Eurovision 2014: British hopeful Molly Smitten-Downes finishes a lowly 17th as Austria's Conchita Wurst wins
27-year-old does not leave competition completely empty handed after Danish presenter gives her a Curly-Wurly cake
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.British Eurovision hopeful, Molly Smitten-Downes, was left disappointed after finishing in a lowly 17 place in Denmark last night, in a competition that saw Austrian drag act Conchita Wurst scoop the overall prize.
Smitten-Downes picked up a total of 40 points, which placed her just behind the musical powerhouses such as Iceland and Belarus, and nearly 250 points off the Austrian winner Wurst.
Despite winning the support of fans across social media, this did not convert into points for the 27-year-old from Leicestershire, with only Ireland handing the singer more than ten points.
British commentator for the night Graham Norton was critical of the point scoring, saying that Smitten-Downes’ performance of the song ‘Children of the Universe’ deserved a lot more votes.
Ahead of the contest, Prime Minister David Cameron admitted during an interview on BBC Radio Suffolk that that he had no idea who Britain’s entrant for the competition in Denmark was.
Nevertheless, Smitten-Downes was expected to do a lot better for the UK than in previous years and the bookies had placed her as fifth favourite to win the competition.
The 17 place for Downes does, however, mark a slight improvement for UK acts in Eurovision when compared to recent years.
Last year, Bonnie Tyler came in 19 place with her song believe in me, and two years ago, legendary crooner Engelbert Van Humperdinck placed 25 out of 26 entrants.
Despite not scooping European music’s premier prize, Smitten-Downes did not go home completely empty handed.
In a bizarre interview just before the results were announced, one of the hosts for the evening, Lisa Ronne, presented the British songstress with a Curly-Wurly cake from London’s Borough Market while reeling off the names of Smitten-Downes’ entire family lineage.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments