Eurovision 2024 results — Switzerland take victory from Croatia – how did UK entry Olly Alexander get on?
SWITZERLAND were crowned the winners of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest in a surprising result.
Despite backing from the bookies, Baby Lasagna was pipped to the post at the last minute by Nemo with his track 'The Code'.
He couldn't help but make a somewhat pointed speech as he accepted the glass trophy from Loreen amid the conflict in Israel and Gaza.
Nemo said: "Thank you so much, I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world."
In the end, the UK representative Olly Alexander was placed on the right hand side of the leaderboard.
He received a respectable 46 points from the all the jury votes, which included eight points from Iceland.
But in a brutal move - and to much boo's from the arena audience - the Years & Years frontman received 'nil points' from the telephone voting,
Just after he came off the stage, UK fans were left furious after they claimed Olly Alexander was 'sabotaged'.
He took to the stage to perform his single Dizzy with raunchy backing dancers who were shirtless throughout the performance.
But viewers noticed that the sound quality might not have been up to scratch, and at one point, Olly was seen touching his earpiece.
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Meanwhile, Israel's Eden Golan had a surprising night as she received one of the biggest shares of the audience vote.
The juries awarded her 52 points, but the audience at home gave a whopping 323 points.
At one point before the final results were announced, Israel they were put the top of the leader-board as they even received more audience votes than the winners Switzerland.
Earlier in the night she took to the stage with a thunderous reaction from the arena after significant protests in Malmö.
Ahead of tonight's explosive show, organisers confirmed that the Netherlands' act Joost Klein would not compete amid a police investigation into the star.
Follow our live blog below for all the latest news and updates...
What is the UK’s history in Eurovision?
In 1957, the UK first made its debut in the singing competition.
Since then, the nation has won the competition on just five occasions.
The UK does holds the record for having finished second for a record of 15 times!
It also holds the record for the longest-running string of top 5 placings.
The UK has proudly hosted the Eurovision Song Contest eight times in total.
The last time that the UK had the opportunity to host the event, however, was in 1998 in Birmingham following the victory of Katrina and the Waves who won the competition in 1997 with Shine A Light.
In 2021, the UK picked up the lowest score possible to get in to the competition for the first time since 2003.
Who was Eurovision Song Contest creator Marcel Bezençon?
Marcel Bezençon was born May 1 1907 in Orbe.
He passed away aged 73 on February 17, 1981 in Lausanne.
He was a Swiss entrepreneur and the director of the European Broadcasting Union until 1970.
In 1955, he came up with the idea for the Eurovision Song Contest, and based the competition on the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy.
The contest was seen as a technological experiment in live television.
At the point in history, it was a very ambitious project to attempt to join so many countries together in a wide-area international network.
In 2002, the Marcel Bezençon Awards were founded by Christer Björkman and Richard Herrey.
Banned Netherlands star breaks silence
Eurovision’s Netherlands star Joost Klein has broken his social media silence after being banned from the contest and investigated by Swedish police.
The Dutch artist was disqualified from this year’s competition at the Malmo Arena in Sweden on Saturday after a backstage incident.
During one of the most chaotic and political Eurovisions ever, Klein took to Instagram and posted a video of dogs dancing to Baha Men’s song Who Let The Dogs Out.
Klein, 26, shared the montage clip to his 1.3million followers, after it was revealed Swedish cops are investigating an allegation of intimidation made by a female member of Eurovision’s production crew.
The Netherlands Songfestival has now defended Klein and said he “repeatedly indicated” he did not want to be filmed and that he “did not touch the camera woman”.
Credit: AFP
What is the EBU?
The European Broadcasting Union is an alliance of public service media organisations, established on February 12, 1950.
The EBU is comprised of 73 Members in 56 countries and 34 Associate Members from a further 20 countries.
It is best known for producing the Eurovision Song Contest which was established in 1956.
It has also hosted debates between candidates for the European Commission presidency for the 2014 parliamentary elections but is unrelated to the institution itself.
Is Australia the only non-European country to take part?
Australia isn’t the first non-European country to take part.
