheer cultural diversity and music values but because of the Terry Wogan factor. It really makes for great entertainment, enjoying just how cringingly bad the hosts and songs are. It's so bad that it's almost cool. Perfect viewing. Another great night's euro entertainment. Glad to see one of the 'new entrants' winning, although I voted for France. Nice to see that the overall result was reflected in 450,000 UK votes. When will the British music and broadcasting industry start to realise that there is good music and great singers outside of the UK and USA? The Olsen Brothers were a huge success all over Europe - except in the UK, the only country not to release their CD. The CD of this year's contest is currently the second most popular on a major online music retailer. What about more European artists on the radio? Eurovision 2001 was a great show, nice lighting effects, good music, and thanks to "Denmark's Radio" for the good work. Too bad that Denmark didn't win again. I was quite surprised! All the songs this year were quite good, there weren't any weird outrageous ones this year! And of course, I enjoyed Terry Wogan's comments. But I didn't really enjoy the presenters of the Eurovision. Nor did I like our song. The songs that came second and third in the search for the UK Eurovison Song entry were much better and were typical Eurovision songs. Overall, my favourite songs were from Sweden, Estonia and Denmark. Well, once again a truely amusing evening had by all! Terry Wogan is King! As per usual the neighbouring countries voted for each other. Mind you, I can't be annoyed that we lost - what a bad song! Personally, I think Lithuania should have won, if only for their excellent afro wigs! It is nice to think that everyone in Europe is watching it all - I hope they all have their own version of Terry Wogan. Well, I don't own a TV. I went out and watched a fantastic sunset, listened to the birds, and watched a waterfall. And by all accounts, my evening was more in tune than anything from the Eurovision zone... roll on next year, when I won't buy a TV, DVD player or video, so I can miss it all over again... I listened to the sound from the BBC Radio 2 webcast and watched the postage stamp sized visuals, which were 30 seconds out of sync, on the Official Euro2001 site. My Canadian friends had no idea what it was about. I loved it. The Estonian song was awful. Brilliant. Lighten up! It's a bit of fun! Sit back, invite friends round and vote for your favourite song. Bravo! I'll be watching next year's delicious medley of dreadful songs (and equally dreadful presenters - well done, Denmark). Eurovision always has been and always will be brilliant beacuse it is so terrible. Surely that's the whole point of it. What we need are more entries like last year's Germany and this years Lithuania - don't you agree that they should have won?
Soeren, Denmark Well, Eurovision didn't fail to delight again - terrible costumes, eccentric performers, Dr Death and the Tooth Fairy with their rhyming couplets, voting that made absolutely no sense etc. All working together to give us the glorious winners from Estonia - wonderfully amusing entertainment. Indeed, long live Eurovision! Only sad point was that Ireland got relegated - and they've won the thing at least 5 times! Just wasn't their year. I thought that this was one of the best Eurovisions in recent years. I agree with the comments above re the UK - the song would have been much better as a ballad, without the so-called rappers. Also, what about the lad from Spain? Ole! He could really move (voted for him) - loved the Estonian performance, so natural and fun. I too would like to know what will happen if Israel and Ireland do not get in next year - as past masters and having produced some of the best winners ever, both should be allowed in. Us devotees also look forward to both countries' songs as they are normally forces to be reckoned with. Viva Eurovision forever - we can genuinely feel proud to come together on such a great night every year! Also, a vintage performance from Terry. Well done sir! I think there were some very good songs and some really bad ones. Estonia and Denmark shouldn't have been in the first two places.The Greek song was very good and I liked the fact that the lyrics were in Greek and English as well. Some countries should stop voting for their neighbours and start voting for the songs. For all those sarcastic people who have insulted Lindsay's voice and performance - I'd like to see you get up and sing live in front of millions of people without croaking it every now and again. It takes a lot of guts to get up and sing - I know, I've done it myself. Lindsay's voice is essentially very good - it's just a bit uncontrolled at odd moments. But for heaven's sake, the girl is only 16. Give her time to mature. And compared to many singers in this year's Eurovision, she put them to shame. I heard an awful lot of flat notes being sung by all and sundry. I just sat back and enjoyed the eccentric mix of 70s disco; kitsch or a genuine statement about world music? Hmmm... Oddly enough I can remember neither the Estonian song nor the one from Denmark but can't get the Latvian entry out of my head, with its declamatory line Too Much, Too Much, Too Much, Enough. Indeed. That and the amazing wigs of the Lithuanian backing singers. And the singer from Bosnia looked like Ali G. Absolutely awful - obviously taste in music varies so much amongst the different countries but it is all so uninspiring - and the winner, ugh! Same goes for the presenters - if that's what Danes are like, I shan't be bothering to visit! Time for this outdated fiasco to be shelved along with any further integration with Europe! There's just one thing I don't understand here. People here say that it was the worst song that won the contest. The European audience had chosen, sorry for you it wasn't the UK song this time... but maybe next time will be your time.
