Scooch flag at Eurovision

Scooch, Britain's entry for the Eurovision Song contest, proved to be naff, but not nearly naff enough last night as they finished second from last, 249 points behind winners Serbia.

The group's tongue-in-cheek routine, dressed as an airline crew rendering a song called "Flying The Flag (For You)", collected votes from just two of the 42 voting nations, seven from Ireland and 12 from Malta. By contrast, Serbia had the unfair advantage of a decent song (a ballad entitled "Molitva", or "Prayer"), a good singer, Marija Serifovic (who resembled Ugly Betty), and plenty of neighbouring nations to shower them with fraternal votes.

As in previous years, there was the usual round of tactical, not to say strategic, voting.