[Acrylic-bob]

I could scarcely believe my ears this morning when, listening to the BBC, I could have sworn I heard the newsreader say that the singer chosen for this years Eurovision Song Contest was the seventy five (or six, no one seems quite sure) year old Egelbert Humperdink.


I checked the date, just in case it might be April 1st, but it wasn't. And as the rolling news rolled it became clear that the BBC were adamant in their determination to field the oldest contestant....EVER!

I was always under the impression, maybe I have got it wrong, that the idea of entering this European mawkfest was to win the bluddy thing, not get laughed out of the auditorium.

On "Breakfast" they had some overpaid and underdressed BBC thirtysomething claiming that it was part of the UK's strategy, since the singer was quite popular in Azerbaijan, where the contest is to be held this year.

Can I ask a couple of obvious questions here?

1. Since when was Azerbaijan considered to be a part of Europe?

2. Since you can bet that Humperdink will not be donating his services for free, why does the BBC think that it is acceptable to throw thousands of pounds of licence fee payers money down the drain lke this?


How will they top this farrago, next year? Vera Lynn?


Or are they planning on exhuming Norman Wisdom on the grounds that he is still popular in Albania?