Israel has been competing regularly since 1973 and has won the contest on three occasions.
Morocco, which is located is North Africa, has also competed in past contests as well as Azerbaijan – a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Tunisia and Lebanon have both been considered for the run-up.
Cyprus, which is geographically located in the Middle East, takes part in the competition regularly.
In 2016 China wanted to take part but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) denied the country as guest or participants.
How many times has the UK been bottom of the leaderboard?
The UK has not taken home the winner’s prize at Eurovision for over 20 years.
And we have been placed bottom four times.
One of these times was the zero points for Jemini in 2003 - the first time the UK had finished in last place.
We next achieved this in 2008 as Andy Abraham garnered just 14 points for Even If.
Josh Dubovie took bottom spot in 2010 with That Sounds Good To Me.
James Newman's bottom place position in the 2021 competition marks the fourth occasion that the UK has come last.
The singer won a High Court case against ex-Voice contestant Kelly-Marie Smith, who claimed he'd copied one of her songs.
Who won Eurovision for the UK?
Here's when the UK won:
- Sandie Shaw - Puppet on a String (1967)
- Lulu - Boom Bang-a-Bang (1969 tied)
- Brotherhood of Man - Save Your Kisses For Me (1976)
- Bucks Fizz - Making Your Mind Up (1981)
- Katrina and the Waves - Love Shine A Light (1997)
Many people believe Cliff Richard won the contest with Congratulations in 1968, but in fact he finished second.
Despite this, the song went on to be a huge hit.
He followed that up with a third placing with Power To All Our Friends in 1973.
Eurovision Song Contest entries 2024
Here were all of the acts that took part in the Eurovision Song Contest this year.
Finalists:
- United Kingdom: Olly Alexander - Dizzy
- Sweden: Marcus & Martinus - Unforgettable (2023 winning country)
- France: Slimane - Mon amour
- Germany: ISAAK - Always On The Run
- Italy: Angelina Mango - La Noia
- Spain: Nebulossa - ZORRA
- Serbia: TEYA DORA - RAMONDA
- Portugal: iolanda - Grito
- Slovenia: Raiven - Veronika
- Lithuania: Silvester Belt - Luktelk
- Ireland: Bambie Thug - Doomsday Blue
- Ukraine: alyona alyona & Jerry Heil - Teresa & Maria
- Luxembourg: TALI - Fighter
- Finland: Windows95man - No Rules!
- Croatia: Baby Lasagna - Rim Tim Tagi Dim
- Cyprus: Silia Kapsis - Liar
- Armenia: LADANIVA - Jako
- Austria: Kaleen - We Will Rave
- Estonia: 5MIINUST x Puuluup - (nendest) narkootikumidest ei tea me (küll) midagi
- Georgia: Nutsa Buzaladze - Firefighter
- Greece: Marina Satti - ZARI
- Israel: Eden Golan - Hurricane
- Latvia: Dons - Hollow
- Norway: Gåte - Ulveham
- Switzerland: Nemo - The Code
Out:
- Poland: LUNA - The Tower
- Iceland: Hera Björk - Scared of Heights
- Moldova: Natalia Barbu - In The Middle
- Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov - Özünlə Apar
- Australia: Electric Fields - One Milkali (One Blood)
- Malta: Sarah Bonnici - Loop
- Albania : BESA - TITAN
- Czechia: Aiko - Pedestal
- Denmark: SABA - SAND
- San Marino: MEGARA - 11:11
- Belgium: Mustii - Before The Party's Over
Disqualified:
- Netherlands: Joost Klein - Europapa
Political protests on stage
In another nod to the political protests, entries for Ireland, Switzerland and Greece refused to take part in the flag parade during the final rehearsal.
France’s entry Slimane also paused his performance to make a speech promoting peace.
He said: “When I was a child, I dreamed about music, I dreamed about this dream to be a singer to sing peace.
"We need to be united by music, yes, but with love and peace."
Yet this was not the only drama, as the Netherlands act was "pulled from rehearsals" on Friday.
Yesterday, Joost Klein was subsequently axed from the competition completely as cops "investigated a complaint by a female crew member."
