It's appears Sam Ryder's success at the Eurovision Song Contest in Italy last year was a one-off, with this year's UK entry sadly failing to make an impression across Europe.
Following all 26 countries performing in Liverpool earlier this evening, with Kate Middleton even making a surprise cameo at the star of the show, Sweden have been announced as this year's Eurovision champions.
Despite high hope for UK entry Mae Muller, the 25-year-old finished in 25th place - just six points above bottom-placed Germany who had to came last with just 18 points.
BBC viewers fumed just minutes after coverage began on BBC One at 8pm, with Graham Norton irking a few people tuned in ready to get into the spirit of Eurovision.
But they soon perked up, as the best Europe took to the stage to belt out some bangers - with some viewers suspected a X Factor legend had snuck their way in!
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The UK hopeful took to Twitter to thank everyone that supported her on Saturday night.
She tweeted: "I just want to say thank u x
"I know i joke a lot but we really put our all into the last few months, not the result we hoped for but so proud of everyone & what we achieved on this journey. Congrats to all the countries, I’ll never forget this journey and I love you all"
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tweeted his congratulations to Loreen for winning the competition - and to Liverpool for hosting the event.
He wrote: “Liverpool, you’ve done the United Kingdom and Ukraine proud. What a fantastic celebration for #Eurovision2023 Congratulations @Loreen_Talhaoui
“Sweden it’s over to you.”
Sweden will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 thanks to Loreen scooping the prize this year - and next year is a big one as it will be the 50th anniversary of Abba’s 1974 win with Waterloo..
Sweden has won Eurovision an impressive seven times.
The past winners are ABBA in 1974, Herreys in 1984, Carola in 1991, Charlotte Nilsson in 1999 and Måns Zelmerlöw in 2015 - while Loreen won in 2012 as well as this years' event.
Winner Loreen has explained that she can't beleive her own luck at winning the Eurovision Song Contest for the second time.
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Speaking after coming off stage, the Swedish champion said: “It feels crazy. This is so surreal, man, I’m happy and I’m thankful, I’m thankful to all you guys out there that voted for me.
“The only thing I feel right now is so much love. Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was going to happen.”
British Eurovision fans can’t quite believe how low UK entry scored this evening, with some feeling Mae was ‘robbed’.
"Well done to Mae Muller. Deserved a much higher ranking #eurowizja2023 #EUROVISION2023," one Twitter user tweeted the singer directly moments ago.
Another added: "Gutted for you Mae, deserved to finish a lot higher than you did."
Sadly, Mae is also being subjected to a lot of nasty tweets following the results being announced, with her fans rushing to call out cruel trolls.
(Martin Meissner/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Sweden received 243 points, taking Loreen from 340 to 583 points! She won in 2012 with Euphoria and has done it again with Tattoo!
Loreen looked delighted as she made her way backstage to prepare to perform again.
SWEDEN!
The public have given Finland hundreds of votes, making them the new number one!
They have 526 points, beating Sweden.
Thanks to the public vote, Norway is now number two.
Ukraine is now at number three with 243 points
After the public votes, the countries' numbers have jumped to...
Catherine Tate, who announced the votes, said the UK's points are going to Sweden.
The final jury votes are:
(AP)Sweden is still coming out on top with endless votes.
The votes so far are for:
It's currently a stressful time with the jury's votes coming in hot.
The top five from the jury vote so far are:
(AP)The UK, so far, have received 10 points.
Sweden's incredible act, Loreen, is still at the top with 167 points.
Croatia's jury voted to give their 12 points to Italy while Estonia gave their points to Sweden.
The current top three from the jury so far are:
Ireland have given the UK two points!
The UK's entry, Mae Muller, is now on six points.
Ireland's 12 points have been given to Sweden.
Atomic Kitten have performed on stage in their hometown, there's been lots of chit chat and now, voting for this year's Eurovision Song Contest is now CLOSED!
The fate of the 26 acts is now sealed!
We'll find out very soon if Mae can do one better than Sam and bring it home for the UK!
The man who made Eurovision cool for Brits again has returned, with Roger Taylor from Queen on the drums!
Sam has taken to the stage in Liverpool to treat the crowd to a special performance of his new song.
Wearing a trademark sequinned jumpsuit, reminiscent of his 2022 Eurovision outfit, he sang new single Mountain after all the countries’ entrants had performed.
A group of dancers all with prosthetic limbs appeared on stage with Sam and Queen drummer Roger.
The singer was then joined by a troupe of drummers as the stage lit up.
Such a likeable chap, can he be the UK entry again one day please?
The lines are open!
All 26 countries have performed and it's down to the voting public across Europe to decide who will take home the honours from Liverpool this year.
Pray it's Mae!
Mae closed the show in style (PA)Well, Mae looks stunning.
