Eurovision Song Contest CANCELLED due to coronavirus

Eurovision
(Image credit: BBC/So TV/Christopher Baines/Mat)

The much-loved contest won't take place this year... we will miss Graham Norton's quips.

Eurovision fans will be devastated to know that the beloved song contest, traditionally broadcast on BBC1, has been cancelled due to the coronavirus.

The contest has been impacted just like many public gatherings and television shows globally - the BBC earlier announced that EastEnders, Holby City, Casualty and Doctors have all stop filming.

Eurovision 2020 was due to take place in May at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena, which has a capacity of 16,000.

The news was confirmed by the contest's official Twitter account, who issued a statement.

It read, "It is with deep regret that we have to announce the cancellation of the Eurovision Song Comtest 2020 in Rotterdam.

"Over the past few weeks we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead."

The statement added that it was "impossible" to continue the live event as planned, due to uncertainty.

Eager to reassure fans of the contest, the statement went on to reveal they were discussing a new contest for next year.

They said, "The EBU, NPO, NOS AVROTROS and the City of Rotterdam will continue a conversation regarding the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2021.

"We would ask people to bear with us while we work through the ramifications of this unprecedented decision and patiently await any further news in the coming days and weeks."

It ended by paying tribute to the host broadcaster team in the Netherlands, as well as the 41 members who "have worked so hard on planning this year's event".

Organisers had rejected the idea of hosting the show remotely, with every contestant performing via satellite link.

Whilst some remote or no audience events are going ahead, Eurovision bosses revealed it wasn't "in the DNA" of the contest.

They explained, "It's in the DNA of the Eurovision Song Contest to bring delegations, artists and fans together in one place and provide an equal platform for all artists to compete together on the same stage."

Eurovision has been running for a whopping 63 years, and this is the first time it has ever been cancelled.

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Now she works for our sister site TechRadar in the same role. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.

She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress