They say good things come in threes, and this is certainly the case with Edward Af Sillén and Eurovision scripts! The fabulous screenwriter behind both the 2013 and 2016 editions of the song contest is back for 2024, it was announced today. 

Edward is responsible for some truly iconic moments of modern Eurovision, including the musical interval act ‘Love Love, Peace Peace‘ in 2016 performed by hosts Petra Mede and Måns Zelmerlöw. He also wrote the ‘Swedish Smörgåsbord‘ sketch by Petra in 2013, a humourous performance embracing Swedish culture.

Also in the 2013 edition of the contest, he also introduced us to the queen of the EBU, Ms Lynda Woodruff. Lynda – a comedic take on a clueless Brit abroad, played by Melfest icon Sarah Dawn Finer – is a legendary character in Eurovision lore. Her character is the ‘Official EBU Spokesperson’, and among many hijinks, like many of us when booking hotels for May 2024, she got Copenhagen confused with Malmö.

Edward has also been in the commentary box for Swedish broadcaster SVT on many occasions. His quips and humour have garnered him several YouTube compilations, for being some of the funniest on the continent. 

Full press release below

Press Release – Edward Af Sillén writes Eurovision 2024

In a press release from SVT today, they said:

For the third time in eleven years Sweden is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2013 the competition was broadcast from Malmö and in 2016 from Stockholm. Both times the telecasts were praised at home and abroad, for the competition part itself and also for the scripts and interludes. Both times Edward af Sillén directed and together with Daniel Réhn he wrote the screenplay. Now it is clear that they will also work with the broadcasts in 2024.

“To have the honor of writing and directing content when Europe’s eyes are once again directed towards us in Eurovision-loving Sweden is of course a dream,” says Edward af Sillén.

Edward af Sillén has become a bit of “Mr Eurovision” for the Swedish television viewers. He has been a commentator for Sweden’s Eurovision broadcasts twelve times since 2009, with a break only the two years that Sweden has broadcast the competitions. On his track record, he has directed and scripted Melodifestivalen and several other television galas. In addition, Edward has translated, directed and written scripts for several feature films, musicals and other stage performances.

We are of course incredibly happy that Edward has boarded the train again. He has a deep knowledge of Eurovision and a great sense of humour. He has shown that it is possible to make fun of the competition in a loving way and has created legendary Eurovision broadcasts. Together with Daniel Réhn and the rest of the team, I am convinced that he will deliver three fantastic shows for television viewers worldwide,” says Ebba Adielsson, Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024.

Edward couldn’t resist the offer to do Eurovision a third time:

“After Eurovision 2013 and 2016, I probably thought it was over – but then our queen Loreen goes and wins again – and how could I refuse such a fun offer when SVT calls?”

What iconic scenes and sketches will Edward bring to Malmö? Will we see the return of Lynda Woodruff to the Eurovision-verse? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

 

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ESC Stan
ESC Stan
10 months ago

Grab your towels, lets come together!

Jo.
Jo.
10 months ago

I have an extremely unpopular opinion that I never found those jokes of 2016 funny

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
10 months ago

Hot take: Love Love Peace Peace was AMAZING but it DID copy the tune of Zauvijek Moja’s chorus, Serbia and Montenegro’s song from 2005! At the very least, the composer of that song should have been credited! I only realised this in the last few years that it copied another song’s tune! If they want to do another one, the new song must be created that’s much more original and doesn’t crib another song! Also, if Serbia wins again or Montenegro returns and wins, I THOROUGHLY hope the interval act is No Name bursting Petra Mode and Mans’s bubble, reclaiming… Read more »

Emanuel
Emanuel
10 months ago

IT was suppose to be a interval act not an actual song…omg some people really are stupid on here

Ari
Ari
10 months ago

Off-topic: Eesti laul songs are floating around. There’s a snippet compilation on YouTube. Daniel Levi might have a nice song. Laura already released her song in full. Pretty sure it’s not gonna be her year to finally reach a Eurovision final.

raw
raw
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari
Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  raw

Thanks!

Noam600
Noam600
10 months ago

The best comedy would be if Israel wins the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Sweden (which is known as pro-P4lestine) and Loreen (a pro-P4lestinian moroccan) passes the trophy to the Israeli representative. It would be so iconic. HAHAHA

Steven
Steven
10 months ago
Reply to  Noam600

Considering Israel won’t win in the next 20 years at least, if then, it is highly unlikely scenario. If they stopped Noa Kirel with her open political propaganda lyrics, they will stop any mediocre song Israel is about to send this time.

Noam600
Noam600
10 months ago
Reply to  Steven

Do you really think that Israel will send a medicore song? ^_^
Israel is a candidate for winning in all bets and Israel won third place this year, believe me that Israel will invest this year even more than they invested in 2018 and 2023.

Noam600
Noam600
10 months ago
Reply to  Steven

And by the way “The Next Star” are responsible for choosing the singer + song for 2024. They are the ones who brought victory to Israel in 2018 with Netta and they are hungry for another victory (regardless of the war), they know very well that the Israeli public will not settle for anything less than third place in 2024.

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Steven

5th in the televote and an unbelievable 2nd in the jury, only behind the entry everyone knew was gonna win the jury vote, is not exactly what I would call “stopped”. That garbage song did shockingly well. It was 3rd after then 2 only real contenders of 2023. A distant 3rd, but still.

Jamie
Jamie
10 months ago
Reply to  Noam600

Get a life…

Jo.
Jo.
10 months ago
Reply to  Noam600

I believe Sweden supports the “two-state solution” not the “only Palestine” one.

