分类： entertainment

As the 70th Eurovision Song Contest prepares to crown its 2026 winner in Vienna this Saturday, all eyes are turning to the United Kingdom’s unorthodox representative: inventor and cult musician Sam Battle, better known by his stage name Look Mum No Computer. Where many contestants enter the global competition hungry for a win, Battle brings a laid-back, devil-may-care attitude that defies the typical pressure of Eurovision’s spotlight.

With bookmakers placing Battle at 150/1 odds of taking home the trophy, the 37-year-old creative says he is fully prepared for any outcome, leaning into the adage that confidence means being comfortable with losing. “It could go well or completely wrong – I’m just here for the ride,” he says. Even in the worst-case scenario of a zero-point finish, he has already leaned into the joke, joking that he’s got a “Look mum, no points” t-shirt ready to go.

For Battle, Eurovision is far from a make-or-break career milestone. Long before he was tapped to represent the UK, he had built a thriving, eccentric creative career centered on his passion for repurposed audio technology. A cult favorite in experimental electro-pop circles, he is known for building functional synthesisers out of unexpected objects ranging from old bicycles to retro Speak-and-Spell machines. His YouTube channel boasts 700,000 loyal subscribers who tune in to watch his madcap projects: everything from modifying vintage cars to restoring decaying 19th-century church organs, all delivered with the manic, infectious energy that has drawn comparisons to Back to the Future’s eccentric inventor Doc Brown. Off-camera, Battle runs a unique museum in Ramsgate, Kent, dedicated to restoring and exhibiting forgotten vintage audio gear. Just four weeks before the Eurovision grand final, he added a new role to his packed resume: first-time dad to a baby boy named Max.

What many fans don’t know is that Battle’s Eurovision journey started as a random pub joke with a friend. “We were sitting in a pub saying, wouldn’t it be hilarious if we tried to get into Eurovision?” he recalls. The throwaway joke quickly snowballed: his manager emailed the BBC to ask about the application process, and producers, intrigued by Battle’s one-of-a-kind persona, asked him to submit an original track.

Battle agreed to join a songwriting writing camp on one non-negotiable condition: he had to be allowed to bring Kosmo, his custom-built synthesiser and drum machine that requires six separate flight cases to transport. It was a casual moment while moving furniture that ultimately gave birth to his entry: a cheeky, 1980s-inspired pop anthem titled *Eins, Zwei, Drei*. As he shifted a sofa to make space for Kosmo, he counted out “Eins, Zwei, Drei” to coordinate the lift – and the team immediately knew they had their song title. Twelve hours later, the track was finished: a playful, high-energy number about quitting a boring office job to take a spontaneous mini-break in Germany. “We all thought it would never get picked,” Battle says. The very next morning, the BBC called to say they loved the track’s zany, unapologetic charm, and after a final audition to confirm he could perform live, Battle was officially named the UK’s 2026 representative.

During rehearsals in Vienna, Battle’s boundless curiosity for all things mechanical was on full display during a visit to the city’s Museum of Science and Technology, where he wandered through an exhibition of early synthesisers and mechanical instruments like a kid let loose in a candy factory. He impressed museum staff with his deep, encyclopedic knowledge of the obscure gear, pointing out the Mellotron organ that created the iconic texture on The Beatles’ *Strawberry Fields Forever*, and demonstrating the Roland CR-78 drum machine that kicks off Blondie’s *Heart of Glass*. “He’d be a fantastic tour guide – he knows more about these machines than we do,” the museum’s curator said. It took a spontaneous detour to a Eurovision karaoke booth, where Battle ripped through a falsetto version of ABBA’s *Waterloo* and did the full choreography for 2025’s viral hit *Espresso Macchiato*, before the pair could sit down to discuss his upcoming performance.