There seems to be a bit of an issue with her sound though, with some Eurovision fans fear her microphone isn’t turned on properly.
“I'm quite happy with UK's song this year, but can someone turn Mae's mic up a bit,” one Twitter user has spotted.
HERE WE GO!
It's time for Mae to give it everything she's got and hope the rest of Europe chucks some votes our way.
Fingers crossed.
Did anyone else spot Wagner on stage earlier?
Non-European country Austrailia entered rock band Voyager to put on their best performance in an effort to win earlier this evening, yet many were left distracted by the lead singer.
The frontman looked strikingly similar to a X Factor icon, which left many wondering if he was actually him.
As the band performed their hit Promise, many pointed out the singer looked just like Wagner.
One viewer asked: "Is there a reason Wagner is Australian’s entry for Eurovision this year?"
"The lead singer is like a 2000 AD version of Wagner," another pointed out.
Someone else asked: "Wagner is that you?"
Germany's entry certainly made an impact on stage (PA)As Germany’s entry performs, with a nod to Satan and lots of scary visuals, we’ll take a look at what bookmakers are saying so far.
Sweden are currently favourites to be crowned champions later this evening, with Finland and Israel just behind them.
But Italy has seen a big change to their chances, shooting from 16/1 to win after being ranked outsiders at 66/1 before the show kicked off in Liverpool.
Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "Punters just can't get enough of Marco Mengoni; he's seen his odds SLASHED from rank outsider to genuine hopeful in the matter of minutes."
It’s time for song 19 and it’s going to be an emotional one, as last year’s winning country takes to the stage hoping to follow on from their previous success.
Ukraine won Eurovision last year, meaning the nation faced the prospect of hosting the show in 2023, according to the rules of the competition.
However, due to the Russian invasion, it wasn't possible, as Eurovision organisers quickly ruled out staging it in the war-torn country.
TVORCHI are moving fans at home with their rendition of their track, Heart of Steel but hardcore Eurovision fans don’t think it’s worthy of winning this year’s contest.
“Ukraine. We love you. We feel for you. But this song…we need to talk #EUROVISION,” one has mused on Twitter, with another adding: “I loved Ukraine's songs from the past two years, but this year it's not it, it feels too American, where's the culture #Eurovision.”
Käärijä is hoping to bring the Eurovision glory back to Finland with his bop Cha Cha Cha.
Ahead of his chaotic performance, Graham primed BBC viewers to expect quite the experience from the Eurovision hopeful.
"It’s impossible for finland not to produce bangers #eurovision," one Twitter user declared during Käärijä’s time on the stage.
Another joked: "Finland: what sleep paralysis demons do on their lunch break #Eurovision."
A unique banger but is it enough to win?
It’s time for song 11, with Italy’s entry Marco Mengoni performing the song he hopes will bring glory to his home country once again, Due Vite.
Elsewhere, Martin Lewis is getting onto the spirit of things as he tunes in from home wearing a sleeveless sequined vest top and trendy shades.
We’re almost halfway through proceedings now, but some viewers have been casting their minds back to the show’s opening performance.
A tweet from Scott Bryan is going viral, which reads: "A reminder that Austria’s song is about the lack of royalties musicians receive from the likes of Spotify, with 0.003 referencing how much some artists get per stream. Incredible. #Eurovision."
The Eurovision presenters are explaining how to vote later this evening, so we might as well share the all-important details with you too.
Those based in the UK can vote as usual through phone and SMS - as well as with the official app and official website.mmo
The app is available on both IOS and Android, with the telephone and / or SMS numbers being revealed during the final and will be shown on the screens with the various charges (if applicable) at the time of broadcast.
After all the songs have been performed, the voting will then open for a period before the hosts announce when it is closed.
An emotional moment just before the ninth performance of the evening, as Graham reminded BBC viewers of the late Sir Terry Wogan.
Sir Terry was Mr Eurovision before Graham took over the honours and became the voiceover for the UK.
Ahead of Sweden’s entry Loreen singing Tattoo in Liverpool, Graham asked those watching at home to raise a glass to his predecessor Terry, who died in 2016.
Benefiting from being part of the big five is Spain, who performs for the first time in the Grand Final.
Eaea is performed by Blanca Paloma and is sung in Spanish.
Spain's odds of winning the contest were 28/1 ahead of the show, according to Ladbrokes.
Eaea is a song rich in flamenco-inspired sounds and syncopated beats - keeping with Blanca’s style of mixing the traditional with the avant-garde and modern pop.
'Big up King Charles and Queen Camilla' (BBC)Alesha has showed off her rapping skills once more.
In between performances, she rapped: "Yes, six acts in and the competition is in full swing. What a week! All killers, no filler, big up King Charles and Queen Camilla. Let's take a look."
During the semi finals, Alesha surprised viewers with an unexpected rap about the competition.