Denis
Denis
10 months ago

Honestly yes! I expect something just as great or even greater than Love,Love..
Edward is standout But what makes it work is that he has great hosts that can make the script work. Without the comedic timing it would just come off as weird

NoMoreEscAddicted
NoMoreEscAddicted
10 months ago

I prefer things more spontaneous and less scripted personally. If you have professional hosts who know very well their job no need to script everything they have to say.
I would add the moment of the basic questions asked to the artists in the green room whose answers are anything but spontaneous since repeated and maybe even scripted itself, it seems cringe to me every time, it’s a thing they should change or make evolve a bit imo.

Sebastián
Sebastián
10 months ago

They are swedes, they hate and don’t know how to improvise.

Jo.
Jo.
10 months ago

about the green room, having scripted questions perhaps helps those who are not fluent in English, so they can get prepared before being interviewed and don’t feel embarrassed in front of the cameras

Briekimchi
Briekimchi
10 months ago

So it’s pretty much going to be more of the same? I guess when most of their songs sound the same, we shouldn’t expect much different when it comes to their hosting of the contest either.

Jordan
Jordan
10 months ago
Reply to  Briekimchi

Are you serious? If someone is a great screenwriter with a passionate love for Eurovision and has done two contests that fans love, why shouldnt they return? You should probably start watching cricket or something and give that community grief instead. ?

EurovisionaryVoice
10 months ago

Are we going to get another banger in 2024?

Sebastián
Sebastián
10 months ago

Oh no! We are gonna have anoter swedishvision full of cheesiness stuff, old-fashioned jokes, robotic structures and so forth.

I have never enjoyed when Sweden has hosted Eurovision, they pretend to being Mellodifestivalen to it.

Marcin
Marcin
10 months ago
Reply to  Sebastián

I’m expecting a lot of cringy gay jokes.

Bejba
Bejba
10 months ago

I Guess He Did Give Us The Best Eurovision Of All Time, But I Fear He Is Too Old To Write Now

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Bejba

He can always hire you to dictate. It’ll be a fun challenge for you to attempt correct spelling. 🙂

Jonas
Jonas
10 months ago

I like him, but I don’t always like his humour. The gay jokes need to stop, they were never funny. They only make 13 year old boys at home squirm in front of their parents. There is a lot of gay men in the audience, ha ha, we get it… but so what? The “closet” is a thing of the past, or at least it should be. Petra pretending to not know is just… ick.

Jonas
Jonas
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonas

Also those silly blooper videos he tweets every day? Enough already. I had to unfollow him. Though I have abandoned X now, maybe he has joined me.

Bejba
Bejba
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonas

Why Are You Always So Negative Get A Life

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonas

Well, I kinda liked Petra poking fun at the entitled ogae crowd. I saw it more aimed at the ogae audience sector specifically. But that was 2013, I agree that this is over and done now. It was new then because no host ever addressed that. But once is enough, nobody needs a repeat of that.

Jonas
Jonas
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari

We already had a repeat, first in Vienna, then Stockholm. The same joke both times, about how no men were trying to hit on our lovely hostess. Also the whole “straight jacket” thing when Petra was selling the DVDs in 2016. The 60th anniversary show had some too. Enough.

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonas

Vienna was a real low. None of those woman had any sense of humor. Let alone gravitas. Don’t even remember the straight jacket thing. 2016 was love love peace peace which I loved. I didn’t bother with the anniversary show.

The Voice of Reason
The Voice of Reason
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari

Don’t think we’re getting ‘those’ jokes ever again. Writing has changed. Didn’t notice it really much to begin with.

Geston
Geston
10 months ago

I guess someone new might have broken the good-friend-circle, the host will be someone who is related to some SVT boss probably.

Nepotism, SVT enables it every time.

Vivian
Vivian
10 months ago

2013 and 2016 genuinely had good writing and are one of few editions where the hosts were actually funny. There’s a ton of hosts who constantly tried being funny (like the 2017, 2019 and 2022 hosts)

I hope to see Petra again too. She nailed it on her own in 2013 and she was great alongside Mans in 2016

Ari
Ari
10 months ago

Absolutely need to bring back this Lynda thing, please. Dressing up like Linda Tripp and speaking in a British accent, pretending to be unable to pronounce the word Azerbaijan… how lame.

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari

i meant absolutely NO need, of course. NO need.

Ari
Ari
10 months ago

I’m usually against monopolies but in this case I’d say it’s a good choice since this guy was like the only one who ever brought humor to a Eurovision script ever since I started watching. Such a pity Finland didn’t get its deserved shot because I’m sure they would have graced the contest with a very special and humorous edition but unfortunately, here we are, enjoying what’s left of this contest.

Jonas
Jonas
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari

The best choice for me is a host who doesn’t even attempt to be funny. Those who do rarely succeed, like you say. “Funny” only became the expected norm in the 2000s, before that is was sincere gravitas. If we can’t have the orchestra, can we at least bring back that 20th century tradition?

Ari
Ari
10 months ago
Reply to  Jonas

sincere gravitas would be much more preferable than cringey. The number of cringey hosts since the rhyming Danish couple in 2001 has indeed been insanely high. I think that’s why dear Eddy’s scripts have been so memorable. When you have no competition, it’s easy to stand out. Although I think Petra was a natural at it, she had real talent. Måns on the other hand should be very thankful to Edward for giving him at least a little bit of personality.

Jonas
Jonas
10 months ago
Reply to  Ari

“I can finally eat carbs again!” woulda been funny except for the fact that it was true.