Another abysmal showing from Britain in the Eurovision song contest was enough to bring strong hints from host Terry Wogan that he might not make another appearance, after declaring that Eurovision was "no longer a music contest" (Telegraph, 26 May). Blatant bloc voting by Russia's eastern European neighbours turned this year's Eurovision into a "musical comedy show offering a spot of light entertainment" (Express, 26 May). Despite Wogan backing the UK's entrant, X-factor runner-up Andy Abraham, saying he was "the best UK entry for a while" (Times, 23 May), the British singer finished joint last.

The BBC faced a call from Liberal MP Richard Younger-Ross to "withdraw its funding until there is a fair voting system" (Metro, 26 May). Max Clifford was among those agreeing with Wogan, saying "Terry Wogan is spot on. It's about politics and block voting and nothing to do with the merits of a song" (Mirror, 26 May). The Times pointed out that the last time Britain won was "way back on May 3, 1997. That was Tony Blair's first full day as Prime Minister" (Times, 22 May), while the Guardian called for the event to be rebranded as "European Idol … and get Simon Cowell to organise it" (Guardian, 23 May).