Betina, Denmark What wonderful comments you have here. Thank you, UK and welcome to Tallinn next year. This year's contest was surely one of the worst ever. From the terrible staging (all the poor contestants looked completely lost on that huge, characterless stage) and the ridiculous drivel spoken by the poor hosts (who should have ditched their dialogue and ad-libbed) to the bizarre, neighbourly voting. Lindsay performed a good song well but it's clear that Eurovision has changed dramatically since telephone voting came in. Anyone else noticed how the winning song in the last three years has been the most "middle of the road, let's write something to please every age group" song? There is now no room for innovation or originality. Also, there seems to be little point in the UK continuing to enter unknowns (no matter how well they perform). Unless the BBC is prepared to promote Eurovision in the UK by having a high profile act performing like we did in the 60s & 70s, and also returning to a prime-time TV slot to choose our song (like the TOTP specials in '95 & '96) then there is no point in wasting licence payers money on this extravangaza any more. Luxembourg and Italy have given up in disgust - how long before we follow suit? While reading some of your comments and watching the show on BBC Prime (I thought Mr Wogan was great), I noticed that some of the people don't like so-called "political voting". But I don't think it's always politically motivated. For example, a lot of Slovenians like to listen to Croatian music, we like the "melos" and therefore the songs and artists from southern, neighbouring countries. No wonder then that a lot of Slovenian viewers voted for Croatia or Bosnia and Herzegovina. The same probably goes for some Scandinavian viewers. The presentation was truly terrible - the script writer should never work again. Didn't anyone notice that the Estonia entry was like a Gloria Estefan song, right down to the chorus. And Sweden's entry was an Abba revival, is that the only way they hope to win? The UK entry was well sung, spoilt by those rappers - they just looked so cheesy. But it was entertaining! Especially Terry Wogan. It is all a fix, they all vote for their neighbouring countries and they nearly all sang in English this year. It was terrible. Lyndsay D was great though. I want to enter it. I'm 14. I think the voting system is unfair. The votes should all be sent in, then announced. The first countries that vote set the stage for the rest. Also, by the end, countries vote according to what is less threatening for them. Another year of awful songs, even the winner was poor. Who on earth will buy the CD? Mind you, I'll probably watch it again next year, how sad am I? As someone who has followed the Eurovision show since 1971, part of the problem as to why the UK did so poorly is that there seems to be a lack of commitment from the top on down for the UK to do well. As someone who is considering writing a song to submit for preselection next year, I want the best chance of success. The BBC management and the voting public, as well as the Eurovision viewers, need to support the UK's entry and preselection submissions and not treat the whole thing as a joke, to be put away until the following year. Personally, I thought Sweden was best. "Listen to Your Heartbeat" was a typical Eurovision song and should have won! But I definitely liked "Everybody" as well. And I have to say, that with a song like Lindsay's, you won't win next year either. Go Sweden, go! (We know how to make good songs!)
This victory means so much to Estonia, as we are a very small country. The party in Tallinn yesterday was unbelievable! The streets were full of people cheering and partying! A great night for us. We still can't believe it. There's nothing worse than havinng the flu and being stuck in the house, unless it's having the flu and being stuck in the house when Eurovision's on. Something about Estonia holding the contest next year appeals to my sense of humour - hope the lighting is slightly better than at their football stadium. I'm looking forward to a reply in Monaco a few weeks later. Aside from this, all the songs were terrible, like a very poor version of Stars in their Eyes, with about two Ricky Martins and a few Marti Pellows. Terrible. No change there then. Thank the lord for Terry Wogan. Although I'm from Estonia, I didn't like our song at all. We had a much better song to choose from. This year's show, more than ever, showed what is wrong with Eurovision. Take away all the originality and national background, add some cheesy tunes and the masses across Europe will love it. Really sad! Personally, I liked Germany's song, but Greece and Malta where also good. Is it only teens that can get to a telephone when it's time to vote or do people in Europe really like that kind of lame music? As an American, I've just been exposed to the Eurovision experience for the first time. Terry Wogan's hilariously witty commentary proves that the Brits have a wonderful sense of self-depreciating irony, while their European neighbours take themselves too seriously. The Eurovision is not just bad, it's awful, and only the Brits are smart enough to appreciate that it's so awful, it's actually addictive. Of course, the UK will never do terribly well at Eurovision because it is much more fun to have a good laugh at their neighbours who treat it like a vote on political union. Well done Estonia, and thanks to the Brits for being the only country in Europe with a sense of humour worth a mention. I'm just relieved the French didn't win it - we would have never heard the last of it. I think the Song for Europe judges in the UK work backwards, find the worst songs, and put them up for our entry just so that we don't have to pay to host it. That song has killed Lindsay D's career. It doesn't surprise me that we do not get a good reception at Eurovision if we are going to be so sceptical and stand-offish about being more involved in Europe. The UK last won in 1997, the same year as pro-Europe Mr Blair got voted in to office - coincidence? Now that the majority of the songs are sung in English, it has taken away the chance to watch the translations on Ceefax, which for me was the most amusing part of the show. At least we go through to next year on merit. We qualify automatically for being one of the largest members of the EBU but thank goodness we made it into the top 15 (just) or Ireland would be even more furious. Ireland will be missed next year, even if recent entries haven't been too good. I thought the contest was fantastic. The voting was hilarious. The best song never wins. I liked Norway (although the performer looked a bit scary) but they came last! | | Top Entertainment stories now:  Links to more Entertainment stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Without doubt the worst Eurovision winner ever, only the UK's entry was worse