Back in April, the UK’s BBC unveiled its slate of Eurovision-related programming for 2021. Among the highlights is the documentary – Eurovision 2021: The Road To Rotterdam.
James Newman BBC documentary
The 30-minute iPlayer documentary acts as a sequel to Eurovision 2020: The Cancelled Coronavirus Year and is made by the same Radio One Newsbeat team.
We see exclusive access to James Newman as he prepares to represent the UK with “Embers”. The documentary makers have followed him for the last few months as he gets ready for the biggest moment of his life. We see scenes from his music video shoot, his rehearsals, all the way up to his arrival in Rotterdam. The documentary also features many of the other 38 acts. The show also examines how Eurovision takes place in the midst of a global pandemic.
British viewers can watch on the BBC iPlayer. International fans can stream the programme on YouTube.
Other BBC Eurovision 2021 programming
You can check out the BBC’s full Eurovision 2021 schedule here. In addition to the live shows on BBC One and BBC Four, there is also a vast range of online-only content. These include podcasts with some past Eurovision acts. Eurovision 2012 winner Loreen shares her favourite songs in My Life In A Mixtape. Her choices range from Whitney Houston to Massive Attack.
Three more past winners – Emmelie de Forest, Duncan Laurence and Conchita Wurst join Iceland’s Daði Freyr for Music Life. They share their experiences of the Eurovision Song Contest, including what makes a winning Eurovision entry, how taking part in the Contest has influenced their music outside of Eurovision, and the personal stories they tell through their songs.
Will you watch the James Newman documentary? What about the podcasts? Let us know below.
Follow all of our UK Eurovision 2021 news.
Photo: EBU / THOMAS HANSES
Also, other than the behind the scenes in 2021, I’ve seen such documentaries in the behind the scenes in the years 2004, 2006, 2018, 3 episodes of 2019, something like that.
If only BBC had put some effort with the staging and a talented performer? Wasted money for this documentary that no one will watcH!
I’ve watched it.
Me too and it’s not interesting or at least didn’t bring anything new on the table. Could’ve saved the coins for a better staging and some jury bribes.
The docu was produced by and for one of the BBC’s news programs so it has no bearing with the UK delegation’s own budget.
Hey wiwibloggs can you do some of the US fans a favor and write an article just letting them know that NBC’s streaming service (Peacock) is going to start livestreaming both semifinals and the final? It doesn’t show up in the search results currently, but Peacock’s twitter said that it’ll show up in search starting tomorrow. They’re also making it available to those who use the free version of the service.
Anyway this would be helpful news to Americans who don’t want to use a VPN
I couldn’t agree more
I just watched it. James really comes across as adorable and just such a nice genuine man. I wish him all the best and hope he has a fantastic time!
I really hope he does ok with the Jurors enough to finish outside of the Bottom 5 at the absolute very least. I know the staging isn’t perfect, in fact is quite lacklustre. But as a song, there are worse songs that will qualify from the semis that don’t deserve to that will take up the Bottom 5 slots along Spain and Germany. However, I do have a bone to pick with the BBC, every year they do this, they get our hopes up and mess it up at the crucial moments. I have come to realise that the BBC… Read more »
I have never cared for the French entry Una, however I do see why people like it. But, the French up-ed their game in the contest since Amir with J’ai Cherche and ever since have made a effort even the car crash of 2020 had some good elements to it. The BBC has just coasted for so many years and now it it’s impossible for them to catch up, well for them it is.
Not me just skipping to the end of your lecture and receiving your “thanks for reading this”
For real now, I’m jealous of your patience
It was more of a rant than a lecture but, I understand your point.
It isn’t patience more like just having too much free time
I thing the UK should do what Russia does and split it between the two broadcasters given credit one year and itv the next and so on. And if let’s say itv send an artist that goes on to win they have the broadcasting rights the following year. People go on about the big 5 and how the UK get a to go directly to the final due to how much money they give to the rub but surely all of this doesn’t just come from the bbc so why are they the only ones broadcaster that gets this privilege.… Read more »
I agree in most part, especially on the shared broadcaster approach, we need to get a good repore and image issue back in the UK for the contest before we start talking about really good artists flying the flag for the UK, I know that in my post that artists are more likely to trust ITV but, that doesn’t mean that they are queuing up to get the ticket.
ITV only lasted three years with the Junior Eurovision. I can see them losing interest in the main contest if it doesn’t make them enough money… with only two or three very short breaks over four hours, I’m not sure how it could do that.
Also, I’m not sure what happened with the 50th, but don’t forget that the BBC hosted the 60th anniversary show. They’ve actually hosted more contests than anybody else – eight. Moving to ITV would also mean losing Graham Norton, which would be sad.
Losing Graham Norton would be a great thing, he get paid a fortune to be a passive aggressive b*tch to the other contestants for 4 hours and Rylan and Scott who have genuine reasons for being there other than a paycheck get paid dust in comparison.
Standing between those big trumpets he looks like a badly dressed borrower. Will take more than a few last minute sparklers to lift this dud. Meh song. Terrible staging.
He did and on the Turquoise Carpet interview with Wiwibloggs.