Eurovision

The Games

Monday

ITV, 9.00pm

After 16 years off the air, The Games is back for more celebrity sporting competitions.

After a year-long break due to the pandemic, Eurovision is back, bigger and better than ever!

This year's contest will welcome 26 countries to battle it out for the 2021 trophy, including the United Kingdom's entry James Newman. 

Hosted in Rotterdam, Graham Norton will be back with his brilliantly scathing and joyous commentary throughout the proceedings.

Once again, Graham Norton will be bringing his trademark irreverent commentary to provide the laughs while the performances bring the marvellous high camp spectacle. 

The UK hasn’t won since 1997, with Katrina and the Waves’ hymn Love Shines a Light, but the Brit Award-winning singer James Newman will be hoping to end our 23-year drought with his single Embers.

With a selection of the weird and wonderful, here’s a rundown of the all-time most iconic Eurovision performances in its history:

Norton will be presenting his 12th Eurovision Song Contest on BBC One, following on from his role commentating last year’s Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light in the wake of a cancelled live final due to the pandemic.

The Brit-award winning singer James Newman will be representing the UK with his single Embers.

There will be a mix of special programmes and a look back at some classic moments from Eurovision.

Famous faces Graham Norton, Ken Bruce and Rylan Clark-Neal will help bring the Eurovision spirt into viewers homes. 

Graham Norton described Eurovision as a form of “escapism” for people especially during these times.

He added: “This year people at home can celebrate the amazing spirit of the event and hopefully get the chance to take their mind off the current situation for a few hours.”

This year's contest, which takes place in Tel Aviv, will see 26 countries battling it out to win the Eurovision trophy.

Former All Together Now winner Michael Rice will represent the UK in this year's competition with his song 'Bigger Than Us'.

Graham Norton will miss presenting his chat show for the first time in its 20 year history, as he returns to the commentary box.

Plus Madonna will be making a special appearance at Expo Tel Aviv, following in the footsteps of Justin Timberlake, who performed at the 2016 Eurovision final in Stockholm.

Mel Giedroyc and former Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw will host tonight’s Eurovision: You Decide, which will see six acts go head to head for the chance to represent the United Kingdom in the song contest.

The selection show will be judged by a select panel of stars, but the public will have the finale vote.

Take a look at who’s on the panel:

The Eurovision Song Contest is back for another evening full of wacky costumes, melodramatic performances and varying levels of musical talent.

This year's contest takes place in Portugal's capital Lisbon after Salvador Sobral won last year's competition with his performance of Amar Pelos Dois.

Genderquake

Monday: Channel 4, 9pm

The daily commute from hotel to venue offered us tantalising glimpses of an ancient Slavic city far bigger than I had imagined it would be. Golden onion domes, flowering chestnut trees and bustling streets framed by classical, Soviet-era and modern buildings.

Our UK delegation coach often drove past the giant metal arch adorned with this year’s Eurovision Song Contest slogan, “Celebrate diversity”, where the job of painting it in the rainbow colours of the LGBT flag had been abandoned halfway through following some resistance.