UK choose Scooch but drag in vogue at 2007 Eurovision

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a pink background.

The Ukraine has announced it will be represented at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest by drag artist Verka Serdyuchka.

In February the Danes chose drag act DQ to represent them at the competition. BBC viewers chose band Scooch by a phone vote.

The 2007 British entry was chosen on Saturday. Scooch are a four-piece group, whose infectiously cheeky Euro-pop tune Flying the Flag (for You) could be Britain’s first win since 1997.

TV veteran Terry Wogan caused confusion at the vote on Saturday night by initially announcing that singer Cyndi had won the public vote.

Moments later co-presenter Fearne Cotton confirmed Scooch as the winners.

The band beat Brian Harvey from East17, former Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon, The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins and urban music band Big Brovaz.

The Ukrainian choice has generated controversy, as her song pokes fun at Russian women “of a certain age.”

Televised in this country by the BBC, the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on 12th May.

Due to the large number of European nations now wanting to take part, some countries, among them Denmark and the Ukriane, have to go through a semi-final knock-out the previous Thursday.

This year’s drag acts will certainly not be the first time that a member of the LGBT community has taken part in the contest, which is watched by hundreds of millions across the world.

In 1998, a transsexual pop singer, Dana International, won the contest for Israel.

Last year Eurovision was rocked by political voting and a shock win by Finnish heavy metal band Lordi.

The group, in monster masks and chains, won the contest in Athens with 292 points for their controversial entry, Hard Rock Hallelujah.

None of the “big four” countries made the top ten and Eastern European, Balkan, Baltic and Scandinavian countries all voted for their neighbours.

The UK do not have to qualify through the semi-final as they are a major contributor to the European Broadcasting Union, which runs the contest, now in its 51st year.

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Ireland has won Eurovision seven times, which is the current record, though they have not done so since 1996.

The UK has won five times and have achieved the best cumulative points record of any country by coming second a total of fifteen times.

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