Weekend of protests
The Eurovision venue in Sweden has been subject to a huge amount of protestor activity over the weekend, with pro-Palestine protesters attempting to storm the venue.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg was one of those detained by authorities as Israel's Eden Golan performed inside the Malmo Arena.
About 20,000 pro-Palestine supporters took to the streets of Malmo ahead of the Eurovision finale as tensions over Israel's inclusion hit boiling point.
The march had been sparked due to Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza with Israel's act, Eden, previously forced to stay in her hotel room until it was her time to be on-stage.
The moment Eurovision winner smashes trophy
Eurovision winner Nemo was called out for an epic fail just moments after winning the singing show trophy.
The singer, who triumphed with operatic track The Code, claimed the victory for Switzerland in what proved to be a hugely-controversial contest.
After receiving the hefty glass trophy, Nemo took to the stage in delight, slamming the momento on the hard stage floor.
The bottom of the huge vase-shaped trophy could be seen snapped off and lying on the floor as Nemo, the first non-binary winner of Eurovision, got up and walked around the rest of the stage.
Olly Alexander's disappointing Eurovision performance
Eurovision fans were left devastated as Olly Alexander failed to make enough of an impact - and got zero points from the public vote.
The UK’s entry in this year’s competition, at the Malmo Arena in Sweden on Saturday, scored just 46 points after the juries and public placed their votes, while Swiss group Nemo topped the leaderboard.
Years and Years frontman Olly was the UK’s most high-profile Eurovision entry in more than a decade - and there were high hopes.
He secured his place in the final at Malmo Arena, representing one the show's "five big countries".
But despite having a huge fanbase in the UK, Olly’s performance came under fire with some claiming there were sound issues throughout.
Olly previously defended his vocals after the semi-finals, but some felt it was not much better this time round - and he ended up in 18th place.
Who won Eurovision 2023?
Sweden's Eurovision 2023 entry Loreen once again won the Eurovision Song Contest after her crowning glory in 2012.
Gathering an enormous amount of support from the European public, Loreen topped the jury and public vote with 583 points.
She beat runners-up Finland's entry Käärijä by 57 points and Isreal's entry Noa Kiral by 221 points.
A look at the first-ever Eurovision Song Contest in 1956
The first Eurovision Song Contest was held on May 24, 1956, and saw seven nations compete.
Taking to the stage for the first time in history were the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Italy.
Austria and Denmark were keen to participate but unfortunately missed the deadline and lost out on the chance to participate.
The UK also gave the first-ever Eurovision a miss, sending their apologies as they were busy with their own contest that year.
The winner was the host country Switzerland, with the song “Refrain” performed by Lys Assia.
Has the UK ever won Eurovision?
The UK last won Eurovision more than two decades ago in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves.
The nation has won the contest five times in total since it began in 1956.
In 2022, the UK came close to victory as Sam Ryder finished second.
He came runner-up as the world rallied behind Ukraine’s act in a show of support for the country amid Putin’s invasion.
The acts that didn’t make it in 2024
Here are the unlucky nations that failed to qualify for this year's final…
- Poland: LUNA – The Tower
- Iceland: Hera Björk – Scared of Heights
- Moldova: Natalia Barbu – In The Middle
- Azerbaijan: FAHREE feat. Ilkin Dovlatov – Özünlə Apar
- Australia: Electric Fields – One Milkali (One Blood)
- Malta: Sarah Bonnici – Loop
- Albania : BESA – TITAN
- Czechia: Aiko – Pedestal
- Denmark: SABA – SAND
- San Marino: MEGARA – 11:11
- Belgium: Mustii – Before The Party’s Over
When did Australia join Eurovision and has it ever won?
Australia joined the stellar lineup for Eurovision in 2015 and has participated a total of seven times since then.
Australia has been in the top ten four times in the Eurovision contest over the years, however, the country has never won the competition as of yet.
After the contract run out in 2023 it was not sure if the country would return for the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
However, in December 2023 it was confirmed that Australia would participate in 2024.
