2024 was dominated with a slew of entertainment news stories that could not have been predicted when the year began.
Here is a round-up below:
– Furore over Israel’s participation in Eurovision overshadows Abba anniversary year
The Eurovision Song Contest, usually the preserve of some of the strangest and most wonderful acts that Europe has to muster, found itself bogged down in Malmo, Sweden in controversy and politics amid the war in the Middle East.
This was the same year it was celebrating the 50th anniversary of Abba’s win at the 1974 event with Waterloo.
Soon after Israel retaliated against Hamas launching a large-scale attack from the Gaza Strip in October 2023, there were calls for acts to boycott the show over Israeli broadcaster Kan competing.
Eurovision’s 2024 hopefuls rejected the boycott push from pro-Palestinian activists ahead of the May event.
The week-long contest also saw protests in front of the arena in Malmo and the city from thousands of people calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the Israeli delegation alleged it spilled over into the reception they had at the contest.
Kan claimed it faced “an unprecedented display of hatred” from other countries and their entrants, and there were a few moments during the dress rehearsals and live shows that its entrant Eden Golan was booed on stage.
The applause for Golan was also strong in Malmo Arena, and she topped the United Kingdom’s public vote with the emotional song Hurricane in the final, and came fifth overall.
There was further controversy surrounding the decision to boot Netherlands’ entrant Joost Klein out of the competition.
Hours before the final, the organisers said he would be leaving after being accused of threatening behaviour towards a female member of the production crew on the night of the semi-final.
Swedish prosecutors later dropped the criminal case against him and he has always denied all wrongdoing.
On the night that Swiss entrant Nemo won the competition, he said the competition was tinged with sadness due to the issues backstage.
Further allegations came from pro-Palestinian Irish singer Bambie Thug, who accused the Israeli broadcaster of a rule break over inciting “violence”.
A review was subsequently launched by the organisers, European Broadcasting Union (EBU), and they committed to putting in place an artist safety manager.
The EBU also said it will reduce behind-the-scenes filming and have a crisis team from across participating countries for next year’s show in Basel, Switzerland.
– Banksy
Dominating London headlines, and bringing joy to the capital’s residents, the Bristol street artist began his animal-themed series on August 5 by unveiling a painting of a goat with rocks falling down below and a CCTV camera pointed at it on a building near Kew Bridge in south-west London.
The ninth and last piece in the collection was revealed on a shutter at London Zoo’s entrance and shows a gorilla appearing to lift it up allowing a number of birds to escape.
However it was moved elsewhere for “safekeeping”, one of the many in the series to end up being placed elsewhere due to protection concerns.
An artwork of a school of fish swimming on a City of London police sentry box, and a silhouette of a stretching cat on an empty, distressed advertising hoarding, were among those removed.
Other Banksy artworks either had to have glass placed over them, while in the case of a howling wolf on a satellite dish situated on a roof in Peckham, it was taken by three men shortly after being put up.
– Raye makes history, beating Blur and Adele
The London-born star took home six Brit Awards in the same year – two more gongs than previous record holders.
The most number of Brits won in one award year was jointly held by Blur, Harry Styles and Adele up until Raye swept the 2024 ceremony at the O2 Arena in March.
Her total haul on the night was album of the year for My 21st Century Blues, artist of the year, best new artist, best R&B act and song of the year for Escapism featuring 070 Shake.
She only lost one out to London-born singer and actress Dua Lipa for pop act.
In a pre-announced win, Raye was handed the gong for songwriter of the year – the first woman to get the prize since it began in 2022.
– Reforming bands did not just include Oasis
Oasis’s Noel and Liam Gallagher may have dominated the headlines throughout the later half of the year after announcing the Britpop band was reforming with UK and Ireland dates, but they are not the only group saying they will make a comeback in 2025.
Scissor Sisters also got in on the reunion train after more than a decade of not touring together for an arena tour of the UK and Ireland next year.
However, the flamboyant US pop rock group, known for the songs I Can’t Decide, I Don’t Feel Like Dancin’ and Take Your Mama, will be absent its frontwoman Ana Matronic, whose real name is Ana Lynch, as former go-go dancer Jake Shears continues to lead the band.
