Eurovision: Europe’s biggest election
Radical with Amol Rajan
BBC
4.5 • 919 Ratings
🗓️ 15 May 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Why does Eurovision find itself at the centre of political controversy when it’s supposed to be non-political?
This year, Israel’s participation has been questioned because of its role in the war in Gaza whilst Israeli fans have been warned by their country's National Security Council not to wear Jewish or Israeli symbols while attending Eurovision.
Amol is joined by Times columnist (and Eurovision superfan) Fraser Nelson and Dr Dean Vuletic who is a leading Eurovision historian to discuss the politics of the song contest through the years. (1:39)
Fraser also gives his assessment of the state of Kemi Badenoch’s Conservative party and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK after the recent local elections in England. (28:36)
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The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.
This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Izzy Rowley. The technical producer was James Piper. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:04.9 | Okay, we start this week with a confession. |
| 0:07.5 | And that confession is that I am not an aficionado when it comes to Eurovision. |
| 0:12.8 | I've watched it, I've seen the highlights, I'm aware of the cultural phenomenon, |
| 0:15.6 | but I'm not what you would call a devotee. |
| 0:18.9 | And yet, I've just had one of the most riveting conversations |
| 0:22.7 | about European politics, European culture, European history, European music, people |
| 0:29.6 | called Conchitaverse, who wear beards, all sorts of, all sorts of different things going on, |
| 0:34.7 | and the eccentricity of European culture as against America, with Fraser Nelson, former editor and The Spectator and Dr Dean Vullitich, who is a leading |
| 0:42.1 | Eurovision historian. And I promise you whether you are or aren't a Eurovision nut, and I'm certainly |
| 0:48.4 | not, this is one of the most interesting conversations you will hear all week because |
| 0:52.5 | I've just had it explained to me by these guys why all the controversies about Eurovision this year, I'm going |
| 0:58.0 | to get into the controversies around Israel specifically, are really a way of reflecting |
| 1:02.4 | deeper trends, deeper cultural currents that tell you something about which way European |
| 1:07.2 | history is going to go. Let's do it. |
| 1:24.7 | Hello, it's a mole in the Today podcast studio. |
| 1:26.9 | Sadly without Nicholas, who's got some sort of excuse. |
| 2:02.8 | I think it's this whole issue of Nick Robinson's work ethic, which we've always said was a concern for the BBC, and he's too busy working elsewhere, so he can't be here. Now, I think it's to do with diaries and foreign travel and all that sort of thing. So Nick, sad not to have you with us, but I've got with me the great Fraser Nelson. Hello, Fraser. Great to be here. Enjoying your new world, post-spectator, Times columnist, Channel 4 documentary maker. You look 10 years younger, if I may say. In fact, that was a Channel 4 program, wasn't it, 10 years younger? Yeah, it should do that. It's actually my birthday today, so I don't feel very young. It's your birthday today? 52. Fraser Nelson. I'm more better with spending it more. You've decided to come and pay a visit to the today podcast. |
| 2:04.8 | Are you going out for a nice dinner tonight with your Swedish wife? |
| 2:05.9 | No, she's in Istanbul. |
| 2:13.9 | What was it about your birthday that made I want to go as far away as possible while still sort of in Europe? |
| 2:15.1 | Fraser, very good to see you. |
... |
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