Rylan Clark and Angela Scanlon were forced to issue an apology to viewers watching the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday, revealing that someone got “a little excited” during filming. The pair hosted the coverage on BBC One from Vienna ahead of the main competition this weekend. The UK will be represented by Look Mum No Computer, hoping to avoid hearing "nil points" on Saturday.
On the night, Alicja represented Poland with a song called Pray, and Angela scrambled to apologise after the performance. “Apologies to everyone at home if you caught a little bad language,” she said beside a baffled Rylan. “It’s live TV, isn’t it?” Clarifying that the incident was nothing to do with her co-host, she quipped: "Not you this time. Some participants, well, they get a little over-excited. Let it rip." According to reports, Alicja’s song included a rap with explicit language, including the lyric: “Pretty girls rock, I've been on my s**t, now it's pretty on top."
Protests and Boycotts
It was a tense evening in Vienna as Israel entrant, Noam Bettan, was booed while on stage, while chants of “stop the genocide” could also be heard. Protests had already taken place in the Austrian capital concerning Israel's inclusion in the competition, amid the ongoing military campaign in Gaza. Five countries—Iceland, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia—announced their decision to boycott this year’s Eurovision ceremony in protest of Israel’s place in the competition.
While Noam made it through to the final, it wasn’t the same story for San Marino’s entrant, Senhit, who was joined on stage by Boy George. They eventually lost the public vote, but the singer explained that he still had a “fabulous” time taking part and joining in the fun. "If you voted for us, thank you so much, I was sad we didn't get through to the final but my Eurovision experience has been fabulous," he said after the loss. “I wouldn't take a minute of it back. Thanks to Senhit and the entire San Marino delegation. What a fun bunch. We will perform together in Milan in July. At the Culture Club show. #funk #love #Italy."
Upcoming Semi-Finals
In the second semi-finals, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Romania, Luxembourg, Czechia, Armenia, Switzerland, Cyprus, Latvia, Denmark, Australia, Ukraine, Albania, Malta and Norway will be competing to make it through to Saturday’s finale.
