Following today’s announcement of the four songs selected by SF’, we have the complete roster for the Swiss National Final. Picking up the final slots in Kreuzlingen are Jesse Ritch, Melissa, Anthony Bighead, and Heilsarmee.

The production team will decide the running order of the shows instead of the drawing of lots; Jon Ola Sand says the running order does not impact on the final result so the focus can be on making a good television show; and the Eurovision community are up in arms about changes they believe are to the detriment of the worlds biggest entertainment show. Let’s take a look at the new rule change, try to make some sense of it, and see if there is room for improvement…

So, has anything happened since the last podcast? One or two rule changes, the Eurobash convention, the ABU Song Festival, and news on our Euroclub. Let’s round up the latest news and get some Eurovision Insight!

Ewan has an issue with people who lump the Eurovision Song Contest into the ‘reality TV show’ bandwagon. The Song Contest was around long before the current fashionable trainwreck of reality TV exploded at the end of the twentieth century. While there are reality elements that seem to appear in Eurovision, let’s be clear. The Song Contest is as far removed from the world of Strictly Come Dancing or The X-Factor as it can possibly be.

Chiara Dubey, Ally, and the Saules Brothers are our first winners in the National Final season, as they all win a place in the Swiss and Lithuanian national finals.

This weekend is the annual Eurobash organised by the Eurovision Fan Club, OGAE. ESC Insight will be there, but to explain a little bit more about the event, we’ve invited UK President Paul Marks-Jones to explain.