Fans of the Eurovision Song Contest have turned to the 2009 edition of the competition as a source of lockdown entertainment.
On Saturday evening, the hashtag #EurovisionAgain was trending on Twitter in the UK after the official account for the competition urged viewers to watch the 11-year-old footage.
This year’s Eurovision had been set to take place in Rotterdam next month but the event was cancelled because of coronavirus.
As we all have to #StayHome, it’s the perfect time to watch past #Eurovision Song Contests. So here’s @AlexanderRybak with some news!🎻🇳🇴
Watch with ESC fans around the world by joining in with @eurovisionagain🌍
📺 https://t.co/4SXY9DuKah⏰ 21.00 CEST#EurovisionAgain pic.twitter.com/RO0zX4VHOl
— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) April 4, 2020
Thousands tuned in to the YouTube broadcast of the 2009 contest to see the 25 participating nations battle it out for the top prize.
Viewers were encouraged to vote for their favourite act.
The 2009 Eurovision was held in Moscow and was won by Norway’s entry Alexander Rybak with his song Fairytale.
He sang and played the violin while on stage.
Right now: Rewatch the whole show from Moscow on the official Eurovision YouTube channel. 🌟🎻 You can also vote, and i will be happy if we vote for somebody else this time, it’s more fun that way. 😎 #eurovisionagain… https://t.co/DJai91atf9
— Alexander Rybak (@AlexanderRybak) April 4, 2020
Rybak finished way ahead of the other competitors with 387 points.
Iceland came second with 218, while Azerbaijan finished in third with 207.
Malena Ernman, the mother of Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg, competed in that year’s contest.
The 2009 competition was an unusually successful year for the UK that saw Sugababe Jade Ewen finish in fifth with the song It’s My Time, scoring 173 points.
She became the most successful British act since 2002.
One social media user said the competition is “proof that the UK can do well when it tries”, adding: “The UK did well in 2009 because we deserved it, the whole package was there.”
Another commented: “What a year! 2009 is just incredible, one of the best years, ever!”