American rockers Linkin Park, who have been on hiatus for more than seven years after lead singer Chester Bennington was found dead aged 41 at his Los Angeles home in 2017 after taking his own life, announced a new female singer, Emily Armstrong, along with an album and tour.
Manchester rockers Oasis, known for hits including Wonderwall and Supersonic, sold out shows taking place next summer across the UK and Ireland with the scramble for tickets prompting outrage from fans.
When tickets went on sale for the UK and Ireland shows, some standard tickets more than doubled from £148 to £355 and the situation was blamed on “unprecedented demand”.
The controversy prompted the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they would look at the use of dynamic pricing.
– Gavin And Stacey returns
Coming back at Christmas for a final episode, the hit comedy series about a couple Gavin and Stacey, played by Mathew Horne and Joanna Page, who commit to a long-distance relationship, last aired in 2019 for a one-off festive episode which ended on a cliffhanger.
The special went on to win the impact award at the National Television Awards in 2020, and was viewed by 17.1 million people, making it the biggest scripted programme of the decade at the time.
It ended with Smithy, played by James Corden, receiving a proposal from Nessa (Ruth Jones), and there are high expectations that the finale on the BBC on Christmas Day in 2024 will resolve it.
– Taylor Swift and Beyonce albums continue to dominate
Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was named as the biggest album of 2024 so far by the UK Official Singles Chart in October, but its success did not end there.
The US singer’s surprise double album will compete for the Grammys’ album of the year, with her track featuring Post Malone titled Fortnight up for record of the year and song of the year as she scored six nods ahead of the 2025 ceremony.
However, Beyonce led the nominations with 11 for her chart-topping country music album Cowboy Carter, which marked the follow-up to act one of the trilogy, Renaissance.
The American genre-expanding superstar made history during the Grammys ceremony in 2023, securing the most awards won in a lifetime after picking up her 32nd gong.
Meanwhile, Swift broke a Wembley Stadium record as the first solo artist to perform at the venue eight times in a single tour, a record previously held by Michael Jackson for his Bad Tour in 1988.
Her Eras Tour also got caught up in UK politics with the new Government, led by the Labour party, being caught up in a Swift freebies row.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer attended a sell-out Swift show for free and met the Shake It Off singer after Government involvement in discussions over her security, which saw her given a taxpayer-funded police escort while performing at Wembley.
The decision was defended by the Government, who pointed to the threat of a terror attack threat in Vienna, Austria, that caused dates of her tour to be cancelled in the country.
– ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office pushes Government to change course
Landing on New Year’s Day this year, Toby Jones-fronted Mr Bates Vs The Post Office soon took off with the public, who were angered by seeing the heartbreaking human stories of the victims of one of the most widespread miscarriages of justice in UK history.
Former subpostmaster and lead campaigner Sir Alan Bates, played by Jones, was widely praised and earned a knighthood, and the ITV drama put strong pressure on politicians to take action along with winning a host of National Television Awards including the impact gong and new drama prize.
Within just over a week of the show airing, former Post Office boss Paula Vennells confirmed she would hand back her CBE and the Government began looking at plans to exonerate Post Office branch managers involved in the Horizon IT scandal.
However, hundreds are still awaiting compensation despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.
– Co-op Live struggles repeatedly to open
Manchester’s venue was billed as the largest arena in the UK, seating 23,500 people, but its opening was delayed several times from April onwards.
A test event on April 20 with Rick Astley was reduced with just hours’ notice, and two days later comedian Peter Kay’s performances were postponed with less than 48 hours’ notice.
By April 25, general manager Gary Roden had resigned and Rebecca Kane Burton, an ex-boss of London’s O2 Arena, was then announced as interim general manager.
There were further postponements, with some musicians such as rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie opting to move to Manchester AO Arena for his date in the city.
However the fiasco, including part of its ventilation and air conditioning system falling to the ground from the ceiling, ended when on May 14 British band Elbow opened the venue.
Unrelated to the venue’s issues, Nicki Minaj being arrested in the Netherlands hours before she was due to fly to the UK to perform prompted the date of her show at Co-op Live to be moved.