How Switzerland won the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest
Switzerland's Nemo managed to get a significant audience score to beat favourite Baby Lasagne of Croatia at the last minute.
Olly Alexander of the United Kingdom placed 18th out of 25 countries with a respectable 46 points, all of which were from the juries.
Front-runners Croatia came in second place after Nemo snuck in a victory for Switzerland with a huge 591 points.
The rest of the top five is made up of Ukraine in third, France in fourth and Israel in fifth place.
How much is Graham Norton paid and what’s his net worth?
Graham is one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC.
Estimates of his net worth vary between £20million and £24million.
The broadcaster takes home a salary of £729,999 a year from the BBC.
He hosts The Graham Norton Show and Eurovision, but left his Radio 2 slot in December 2020.
His production company So Television was sold to ITV in 2012 in a £17million deal and lists Graham as a creditor.
Graham was thought to earn £3.23million from the company in 2019, on top of his other earnings.
Who was Israel's Eurovision 2024 act, Eden Golan?
Israel's Eden Golan performed her song Hurricane at last night's show.
Starting at the age of nine-years-old, the young singer is known for competing in talent shows.
Eden was even a finalist in The Voice Kids in 2018, in her native country.
She was the subject of fierce criticism from pro-Palestine activists in recent weeks, with many calling for her to be axed from the show amid Israel's war in Gaza.
Banned Netherlands star breaks silence
Eurovision's Netherlands star Joost Klein has broken his social media silence after being banned from the contest and investigated by Swedish police.
The Dutch artist was disqualified from this year’s competition at the Malmo Arena in Sweden on Saturday after a backstage incident.
During one of the most chaotic and political Eurovisions ever, Klein took to Instagram and posted a video of dogs dancing to Baha Men's song Who Let The Dogs Out.
Klein, 26, shared the montage clip to his 1.3million followers, after it was revealed Swedish cops are investigating an allegation of intimidation made by a female member of Eurovision's production crew.
The Netherlands Songfestival has now defended Klein and said he "repeatedly indicated" he did not want to be filmed and that he "did not touch the camera woman".
Credit: AFP
What is the EBU?
The European Broadcasting Union is an alliance of public service media organisations, established on February 12, 1950.
The EBU is comprised of 73 Members in 56 countries and 34 Associate Members from a further 20 countries.
It is best known for producing the Eurovision Song Contest which was established in 1956.
It has also hosted debates between candidates for the European Commission presidency for the 2014 parliamentary elections but is unrelated to the institution itself.
Who was Eurovision Song Contest creator Marcel Bezençon?
Marcel Bezençon was born May 1 1907 in Orbe.
He passed away aged 73 on February 17, 1981 in Lausanne.
He was a Swiss entrepreneur and the director of the European Broadcasting Union until 1970.
In 1955, he came up with the idea for the Eurovision Song Contest, and based the competition on the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy.
The contest was seen as a technological experiment in live television.
At the point in history, it was a very ambitious project to attempt to join so many countries together in a wide-area international network.
In 2002, the Marcel Bezençon Awards were founded by Christer Björkman and Richard Herrey.
Is Australia the only non-European country to take part?
Australia isn't the first non-European country to take part.
Israel has been competing regularly since 1973 and has won the contest on three occasions.
Morocco, which is located is North Africa, has also competed in past contests as well as Azerbaijan - a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Tunisia and Lebanon have both been considered for the run-up.
Cyprus, which is geographically located in the Middle East, takes part in the competition regularly.
In 2016 China wanted to take part but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) denied the country as guest or participants.
What is the UK’s history in Eurovision?
In 1957, the UK first made its debut in the singing competition.
Since then, the nation has won the competition on just five occasions.
The UK does holds the record for having finished second for a record of 15 times!
It also holds the record for the longest-running string of top 5 placings.
The UK has proudly hosted the Eurovision Song Contest eight times in total.
The last time that the UK had the opportunity to host the event, however, was in 1998 in Birmingham following the victory of Katrina and the Waves who won the competition in 1997 with Shine A Light.
In 2021, the UK picked up the lowest score possible to get in to the competition for the first time since 2003.