Battle is the first to admit he’s no polished Eurovision performer: “I’m literally not a dancer. I’ve got two left feet,” he laughs, but says he’s fully embracing the challenge. His performance, choreographed by Fredrik “Benke” Rydman – the creative mind behind 2024 winner Nemo’s winning staging – leans into Battle’s hyperactive, chaotic energy. The set opens with Battle trapped in the monotony of a soul-crushing office job, before he breaks free and transforms the drab set into a flashing, buzzing electronic carnival, with dancers wearing fur-lined television sets as headgear. Battle built most of the stage props himself, including oversized custom synth panels, drilling hundreds of holes in the process. He had to scrap one idea – adding a real car to the set – when he learned the stage’s glass LED floor had a strict 500kg weight limit for all props.

Battle is well aware of the UK’s poor recent track record at Eurovision: outside of Sam Ryder’s surprise second-place finish in 2022, the UK has not placed in the top 10 for more than 15 years, and earned exactly zero points in both 2024 and 2025. The BBC, he says, prepared him for the potential public scrutiny that comes with the role, even putting him through a stress test to make sure he could handle the pressure.

Right now, the only thing keeping him up at night is the fear he’ll trip on stage and embarrass himself. Still, when pressed, he admits there’s a small part of him hoping the audience connects with his unconventional act. “What we’re doing is Marmite – you either love it or hate it – but I think there’s a slot open for our sort of thing,” he says.

But even if the contest doesn’t go his way, Battle has already lined up his next priority: immediately after the grand final wraps up Saturday night, he’s flying straight home to resume his new favorite job: changing nappies for his newborn son Max. For Sam Battle, no matter what the scoreboard says, Eurovision is already a win.

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest’s second semi-final wrapped up in Vienna Thursday night, with Australian pop superstar Delta Goodrem delivering a show-stopping performance that secured her spot in the grand final and catapulted her to the top of the competition’s odds rankings. Now the second most likely contender to take home the Eurovision trophy, Goodrem is quickly closing the gap on long-standing favorite Finland, raising the prospect of a historic first win for the non-European nation that has become a beloved staple of the annual contest.

Australia first joined Eurovision in 2015 as a one-off wildcard invite, but the contest’s massive popularity Down Under—where more than one million viewers tune in annually—turned the guest appearance into a permanent spot. A win on Saturday would mark an unprecedented milestone for the country. Goodrem, one of Australia’s best-selling female artists who earned early fame for her role on the long-running soap opera *Neighbours* familiar to UK audiences, signed her first recording contract at 15 and has already notched four number-one studio albums. Reflecting on her Eurovision journey after the semi-final, she told the BBC, “This experience has been surprisingly beautiful. To see people flying flags for music and standing with us has been an absolutely awesome thing to witness.”

Goodrem’s semi-final staging leaned into understated sophistication rather than the over-the-top gimmicks many Eurovision acts embrace: she performed her power ballad *Eclipse* against a minimalist backdrop centered on a glowing crescent moon, saved only one subtle surprise for the performance’s closing moment. The show-stopping turn has already shifted contest dynamics, with bookmakers now ranking her just behind Finland in win odds.

Goodrem was one of 10 acts to advance from the second semi-final to the 25-act grand final, which will air live Saturday night. The full list of second semi-final qualifiers joining her are Albania’s Alis with *Nân*, Bulgaria’s Dara with *Bangaranga*, Cyprus’s Antigoni with *Jalla*, Czechia’s Daniel Zizka with *Crossroads*, Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund with *Før Vi Går Hjem*, Malta’s Aidan with *Bella*, Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu with *Choke Me*, Ukraine’s Leléka with *Ridnym*, and Norway’s Jonas Lovv with *Ya Ya Ya*. Five nations—Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Armenia, Switzerland, and Latvia—were eliminated from contention in the 2026 contest, and will return to compete in 2027.

The semi-final was packed with memorable, and in some cases controversial, performances from across the continent. Opening the night, Bulgarian singer Dara delivered a high-energy set brimming with dynamic chair choreography and fierce performance energy for her track *Bangaranga*. Though the title may read like playful nonsensical Eurovision fare, the 27-year-old artist explained the song explores “being bold” and opening up about her personal battle with anxiety. Her energetic staging has already positioned her as a potential top 10 contender for the grand final.

