Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills has been loving every second on Eurovision week in Liverpool - as you can see from this epic semi-final selfie.
Yes, that’s Scott, 50, backstage with his co-host Rylan Clark, Bucks Fizz and Sam Ryder - and it’s just one of his pics he’s sharing from his week of parties and semi-finals.
“In the past it’s been the British way to kind of sneer at Eurovision and be like, ‘Isn’t this naff?’,” says Scott. “But we’re giddy with excitement. Buskers are doing Eurovision songs, people were walking round with the Ukraine flag painted on their face. Finland’s entry Käärijä keeps popping up when we’re eating breakfast at the hotel. That’s the guy who wears the green bolero and nothing underneath!”
Scott believes Mae can carry on what Sam started. “This is important in Europe, we need to look like we’re making the effort. We do now,” he says.
Well, you’re certainly making the effort to get into the spirit of it, Scott...
The other day we saw a man with a bucket hat and I was like, ‘That looks like Sam Ryder’!. So Rylan tapped him on the shoulder and surprised him. They both look like they’re up to no good here. You literally can’t turn around in Liverpool without running into someone from Eurovision!
What Sam did last year was great. Mae just needs to continue that momentum.
Us with the Beatles! Rylan’s basically my Eurovision husband for the week. We see each other at our very best, and very worst. We’re sharing a dressing room, like we have done since 2018. He put his outfit on the other day and I was like, ‘Are you not wearing a shirt?’ He goes, ‘No, it’s my thing now’. He’s always impeccably dressed, people from other countries have mistaken him for one of the acts before.
You can’t move for Eurovision entries past and present - Conchita was here the other night, someone saw Jemini [2003’s nul points UK act] singing at the bottom of the John Lewis escalators! We met up with Jedward, with Rylan dressed as Verka [2007 Ukrainian entrant] and me as Verka’s mother.... You do see mad stuff here! The guys from Ireland got so hot in their jumpsuits at Tuesday’s semi, they had to have a bath of talcum powder just to absorb all the sweat!
We met up with Dannii [Minogue] for some drinks after she came up to launch her BBC3 dating show. There were so many Eurovision people at the party - I absolutely get starstruck by Eurovision royalty! I saw Loreen [2012’s Swedish winner] and I was thinking, ‘don’t say anything stupid’ but then she accidentally scratched me with her fake long nails. She forgot she was wearing them from her rehearsal!
This is Julia Sanina, one of the final’s hosts. She’s in rock band The Hardkiss, who are a massive deal in Ukraine, but she’s never hosted before! Presenting a show to 160 million people when English is not your first language… it’s a lot - but she’s doing a great job. Liverpool’s really embraced Eurovision - and Julia says people back home [in Ukraine] are saying that we’ve done them really proud.
* Scott and Rylan host the Eurovision Grand Final on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
