51 h. ago Interior Design Masters 2025: when is the final of series 6? BBC schedule confirmed

Interior Design Masters will soon crown its winner for series six - but when? 🖌

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5 d. ago Austrians celebrate JJ bringing home first Eurovision win in 11 years

Austrian-Filipino countertenor praised for melding techno with country’s rich operatic tradition in song Wasted LoveAustrians have been celebrating JJ, an Austrian-Filipino countertenor lauded for “singing Austria into the spotlight” after bringing home the country’s first Eurovision song contest victory in 11 years with a song that gives a nod to both the country’s rich operatic heritage and modern music.JJ, 24, hit all the right notes on Sunday with Wasted Love, an operatic ballad about unrequited love that mutates into a techno club anthem. The 69th edition of the contest was hosted in Basel, Switzerland. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago You’re taking the mic! The ultimate guide to Eurovision 2025

From dominatrix divas to sauna bros and the ‘Viking Jedward’ – plus maybe even Céline Dion – there’s something for everyone at this year’s Eurovision. Bring on the innuendo!Pomp and pageantry. People from different nations wearing camp costumes. A tense buildup before the winner is announced. But enough of the papal conclave. It’s time for May’s other main event: the Eurovision song contest.The eccentric extravaganza’s 69th edition – expect that number to be the subject of cheap innuendo – is being held in Basel, Switzerland. An audience of 160 million is expected to tune in for the usual heady mix of geopolitical point-scoring, cheesy sentiment and surreal performances. Continue reading...

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1 week ago Sauna fiends, space dogs and Jesus Christ Superstar: it’s the 10 best Eurovision songs of 2025!

From an Estonian rap-dance celebrating Italian cliches to a Serbian power ballad sung by a karate-champ philologist, there’s something for everyone at this year’s Eurovision Song ContestWhat would Eurovision be without sexually explicit songs? Australia’s Milkshake Man by Go-Jo is quite self-explanatory; the standout is Finland’s Erika Vikman with Ich Komme (“I am coming” in German). Set to a four-on-the-floor beat and Eurodance instrumental, the track bursts with unrestrained hands-in-the-air energy. Vikman sings of pleasure, ecstasy and a state of trance with a vigour reminiscent of Norway’s 2023 entry Queen of the Kings, by Alessandra. Vikman hails from a family of Finnish tango musicians – her mother and sister are both active in the genre – and she herself embraced it early in her career. Still, back in 2020, her breakout hit was another sex-positive, disco-inspired anthem: Cicciolina, which celebrates the boldness and self-determination of the Hungarian-born porn star Ilona St...

Politics

1 week ago We don’t want to host if KAJ’s sauna song wins Eurovision, says Swedish city of Malmö

Officials in the city, where last year’s competition was held, say it is too big an event to do every two yearsThere are still several days to go until the Eurovision final in Switzerland, but the Swedish city of Malmö has already pre-emptively said it does not want to host the event again next year if the country’s hotly tipped sauna-themed entry wins this year’s contest.The song – called Bara bada bastu (Just sauna) – is top of the streaming charts in both Sweden and Finland on Spotify and is a favourite to win Saturday’s final in Basel. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Ich komme!’ The smutty Eurovision songs that dodge the censors

From ensuring your swearwords are in languages other than English to outrageous euphemisms, contestants in the famously camp extravaganza have ways to avoid being toned down When the winner of this year’s Eurovision song contest is announced shortly before midnight next Saturday, it won’t be the first climax of the evening. “I’m coming / I’m coming,” a scantily clad Lithuanian will announce in the chorus of her song. Australia’s male entrant will invite listeners to “sh-sh-shake me good” so they can get “a taste of the milkshake man”. And Malta’s submission is going to prompt the audience to shout the word “Kant” – due to it sounding like a rude English term for female genitalia.After the 2024 edition of the world’s largest live music contest was largely overshadowed by political positioning over the war in Gaza, many artists at this year’s event in the Swiss city of Basel are returning to what they like to do best: celebrating the act of lovemaking in pop songs. Because even though...

Politics

2 w. ago Irish broadcaster requests discussion over Israel’s Eurovision participation

RTÉ asks European Broadcasting Union to discuss matter after 72 former contestants call for Israel’s exclusionIreland’s public broadcaster has asked the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for a discussion about Israel’s inclusion in the Eurovision song contest, as 72 former contestants called for the Israeli broadcaster Kan to be banned from next week’s event in the Swiss city of Basel.The director general of Ireland’s RTÉ, Kevin Bakhurst, said in a statement on Wednesday that he was “appalled by the ongoing events in the Middle East and by the horrific impact on civilians in Gaza, and the fate of Israeli hostages”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Eurovision 2025 TV and radio schedule confirmed by BBC with days to go

The hit song competition is celebrating 69 years on air as it returns to Switzerland

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