Romania’s Căpitănescu entered the semi-final already facing controversy over her brooding rock track *Choke Me*. Campaigners had previously criticized the song for allegedly glorifying sexual violence, but Căpitănescu clarified the lyrics actually address the feeling of suffocating under unforgiving societal expectations. She visualized this struggle in her staging, straining against two oversized neon ropes tied to her bodice. In an unexpected coincidence, rope became a recurring theme of the night: Azerbaijan’s Jiva portrayed escaping a toxic relationship by fighting against physical restraints during her performance, while Switzerland’s Veronica Fusaro was entangled in a web of blood-red rope for *Alice*, her track confronting the trauma of stalking and abuse. Despite strong critical reception for both sets, neither accumulated enough votes to advance to the final. Fusaro did earn widespread praise for a blistering guitar solo that capped off her performance.

The UK’s 2026 entry, Look Mum No Computer, automatically qualified for the grand final as part of the “Big Five” — the UK, France, Germany, and Italy (the Big Four) plus host nation Austria, all of whom receive automatic final spots due to their largest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes Eurovision. The UK act delivered a dynamic, high-concept set, opening at an office desk before moving into a surreal, colorful landscape of exposed circuit boards and robotic dancers. The performance split opinion on social media: “UK might actually get some points this year,” Threads user Dan wrote, with commentator Karen Robinson agreeing, “He brought so much energy and real personality to the stage.” But other critics were less impressed, with a Reddit user deriding the staging as a man “huffing and puffing around an exam hall,” and Bluesky user C Grinbergs lamenting, “I don’t think it’s our year.”

More upbeat, lighter moments came from other contestants: Antigoni, a London-based artist representing Cyprus, brought a danceable party anthem *Jalla* (translated “And More”) that blended belly dancing choreography with traditional Cypriot instrumentation, drawing obvious comparisons to global pop star Shakira. Malta’s Aidan brought warm Mediterranean energy to his tender love ballad *Bella*, while France’s Monroe offered a reflective operatic chanson *Regarde!* that encouraged audiences to pause and appreciate the beauty of the world around them. Closing out the semi-final was Norway’s Lovv with *Ya Ya Ya*, a raucous, foot-stomping rock track that echoes the sound of 2021 Eurovision champions Måneskin. The track has already become a streaming hit, racking up more than four million plays across YouTube and Spotify. Lovv made headlines earlier in the week after contest organizers asked him to tone down what they described as overly sexualized choreography during rehearsals. Laughing off the criticism, he said, “I don’t know what they are talking about! I’m the least sexual person in the whole delegation.” For the semi-final, he compromised by swapping his original hip thrust choreography for a playful cheeky wiggle, much to the audience’s amusement.

The 10 second semi-final qualifiers will join 10 acts that advanced from the first semi-final earlier this week—Belgium, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, and Sweden—in the grand final. They will be joined by automatic qualifiers the UK, Italy, Germany, France, and host nation Austria, for a total of 25 competing acts. UK audiences can tune into the grand final live starting at 8pm BST on Saturday via BBC One, BBC iPlayer, Radio 2, and BBC Sounds, with full live coverage and analysis available on the BBC News website. Fans can also download a printable Eurovision score card from the website to track their own rankings of the finalists ahead of the winner announcement.

VIENNA — The final lineup for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest has been locked in, following the conclusion of the second semi-final that saw five competing nations eliminated from the pan-continental pop competition on Thursday night.

Fifteen competing acts took the stage in the second semi-final, fighting for 10 remaining spots in the 25-act grand final scheduled for Saturday. Advancement to the final was determined by a combined vote of national juries and public viewers from across participating countries.

