Eurovision Song Contest

The Eurovision Song Contest was an annual competition held among the nations of Europe.

Sandie Shaw won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967. The Thirteenth Doctor suggested visiting Vienna in that year to see Eurovision. (PROSE: The Good Doctor ^[+]Loading...["The Good Doctor (novel)"])

Martha Jones and the Tenth Doctor visited the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki and watched performances from Scooch and the Slovenian entry. A few weeks later, they watched Lulu win Eurovision Song Contest 1969 on their television. (PROSE: Martha Jones' MySpace blog ^[+]Loading...["Martha Jones' MySpace blog (short story)"])

Jack Harkness remembered when ABBA won Eurovision (AUDIO: The Dead Line ^[+]Loading...["The Dead Line (audio story)"]) in 1974, with Nardole in attendance. (AUDIO: Dead Media ^[+]Loading...["Dead Media (audio story)"])

In an alternate timeline in which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had been made immortal, the composer had made several Eurovision entries, none of which were looked on favourably. (AUDIO: My Own Private Wolfgang ^[+]Loading...["My Own Private Wolfgang (audio story)"])

Behind the scenes

Eurovision pastiche in the DWU

The Intergalactic Song Contest and its commentator Logan from AUDIO: Bang-Bang-a-Boom! spoofed the Eurovision Song Contest Terry Wogan, who commentated the contest from 1971 to 2008.

Doctor Who postponements

The Eurovision Song Contest was responsible for the one-week delay of two different episodes of the BBC Wales revival of Doctor Who. The transmission of series 3's 42 was postponed to 19 May (rather than 12 May) because of the BBC's broadcast of the 2007 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. The following year, the transmission of series 4's Silence in the Library was too delayed by one week due to the BBC's broadcast of the 2008 edition.

Coexistence with Eurovision

However, a more common occurrence is a Doctor Who episode simply airing on the day and coexisting with the Eurovision final rather than being delayed by a week.

• Marco Polo: Rider from Shang-Tu aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1964.
• The Web Planet: The Centre aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1965.
• The Ark: The Steel Sky aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1966.
• The Faceless Ones: Episode 1 aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1967.
• Fury from the Deep: Episode 4 aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1968.
• The Space Pirates: Episode Four aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1969.
• The Ambassadors of Death: Episode 1 aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1970.
• The Claws of Axos: Episode Four aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1971.
• The Sea Devils: Episode Five aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1972.
• Planet of the Daleks: Episode One aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1973.
• The Monster of Peladon: Part Three aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1974.
• Genesis of the Daleks: Part Three aired on the same night as the Eurovision Song Contest of 1975.
• The Empty Child aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2005.
• The Age of Steel aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2006.
• Cold Blood aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2010.
• The Doctor's Wife aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2011.
• The Name of the Doctor aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2013.
• Oxygen aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2017.
• Space Babies and The Devil's Chord aired on the same night as the final of the Eurovision Song Contest of 2024. The two episodes were released worldwide on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ at midnight BST prior to airing on BBC One.

"Nul points"

The Ninth Doctor says "nul points", a phrase used when a Eurovision act is unfortunate enough to receive no points, when the Daleks fail to kill him when they fire at him as he steps out of his TARDIS to meet them in TV: The Parting of the Ways, due to the force field he installed. However, the phrase's connection to the Eurovision Song Contest is not explicitly mentioned within the episode.

Other matters

Catherine Tate announced the 12 points given by the United Kingdom for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, exclaiming "allons-y" whilst doing so.

Olly Alexander performed "Dizzy", the United Kingdom's entry, in the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. Joanna Lumley announced the 12 points given by the United Kingdom for the final of that year's contest.