Earlier this week I looked into the facts and figures behind those who have competitively taken to the Eurovision stage, over the last ten years. But what of those other people who have graced the arena with their presence, the presenters. Now it’s time to have a wee gander at the stats that tell the story of how the Eurovision Song Contest was presented in the 2010s. This will also take in to account green room presenters and national spokespersons as well.
30 – Including Conchita & Eric Saade as green room hosts there were 30 brave individuals to have to taken the helm of a Eurovision in the past ten years. The average of 3 hosts per year is hardly surprising when 6 out of the 10 shows were fronted by 3 persons. The most common combination within this number being 2 female / 1 male, which was the case for the first three Contests of the decade. At the other end it almost looked like a pattern was starting to form with 3 men in 2017, 4 women in 2018… I was most disappointed when KAN didn’t go all out with 5 blokes just to keep up the trend.
1 – Discounting Eric Saade and all his #MILF chat, Petra Mede was the only person to guide us through a 2010s Eurovision solo. This was the first time in over 20 years that we had a singular host, after Mary Kennedy in 1995. Given the format change Petra can at least say she’s the only person to have fronted three Eurovision shows solo, in one week. Furthermore, in 2016 Petra became the first person since Katie Boyle to host the Eurovison Song Contest on more than one occasion. She will of course need another two Swedish vistorys in the near future if she’s to equal Katie’s record of four.
83 – Of the 408 times scores have been declared by national spokespersons, there have been 83 occasions when this has been done by a previous or future artist. Latvia & Georgia were the two countries to have established this tradition regularly, with both wheeling out their old acts to declare the 12 points on 7 occasions. That man Saade pops up again here as being one of only two people to read the score, participate in the Contest and then go back to being the spokesperson. The other being Nicky Byrne whom, through either participating or douze delivering, has appeared in over half of the 2010s Contests.
8 – Two countries have made a habit of using the same spokesperson over the last ten years. Both Andri Xhahu of Albania (he of the primary colour outfit) and Ofer Nachshon of Israel (he of the dramatic goodbye) both delivered the douze on eight occasions. Albania have been the most economic with their spokespersons having only used one other in this time. Conversely seven nations consistently like to mix things up. Belgium, Finland, Georgia, Iceland, Latvia, Netherlands and Switzerland have never repeated a score supplier and having never missed a Contest during the period, all have given us the full 10/10.
Do pop back in a few weeks days folks for the final part of this series focusing on the staging.
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