Qualifiers advancing to the grand final include Denmark’s Søren Torpegaard Lund with his soulful, moody entry “Før Vi Går Hjem” (Before We Go Home), Australian global star Delta Goodrem with her soaring power ballad “Eclipse”, and Bulgarian pop artist Dara with the upbeat, infectious track “Bangaranga.” Rounding out the second semi-final’s qualifying acts are Daniel Žižka of Czechia, Leléka of Ukraine, Alis of Albania, Aidan of Malta, Antigoni of Cyprus, Alexandra Căpitănescu of Romania, and Jonas Lovv of Norway. Eliminated acts from the semi-final represent Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Armenia, Switzerland and Latvia.

The 10 remaining finalists secured their spots in the competition during the first semi-final held on Tuesday. This group includes Finnish performers Pete Parkkonen and Linda Lampenius, Greek rapper Akylas, Serbian goth metal outfit Lavina, Moldovan folk-rap fusion artist Satoshi, and Israeli singer Noam Bettan. Like all past winners and the largest financial backers of the contest, the 2024 champion Austria automatically claims a spot in the final as this year’s host nation, alongside the so-called “Big Five” funders: the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, who also bypass the semi-final round.

While the competition’s official 2025 motto is “United by Music”, with a stated mission to bring European nations together through art beyond political divides, the event has once again become the center of heated political tensions that have overshadowed much of the lead-up to Saturday’s final. The contest has a long history of navigating geopolitical friction: Russia was fully expelled from the competition in 2022 following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a move that mirrored growing global condemnation of the Kremlin’s military campaign.

The 2024 contest hosted in Malmo, Sweden and the 2023 event in Basel, Switzerland were both disrupted by large pro-Palestinian protests demanding Israel’s expulsion from the contest over its ongoing military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Organizers confirm a new demonstration against Israel’s participation is planned to take place ahead of Saturday’s grand final in the Vienna arena.

This year, five nations — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — have launched a full boycott of the 2025 contest in direct protest of Israel’s inclusion. This boycott has delivered a tangible financial and audience hit to the iconic event. Last year, Eurovision organizers reported a global viewership of 166 million people, and the absence of five major national broadcasters means both reduced revenue from participation fees and lower overall viewership this year. While Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have returned to the competition after sitting out recent editions for artistic or financial reasons, 2025 still has the smallest number of participating countries since 2003.

Beyond the protests, Israel has also faced formal accusations of violating contest rules with an organized off-platform marketing campaign designed to coordinate mass votes for its entrant. In response to the allegations, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the governing body that oversees Eurovision, updated and tightened contest voting rules ahead of this year’s event. The new rules cut the maximum number of votes per viewer in half to 10, and added enhanced monitoring systems to flag and disqualify “suspicious or coordinated voting activity.”

When Israeli entrant Noam Bettan performed during Tuesday’s first semi-final, his set was interrupted by scattered protest chants from audience members. In a break from past event protocols, Austrian host broadcaster ORF has confirmed Palestinian flags will be permitted inside the competition arena, and the network will not mute audience booing for broadcast, a policy designed to preserve the live nature of the event even amid tension.

Despite the ongoing challenges and boycotts, Eurovision leadership remains focused on long-term growth and reconciliation. The contest is already scheduled to launch its first official Asian spin-off, Eurovision Song Contest Asia, which will hold its inaugural edition in Bangkok this coming November. Contest director Martin Green also shared Thursday that he is optimistic about the return of Hungary, which has not participated in Eurovision since 2019, following the replacement of nationalist-populist former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán by new Prime Minister Péter Magyar.

Green emphasized that the competition remains open to the five boycotting nations, adding that organizers are eager to welcome them back to future editions of the contest. “We’ve made it very clear to them we can’t wait for them to come back,” Green said.

Princess Catherine, Princess of Wales, marked a landmark moment in her public life with her first overseas trip since completing cancer treatment, a visit to the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia that laid bare the enormous draw of her star power for the British Royal Family.

Framed by her team as a “huge moment” and her official comeback to international royal engagements, the trip was originally scheduled as a low-profile fact-finding mission focused on Reggio Emilia’s globally renowned early childhood education approach. Instead, it turned into a massive public celebration of the princess, with crowds of adoring well-wishers turning out at every stop to catch a glimpse of her.

On Thursday, the second full day of the visit, hundreds of people lined the dusty side streets on Reggio Emilia’s outskirts, gathered behind police barriers long before Catherine’s motorcade arrived. As the black royal BMW pulled up flanked by a police escort, young children in the crowd chanted “Principessa, principessa,” their voices rising over the hum of onlookers. Catherine stepped out with a warm, steady smile, waving to the crowd before working her way along a line of local officials and community leaders to enter an industrial facility hosting a recycled materials education project.

During her visit, the princess participated in a hands-on pasta-making class, played with young children at a local primary school, and drew on the Italian language skills she developed during her gap year to interact with attendees. The project she was exploring, which repurposes waste materials for creative learning activities, aligns with Catherine’s long-standing public advocacy for early childhood development, a cause she has centered throughout her time as a working royal.

As crowds grew outside the facility, Italian police Carabinieri and event organizers added extra barriers to manage the flow of attendees. Some well-wishers arrived in formal outfits and decorative hats, others carried handwritten signs and flowers, all waiting for an hour to catch another glimpse of the princess when she emerged. The turnout was even larger on Wednesday, when more than 1,000 people packed the city’s central square for a walkabout, with nearly every attendee eager to shake Catherine’s hand or snap a selfie.

Interviews with waiting attendees revealed a deep, personal connection many Italians feel to the princess. Maria Theresa, who traveled all the way from Rome to see her, highlighted Catherine’s widely noted sincerity and empathy as the core of her appeal. “Italians like her. We’re people of emotions,” she said, adding that she sees Catherine as “close to the people” and a true humanitarian for her work supporting children and vulnerable communities.

Georgia, a visitor from nearby Modena who dressed up for the event and wore a royal-themed badge, echoed that affection, noting that Catherine reminds many people of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, a figure who remains deeply beloved in Italy. Chiara, also from Modena, expressed relief at seeing Catherine looking well after her cancer treatment, calling her “strong and kind.”

Many attendees specifically cited the authenticity of Catherine’s public empathy, particularly after her own experience with illness. One anonymous woman noted that unlike the manufactured connection common to many celebrities, Catherine’s care for others feels genuine. A large banner hung in Reggio Emilia’s central square read “Love and Support for Catherine,” a reciprocal gesture for the years of support the princess has extended to people facing illness and hardship.

Though Catherine gave no public speeches or interviews during the trip, she released a statement reflecting on the warm reception she received. “I have had such a deeply moving and unforgettable time here,” she said. “Thank you to the people of Reggio Emilia for welcoming me into a culture of care with such warmth and generosity.”

For the British Royal Family, the overwhelming public response to Catherine’s trip underscores just how critical her widespread popular appeal is to the institution’s public standing. A charismatic figure whose face regularly makes front-page news across the globe, she brings a rare, movie-star energy that draws public attention in a way few other working royals can match. The visit is already being framed as a successful comeback, with observers expecting more public and international engagements from the princess in the near future.

The Eurovision Song Contest, one of the world’s most-watched live music events, is rolling out enhanced voting monitoring for this year’s competition, contest director Martin Österdahl has confirmed. The move comes in direct response to lingering public and stakeholder concerns that emerged following the 2023 contest, when questions were raised about potential unfair influence on the final results linked to Israel’s participation.

Österdahl emphasized in a recent statement that event organizers have ramped up scrutiny of all voting activity this year, with teams tracking voting patterns “very, very carefully” to safeguard the contest’s long-standing commitment to fair and transparent competition. The changes to voting oversight come amid broader debates around political tensions impacting the pan-European music competition, which has prided itself on uniting countries through musical performance for nearly 70 years.

Organizers have not announced sweeping changes to the core voting structure— which combines public televoting and jury scores from participating countries— but have added new layers of data analysis to flag any unusual or coordinated voting activity that could skew the final rankings. The goal of the adjusted monitoring process is to maintain public trust in the contest’s outcome, ensuring that results reflect genuine audience and expert appreciation of competing entries rather than external interference.

