Showbiz figures back Sir Terry
- 00:01:01
- ITN
Showbiz figures back Sir Terry
Veteran Eurovision Song Contest commentator Sir Terry Wogan has won support from prominent figures in showbusiness for his criticisms of the competition.Sir Terry cast doubt on whether he would be involved in covering the event again, after doing so since the 1970s.He said it was "no longer a music contest" and that prospects for Western European participants were "poor".Showbusiness legend Bruce Forsyth said: "I agree with him. It's not a song contest any more, it's political. It's all so biased, it's developed into a farce. I've stopped watching it, the last couple of years."And asked about the future of the show and Sir Terry's role in it, he quipped: "As long as they don't ask me to do it, I don't care!"Pop svengali Simon Cowell said: "If people enjoy it as entertainment, that's great, but it's all a bit empty and meaningless as a competition."Public relations guru Max Clifford commented: "Terry Wogan is spot on. It's all about politics and block voting and nothing to do with the merits of a song."It's like having a World Cup where the results are worked out in political terms and it's got nothing to do with who scores the most goals."Sir Terry spoke out near the end of his commentary after Britain's entry Andy Abraham had a disappointing night in the 53rd contest.The former binman finished joint last of the 25 finalists.Heart throb Dima Bilan of Russia romped to victory with a massive 272 points with a big ballad, produced by US R&B star Timbaland, called Believe.Bilan was returning for a second time after he narrowly lost out to shock Finnish rockers Lordi in 2006.Saturday night's contest was held in the Serbian capital Belgrade and was watched by more than 100 million television viewers across Europe.Sir Terry said 43-year-old Abraham, who found fame on TV talent show the X Factor, deserved more votes from other countries than he received.He said: "It's a disappointment, considering that Andy Abraham gave, I think, the performance of his life with a song that certainly deserved more marks than it got."Referring to certain other songs in the competition, he added: "You have to say that this is no longer a music contest."And he said: "I have to decide whether I want to do this again. Western European participants have to decide whether they want to to take part from here on in, because their prospects are poor."He did not want to take anything away from Russia, though, which had won comfortably.
ITN | May 25, 2008
