On Thursday morning, it was announced with some fanfare that 46 broadcasters across Europe and Australia would show Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light on 16 May. And while it was assumed that all of the networks would air the programme on television, this does not appear to be the case for the United Kingdom.
According to reports, BBC intends to broadcast its previously announced Eurovision: Come Together special. The EBU organised Eurovision replacement programme will instead be shown on the BBC iPlayer — the broadcaster’s online streaming platform.
BBC to air Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light on iPlayer
TV journalist Scott Bryan broke the news on Twitter. Over a series of tweets, Bryan told his followers that the BBC had confirmed to him that the Graham Norton hosted Come Together show would go ahead as planned.
As a result, Europe Shine A Light will be relegated to the iPlayer. British viewers will also be able to watch on the Eurovision YouTube channel.
The BBC has yet to publicly confirm that this will be the case.
UPDATE: The BBC have said that their own show “Eurovision: Come Together” will be still be broadcast on the 16th May.
The special EBU broadcast “Shine a Light” will available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) April 16, 2020
Europe Shine A Light vs Come Together — What’s the difference?
Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light
The EBU and Dutch broadcasters NPO, NOS and AVROTROS have organised Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light. It is set to air in place of the Eurovision 2020 grand final on Saturday 16 May at 21:00 CEST. It will be hosted by Chantal Janzen, Edsilia Rombley and Jan Smit, who were originally set to be the hosts of Eurovision 2020.
The EBU intends for the two-hour long show to honour the 41 selected songs for Eurovision 2020 in a non-competitive format.
It won’t just be the 2020 acts that make an appearance. Former Eurovision stars from recent contests will also be invited to take part and perform iconic Eurovision songs. It has already been revealed that the 2020 representatives will take on “Love Shine A Light” by Katrina and the Waves. Fans have been asked to submit their versions of Johnny Logan’s “What’s Another Year”.
Dutch make-up artist and YouTuber NikkieTutorials will also create online content leading up to this alternate programme. The online media mogul was originally appointed to do this in the run-up to Eurovision 2020.
Eurovision: Come Together
This show is being put together by the British national broadcaster BBC. It will show, “what would have been in 2020.”
The new show will also air on May 16. It is set to feature “classic” Eurovision performances and showcase material from Eurovision 2020.
On both scores, the original press release is vague, but it does specify UK Eurovision 2020 act James Newman will feature.
Veteran broadcaster and Eurovision commentator Graham Norton will host proceedings. Eurovision: Come Together will also feature “interviews”, although whether that means from this year’s acts or other kinds has not been confirmed.
ESC is cancelled leaving a massive hole in the TV schedule, BBC immediately commissions and starts production on Eurovision related programming while they EBU spends weeks dithering. Yes, clearly a sign that it hates Eurovision. Also, why is something going on iPlayer relegation? It’s watched by millions. I’d hardly describe Fleabag, Killing Eve and Drag Race UK as having been relegated.
Yeah , and the EBU is paraphrasing their last winner in return…
I said weeks ago don’t expect the BBC to be onboard. Instead Graham Norton to present a piss take show is more important than this event. Like you all I am sick of the BBC and the way they treat Eurovision. I am from the UK. Another example this years song by James Newman. I’m not a fan of the song but ive never heard it broadcast since the announcement in the UK. So much for record company support. Leave the BBC and give Eurovision to another UK broadcaster.
Brits really have some nasty feeling towards Europeans, don’t they? Don’t get surprise the UK is always taking 21-26 for the past decade then. We show you the same amount of love you do show us. 😉
Ahaha. So from what I understand, the BBC made TOO MUCH effort to please UK-based Eurovision fans by filling in the slot with their own show! So much so, that they didn’t ask what was happening elsewhere. Actually, this is a lot of fun now. I will get to watch two shows in the UK for the price of one – thanks BBC. 🙂
“Come together” is such an ironic title when you’re actually flipping a bird to everyone else.
Honestly. Can the BBC please do us all a favour and leave, with ITV, a broadcaster that actually KNOWS SOMETHING about the modern music industry (I mean they’ve launched many careers). taking over. The bbc don’t care, they send safe songs and delude themselves into thinking they are leagues ahead of the opposition, throw their toys out of the pram when they inevitably flop and blame anyone but themselves. We will never win this contest for as long as they are in charge, whereas ITV can win the contest on first attempt.
I think ITV should take over and the UK should compete as four separate counties personally. ITV can organise the English entry, S4C can organise the Welsh entry, STV can organise the Scottish entry and UTV can organise the Northern Irish entry. I think it would work a lot better when it comes to increasing interest in the contest , especially in Scotland and Northern Ireland where people might feel more comfortable supporting an entry from their country rather than a British entry.
While we’re at it, could be split up the counties of England as well? I would definitely vote for Yorkshire having its own entrant, just like this year!
Then I could sing for Buckinghamshire! 😛
As much as it sound fun, it would require a third semi-final. Or do you except of those 4 to be automatic qualifiers as the UK is?
What about the overseas territories: Gibraltar, Falklands, British Virgin Islands?
The UK going their own arrogant snooty way. Anything new here?!?
We can do whatever we like. It’s up to the BRITISH broadcaster what goes on BRITISH television, not Europe.
Kick them out of the big 5. They should be ashamed not to broadcast Europe shine a light. They don’t take Eurovision serious.
if they kick them out, UK will not see the Grand Final ever again, and who’s gonna represent the last position every year?!
Look in the mirror Sebastian. What are you doing? Seeding hate?
I get the feeling Sebastian did look in the mirror; why else is he so cheesed off?
Ioght just watch both one live and one after it has been aired. Seems like the easiest way of doing it. However I would prefer the BBC to broadcast one after each other so that more people are more likely to watch the EBU on as well as the BBCs one
I think BBC planned their show long before EBU announced their show. It is not a matter of disrespect, just a question of unfortunate clash. BBC probably rightly so thinks their audience has more interest in seeing Norton and their own act rather than EBU. And who wouldn’t? I love Graham Norton. I would watch anything with him. And he is a fan after all so it’s not going to be mocking. Was he mocking when he hosted the Greatest Hits show?
It depends on who wrote his spiels that time.
He was mocking even on Eurovision: Your Country Needs You 2010. Slagging off The Brotherhood Of Man by saying ‘this actually won’. Downhill since then, the one good line being in Baku when he said ‘Men do everything here. Except one thing.”
i think Denis is Graham.
The only issue I have with the BBC having their own show is that it will be so biased and so heavily focused on the UK acts that other singers will barely get any air time or if they do more than likely they will be ridiculed in some way. I have no problem with showing all of our 2020 song. However please give other acts a decent crack of the whip. What I don’t want is a mockery of the contest which Graham Norton has a tendancy to do. Treat the contest with fairness and a bit of dignity… Read more »
From what I’ve seen of the BBC coverage (and the British media generally), I think there will be some extensive coverage of their own song but they are definitely going to focus on the likes of Iceland, Lithuania and Russia. These are the sort of entries that the UK audience have been told the contest is all about.
I got the impression that the BBC announced and thus had commissioned its own replacement show *before* the EBU announced Shine A Light would be happening. I don’t think it’s them being disrespectful (or it wouldn’t even go on iPlayer), I think they’re just trying to understand what their bulk audience will be tempted by more and putting that on their main channel – for a lot of people, Norton’s commentary is a staple part of the British Eurovision experience, he’s their figurehead for the show over here, and his celebrity chat show pulls big audience ratings. Of course they’ll… Read more »
Yes in reality there are obviously Eurovision fans, but the contest means absolutely nothing to the majority of the UK. On the Monday after last years contest, there was only 1 other person at work I spoke to who had watched the contest and they couldn’t even tell me who won.
Every year from the moment I could watch the ESC on television, it was always on the BBC. I don’t live in the UK, but still prefer the commentating from the BBC to that of the Dutch television. Now that the BBC won’t be showing Europe Shine A Light on the BBC, I’ll have to miss out on the escapades and witty commentary because those higher up decide that this show, which is probably much more worthy than what they had planned, isn’t BBC? In whosew eyes? The Brexiteers? The Tories? Both? If this were the case, then why bother… Read more »
When the bbc is struggling for content (cancelling Holby and reducing things like eastenders) you’d think they’d jump at the chance! They’ll probably show a repeat of mrs browns boys instead!!
Unfortunately a repeat of Mrs Brown’ Boys would get higher ratings.
Basically, the BBC realises that the EBU-produced show was not going to be in-line with their audience’s attitudes towards Eurovision. With the Norton-fronted original content, they’ll be able to make something that would be a bit more sarcastic and take it less seriously, which is how the Brits view the contest.
They’re still putting the “Shine A Light” on the iplayer, so I don’t know what the problem is.
So British Eurovision is mainly about the commentator?
If the BBC says it’s going to be what 2020 would have been then let them make it, plus it’s more Eurovision shows, I don’t get why people don’t want 2 shows instead of 1??!
I think it’s more of the issue that compared to the other broadcasters who picked the show up, the BBC is seemingly the only one not scheduling this to aor on any of their broadcast channels, but instead making it available on demand.
Can’t believe the BBC have decided to put Europe Shine a Light on iPlayer in favour of their show. Dearie me.
I hope everyone else sees the beautiful irony in the EBU picking a UK song and then the UK deciding not to air the show.
Honestly, what is the point of this move? Making eurofans hate the BBC ever more than already? Not upsetting the BBC’s Tory-leaning and Brexiteer audience by showing EBU content? Get more people invested to get the iPlayer?
I definitely can’t tell.
Last time I checked in, tories and brexiteers hate the BBC.
I used to read in some tweets that it was the opposite, who knows maybe those Twitter users were too left-leaning or we’re just messing with me.
The BBC is supposed to remain impartial. That means most of the time it ends up upsetting both sides!
Makes me laugh. UK is a joke, as usual…
And they wonder why they get only Bottom 5 every time… UK we don’t need ur “Togetherness ”
Bye UK
Let Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland participate instead in 2021.
Er, you do realize that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are part of the UK, don’t you?
True, but maybe they could do it way better seperately. The UK just sucks…
Yeah, I’m guessing that was his/her point. They’re not well represented under the UK flag, so let them compete in their own right. Take back control, as they say…
Well. In the last 8 years 3 have been Welsh, 1 from India, the rest from various parts of England. I guess if they were all London centric, then the lack of representation would be a good point. But it’s not really. Idk if you’re British, but in shows like this English people tend to hype and support regionally rather than the country of England as a whole. So one could even argue Wales has had the best representation as all the English choices haven’t been from 1 place.
No, I’m not British. I have no real stake in it, they can do what they like. I’m not sure Engelbert Humperdinck counts as minority representation, though, he was born in India sure, but to British colonizers…and he moved back to England as a child. Cliff Richard was the same.
Yes, but let them participate separately.
And they wonder why the rest of Europe thinks the UK doesn’t take Eurovision seriously! What hope have we if our own broadcaster shows no interest? Shame on you BBC – the only participating country this year not to broadcast this show – not very United, especially with everything else going on!
Shows no interest? They’re one of the few to create their own alternative content, let’s not be too harsh on poor BBC.