The Eurovision Song Contest has increasingly become a stage where familiar faces from across the entertainment world make surprise appearances, with small participating nation San Marino leading the trend in recent years — from a fleeting cameo by 80s pop icon Boy George at this year’s contest to a high-profile guest spot from American rapper Flo Rida that helped the country secure its place in the 2021 grand final. This year, however, it is fans of hit British reality series *Love Island* that are in for a surprise: 2022 series eight contestant Antigoni Buxton is set to take the stage in the contest’s second semi-final, representing Cyprus with her upbeat dance-pop entry *Jalla*.

For many viewers who only know Buxton from her time as a bombshell on the reality dating show, her leap to Eurovision may come as a shock — but the London-born singer-songwriter says that transition is anything but out of the blue. In an interview with BBC Newsbeat, Buxton explained that singing has been her lifelong passion, long before her *Love Island* appearance. “I’ve been wanting to be a singer, that has been my dream since I was as young as I can remember,” she said. “And I had an obsession with Eurovision ever since I saw Helena Paparizou win for Greece back in 2005.” Buxton frames her 2022 reality TV stint as a happy accident that opened unexpected doors: “If anything doing Love Island was random. It was a great moment because it gave me the chance to introduce myself to a lot of people and now I’m on that path I always wanted to be on.”

Though raised in the British capital, Buxton has deep Greek-Cypriot roots, and she has woven her cultural heritage into every layer of her Eurovision entry. She spent six to eight weeks every summer on the Mediterranean island growing up, and says she has always felt a strong connection to her Cypriot identity, making representing the country a point of immense pride. *Jalla* blends modern pop production with traditional Greek instrumentation, and draws direct inspiration from Tsifteteli, the beloved Greek belly dance style. The track’s title itself holds special local meaning: it is unique Cypriot-Greek slang that roughly translates to “more” or “again”, a detail Buxton says she is excited to share with a global audience. “Sharing my roots is something I do across all my music, and I am really proud to be able to share that specific part of Cypriot culture here,” she added.

The music video for *Jalla* leans even further into Buxton’s cultural and entertainment connections, featuring cameos from her own mother and grandparents, as well as iconic UK-based Cypriot dance duo Stavros Flatley. The father-son pair rose to fame after their memorable 2009 run on *Britain’s Got Talent*, and Buxton says they are one of the most famous Cypriot acts to break through in the UK. She reached out directly to Demi, the duo’s lead performer, who jumped at the chance to join the project with open enthusiasm.

Unlike her experience on reality competition television, Buutton says she has found the Eurovision community to be overwhelmingly warm and supportive, a sharp contrast to the critical culture that often surrounds reality TV appearances. “That’s the thing about Eurovision, it’s almost the opposite of some things I’ve done in the public eye in the past where people want to judge and give bad comments,” she explained. “People still do, but it’s a very loving community. It’s a really warm, happy, loving, supportive community. Everyone sees that it’s a big opportunity to learn about culture, to have fun. So I feel overwhelmed with joy and with gratitude.”

This year marks the 42nd time Cyprus has competed in the Eurovision Song Contest — a record for the most participation by any country without ever claiming the top prize. After failing to qualify for the 2025 grand final, the country is pulling out all the stops for Buxton’s performance in this year’s host city Vienna. Her live staging takes the track’s lyric about dancing on tables literally, featuring a giant prop table that dancers emerge from underneath, and builds to a explosive climax packed with extensive pyrotechnics. But despite the high stakes for her country, 30-year-old Buxton says she is not solely focused on taking home the win. “In terms of my career and in terms of success, the focus is just doing my very best,” she said. “If I can leave there and feel like I did myself proud, Cyprus is proud of me, my family and my team, that is a win in itself. But I also feel like I have an opportunity to make history for my country and it would just mean so much to the people of Cyprus.”