If you didn’t catch 2021’s Eurovision, here’s the short story: the UK performed a passable but evidently disappointing entry and returned home with a total of zero points. To save the Brits from yet another year of failure, comedian and Strictly Come Dancing champ Bill Bailey has revealed that he's working on a song he hopes will “inject a bit of fun” into the competition.
Shortly after the results were announced, Bailey took to Twitter to declare that he’d “be happy to throw [his] hat in the ring”, and create the UK’s next Eurovision entry.
Making an appearance at last night’s BAFTA TV Awards, the comedian confirmed that his offer was serious, and that he's already working on a song for 2022.
Reflecting on the UK’s efforts - made this year made by James Newman with his song Embers - the Radio Times reports Bailey telling fellow comic Tom Allen, “Do you know what? I was writing [a Eurovision song] today. This very day… because I just thought, why not? Come on, we’ve not been doing well lately.”
“It couldn’t have gone worse. We need to inject a bit of fun, I think.”
Previously, the virtuoso comic told Good Morning Britain that he considered Newman’s song to be “a bit underwhelming” and thought the UK should be putting forward songs that “celebrate the eccentricity of Britishness”.
He went on to suggest: “We should focus on the performance, the visuals of it, make it into a huge celebration of Britishness, with some great hooks! Maybe some guitar, maybe some cowbells.”
“There has to be a bit more drama, a bit more theatre. Because that’s what this show is about, Eurovision is a huge celebration. Some of it is totally bonkers".
Fingers crossed, Bailey will retain the taste of victory for next year's Eurovision, after his win on 2020's Strictly Come Dancing. One of his most notable performances saw him strut the stage to Metallica's Enter Sandman during the competition's semi-finals.
