Eurovision: Your Country Needs You

Jan 18 2009 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

THE search for the UK’s entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow enters its penultimate stage on Saturday.

Sir Andrew Lloyd-Webber has already found Maria, Joseph and, most recently, Nancy.

Now the theatrical Lord is spearheading the search for the act who will represent the UK, as well as writing this year’s song.

And he revealed how stars still have a place in their hearts for the often-criticised contest.

Lloyd-Webber said he has long been a fan of Eurovision and regularly attends themed parties hosted by showbiz friends.

His favourite host is writer Richard Curtis of Four Weddings And A Funeral and Blackadder fame.

Lloyd-Webber said: “Everybody has Eurovision parties. Richard Curtis’s are legend and I always go.

“We all turn up with silly hats and flags and cook something from each country.

“There’s a rotation of people each year . . . you’d be quite surprised who has these parties.”

He is hoping the song chosen to represent the UK does not suffer the embarrassment of the infamous nil points.

He said: “We’ve got time once the act is chosen at the end of January . . . we’ve got three months. I want to make sure that we have a good act and a great song. I’m not going to write the song until we know who we have, or the acts that are likely to win and, at that point, I’ll probably write maybe three or four songs. I always like to write for artists if I can and I don’t get much chance because, obviously, with the theatre, I write a piece rather than for an artist.”

V EUROVISION: YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU, BBC1, Saturday, 6.35pm.