Eurovision: A song contest in turmoil
The Global Story
BBC
3.8 • 666 Ratings
🗓️ 14 May 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This Saturday, the 70th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest final takes place in Vienna, and this year’s competition is again mired in controversy.
A boycott over Israel’s participation by several countries, including Spain and Ireland, threatens to put the competition’s stance of political neutrality to the test. And it is part of a wider debate over which countries should be allowed to compete in prestigious international arts and sports competitions.
We speak to William Lee Adams, a culture reporter at the BBC who also runs a Eurovision YouTube channel, to unpack the controversy surrounding this year’s contest and discuss whether politics and art can ever really be separated.
Producer: Sam Chantarasak
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Executive producer: James Shield
Senior News Editor: China Collins
(Photo: Noam Bettan of Israel performs during the first semi-final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, 12 May 2026. Credit: Hannibal Hanschke/EPA/Shuttershock.)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:06.8 | Please welcome our amazing 26 finalists. |
| 0:13.0 | It's the now traditional flag parade, kicked off in style by the drum corps from Basel. |
| 0:21.4 | There's a moment every year |
| 0:23.3 | when dozens of singers probably dressed in sequins |
| 0:27.2 | or latex or maybe even leather |
| 0:29.2 | parade across a huge stage |
| 0:32.1 | to the sound of screaming fans |
| 0:34.1 | and some pretty heavy Euro pop beats. |
| 0:39.7 | And they're waving the flags of their countries. |
| 0:43.1 | This is the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest, 2025. |
| 0:51.8 | The Eurovision Song Contest has been described as the most watched entertainment show in the world. |
| 0:59.2 | Last year, more than 160 million people tuned in. |
| 1:04.1 | Now, to put that in American terms, for some context, that is a bigger audience than the Super Bowl. |
| 1:10.3 | And this year, Americans can watch it all on YouTube. |
| 1:13.6 | But this weekend, when that flag parade takes place, it'll be missing a handful of countries. |
| 1:20.0 | Within minutes of the announcement that Israel would be competing, the boycott began. |
| 1:24.7 | It's one of the biggest TV events of the year in the world. |
| 1:27.4 | I think the most fair thing would be for Israel to withdraw. |
| 1:31.1 | I own Eurovision and with it this trophy. |
| 1:34.0 | Today I no longer feel like this trophy belongs on my shelf. |
| 1:37.5 | The Eurovision Song Contest is facing the biggest boycott of its 70-year history. |
... |
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