‘Silent' pro-Palestinian protest set for streets of Basel during Eurovision
San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy Tutta L'Italia, Albania's Shkodra Elektronike with folksy Zjerm, and Portugal's Napa with the dancey Deslocado and Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter also got to the next stage.Switzerland had not triumphed until Nemo with The Code at Malmo 2024 after Dion won in Dublin, more than three decades ago, and as a tribute to her Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi was performed in St Jakobshalle arena by previous Eurovision stars including Silvester Belt and Iolanda.
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Metro
18-05-2025
- Metro
Who came last in Eurovision 2025 as Austria secures victory for third time
The final leaderboard for the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 Grand Final has been confirmed following the Grand Final on Saturday night – including last place. This year's competition took place in Basel, Switzerland after Nemo's win with The Code in 2024. The likes of Denmark, Finland, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Albania, Iceland, Portugal and Ukraine all booked their places in the Grand Final despite fierce competition. And we already know that the Big 5 have a pass to the final, as they contribute the most financially to the EBU. These countries are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. But ultimately, it was Austria with their act, JJ, who claimed victory after a tense showdown. As for which country came in last place, the full leaderboard paints an enlightening picture. Despite our track record, the UK managed to avoid a losing placement. Instead, in last place was San Marino who was represented by Gabry Ponte who performed Tutta L'Italia. Gabry ended the night on a disappointed 27 points. Coming in penultimate place was Iceland – who were represented by Væb – an electronic music duo made up of brothers Hálfdán Helgi Matthíasson and Matthías Davíð Matthíasson – with their song Rao at a measly 33 points. Finally, in third-to-last place was Spain with contestant Melody singing Esa Diva and landing 37. As for the UK, Remember Monday came in 19th place (just one below Olly Alexander's 18th place in 2024) and, much like last year, received zero points from the public vote. The girl group performed their song What the Hell Just Happened with many fans commiserating their poor luck. Reflecting on the UK's depressing track record (with the exception of Sam Ryder who came second in 2022), Charlotte from the group told Metro before the final: 'I want us to be proud. Obviously we'd love some good numbers to come up but that's not something we can control. We just want to be proud of what we do on stage.' Meanwhile, Israel's Yuval Raphael came second despite widespread protests from those campaigning against the war in Palestine throughout the week. The final Eurovision leaderboard is decided by a combined score based onthe public and jury vote and countries cannot vote for their own entries. On Thursday night, we also got our first look at the production for the UK entrant with Remember Monday singing their tune, What The Hell Just Happened? The ultra-theatrical performance involved a collapsed chandelier, some killer harmonies, and outfits that served serious Powerpuff Girl energy, earning the trio – comprising Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull, and Charlotte Steele – applause and cheers. Remember Monday ended by hugging and framed inside a heart-shaped prop, although recreating their perfect performance didn't help in the final. At one point during the tense week of competition, Brugger said this is 'the biggest welcome home party that Eurovision has ever seen,' as the contest comes back to Switzerland, where it started more than six decades ago. And although this year's favourites were Sweden's act Kaj, who sailed through with ease thanks to their coordinated dance to their song Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), they ended up in fourth place with 321 points. Their performance saw dancers acting as lumberjacks in a fake sauna wearing towels, while the Swedish-speaking singers, from Finland, were dressed in dark green suits. Close to them in the bookmakers' leaderboard were Austria and France, and although JJ eventually proved the bookies right, France's Louane came in seventh place with 230 points. Although some believed they had stiff competition from Eurovision underdog, Malta's entry, Miriana Conte, with her tune Serving, she actually ended up in 17th place. Originally titled Kant but renamed for obvious reasons, the tune warranted sultry choreography and, apparently, a giant pair of lips on stage, out of which Miriana, 24, arrived while two spread legs were displayed on the screen behind her. It's safe to say this week has had it all, from those shocking, raunchy numbers to protests against divisive entry Israel's rehearsals. There was also an emotional segment, as Eurovision viewers were given a sweet blast from the past when Canadian singer Celine Dion delivered a pre-recorded video message, having won the contest for Switzerland in 1988. More Trending The My Heart Will Go On hitmaker spoke in both French and English as she told viewers that the country 'has always held a special place in [her] heart'. Unfortunately despite high hopes that the powerhouse vocalist would appear on Saturday night – with organisers teasing they has been in contact with her team to arrange something special – she was a no show on the night. The original article was published on May 16 . View More » The Grand Final of Eurovision 2025 is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Remember Monday break silence on crushing Eurovision snub with emotional statement MORE: Eurovision viewers gutted as Celine Dion is no-show after days of teasing MORE: Graham Norton leaves Eurovision final viewers in stitches with 'brutal' Margaret Thatcher jibe
Daily Mirror
17-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Eurovision 2025 winner confirmed after tense Israel battle
Eurovision fans have been cheering and celebrating as the Eurovision entrants performed pop-opera, rock songs and tear-jerking ballads. But now, after hours of performances, the winner has been announced as Austria's JJ. It was a intense night as fans waited to see who won as Israel and Austria were at the top two. Viewers took to social media to comment, as one said on X: "Thank f**k for that !! Well done Austria." Earlier in the night, UK's entrant, Remember Monday, performed What The Hell Just Happened? The BBC Eurovision team of Graham, Rylan and Scott Mills had 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 said. Donning vibrant Bridgerton-esque attire, the trio delivered a choreographed spectacle, maintaining impeccable harmonies throughout. Over on Twitter, viewers were 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 wrote. 'They really look like they're having the time of their lives on the #eurovision stage!' Before Remember Monday took to the stage, Norway's Kyle Alessandro, this year's youngest Eurovision act at 19, performed his fiery number, Lighter. Laura Thorn from Luxembourg entertained with her quirky song La Poupee Monte Le Son, while Estonia's Tommy Cash amused with his spaghetti-dancing filled Espresso Macchiato, a parody on Italian stereotypes. Two favourites, Dutch singer Claude Kiambe and Finland's Erika Vikman, delivered contrasting performances back to back. Congolese-born Kiambe, 21, moved the audience with his heartfelt song C'est La Vie, inspired by his mother's wisdom about life's ups and downs, ending his performance in tears. In stark contrast, Vikman, clad in black leather, performed the risque Ich Komme – a German-Finnish entry that concluded with her soaring off on a giant microphone amidst sparks. Other notable performances included Maltese singer Miriana Conte with Serving, which was renamed from Kant due to its resemblance to a swearword, and Switzerland's Zoe Me with the powerful Voyage. Earlier, 2024 Swiss winner Nemo returned to the Eurovision stage to perform The Code in a full-length white dress, following an opening sketch featuring a Mission Impossible-style quest to find the trophy, before it was handed over to the hosts.
Metro
17-05-2025
- Metro
Eurovision Song Contest 2025 winner revealed as UK annihilated in public vote
And the winner of Eurovision 2025 is… (Picture: AP) After epic performances from 26 countries and votes cast by both the jury and the viewing public, we have our Eurovision Song Contest 2025 winner. Tonight, the Grand Final took place in Basel, Switzerland, with the competition held there following Nemo's win with The Code in 2024. Representing the UK, three-piece pop-country girl group Remember Monday delivered a high-fashion performance of their theatrical tune, What The Hell Just Happened? But after a lengthy scoring process, we can reveal that Austria has been victorious with their entrant JJ. Following the conclusion of the jury vote results, Austria sat firmly at the top of the scoreboard with 258 points, while Switzerland was second with 214, and France got 180. Meanwhile, the UK girl group, which consists of Lauren Byrne, Holly-Anne Hull and Charlotte Steele, received a total of 88 points, totally annihilating the previous curse of our acts finishing with 'nil points.' Austria is your Eurovision winner! (Picture: EPA) Although, that did not change at all with the addition of the viewer vote, as the trio received nothing from the public, placing them 19th, just one place behind 2024 entry Olly Alexander. But at least no country went home empty-handed tonight, even though San Marino found themselves at the bottom of the leaderboard with just 27 points. Tonight, the UK's national jury votes were announced by singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor after Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa pulled out of British Eurovision spokesperson duties just days ago, citing 'unforeseen circumstances'. Our 12 points went to Latvia, while we also awarded 10 points to Denmark and eight to Austria. Girl group Remember Monday represented the UK this year (Picture: AP) Elsewhere in the final, singer Nemo returned with a reprised version of their winning track, while previous Eurovision runners-up Croatia's Baby Lasagna and Finland's Kaarija also performed a raucous duet. Tonight's final was hosted by Michelle Hunziker, who was joined by semi-final hosts Hazel Brugger and Sandra Studer on the stage in St. Jakobshalle. Switzerland first hosted the competition in 1956 in Lugano, with the Basel government estimating that more than half a million people have visited the city so far this week. This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates. If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. For more stories like this, check our entertainment page. Follow Entertainment on Twitter and Facebook for the latest celeb and entertainment updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. Arrow MORE: Eurovision viewers gutted as Celine Dion is no-show after days of teasing Arrow MORE: Graham Norton leaves Eurovision final viewers in stitches with 'brutal' Margaret Thatcher jibe Arrow MORE: Spain risks major fine from Eurovision Song Contest by persisting with political message
