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02
May
Meet Simone, the Eurovision superfan from Ripon
Love it or hate it, the Eurovision Song Contest is, to many, an annual tonic in a world of chaos and conflict.
The 35 participating countries will compete in Vienna over a week this month that promises to be outrageously camp and a tad political.
But for one Ripon woman, it’s much more than just a singing contest.
VAT advisor Simone Hurst describes herself as “obsessed” with the competition. She even wore the T-shirt to prove it when the Stray Ferret met her.
It's a statement that's hard to dispute. Simone has tuned in religiously every year for as long as she can remember, has a Eurovision tattoo and is even involved in an all-things-Eurovision radio show.
What's the appeal?
I love all the different countries coming together, I love the whole ethos of it. It came about to bring Europe back together again.
I think it’s very important it continues and I know people talk about the political voting, but at the end of the day, you’ve got thousands of people coming together on that one night across Europe. People watching the telly, people voting and people being there in person – it’s all so important, especially in this day and age.
The radio show, aptly named The Eurovision Show, isn’t affiliated with Eurovision, but its three contributors spend the episode discussing and critiquing the year’s entries.
Launched by fellow superfan Simon Harding, the show initially aired every week, but it now broadcasts an annual three-hour special in the lead-up to the competition.
Simone, who has a background in community radio, said:
Simon Harding got in touch with the radio station I had been DJing at and the programme manager told him we had a superfan here… meaning me. When Simon asked me if I’d be on the superfan panel, I said: ‘Absolutely, yeah’.
Simone, Simon and a fan based in Malmö, Sweden, listen to every entry – something Simone does irrespective of the radio show – before grading them, like the Eurovision jury. She says:
In the first hour, we talk about the songs but none of us discuss points. Then the last two hours, we talk about where we gave points and why we gave points. We don’t amalgamate our scores, we give our own individual scores, so we might argue about why someone has given an entry 12 points.
The UK's Eurovision contestant, Look Mum No Computer. CREDIT: BBC/Michael Leckie
This year's predictions
As a self-confessed Eurovision “geek”, Simone is well-placed to judge what makes a winning entry.
She says they “tend to be something a little different”, adding returning artists – like Sweden’s Loreen – often draw in the votes.
But the 54-year-old Eurovision fanatic feels this year’s song selection is “very weak”.
I just don’t like a lot of the songs. But, saying that, there is one for me that is far and above any of them…. that’s Czechia.
Simone said she got goosebumps just talking about Daniel Žižka’s song Crossroads – and even went as far as to say it’s her favourite Eurovision entry of all time.
“It is absolutely beautiful. He has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard”, Simone said, but is it a winner?
It won’t win. I’d love it to win – it might win jury vote - but Finland will win.
Finland's entry is a parody of Eurovision! It could very easily be Will Ferrell’s entry in the Eurovision film [Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga].
Surprisingly, that isn’t Simone’s favourite film.
Simone Hurst with Windows 95 Man, who represented Finland in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, in Malmö.
Eurovision live show is 'awesome'
Much like the football World Cup, winning Eurovision has become a little out of reach for us Brits. Our last success was in 1997.
This year, we’re banking on another Eurovision superfan, YouTuber Look Mum No Computer, whose real name is Sam Battle, bringing home the bacon.
Simone says she thinks we have “the coolest song” and Sam has gone for something “very left-field”.
If I could get in contact with Sam, I’d say: ‘Go more John Lydon, go more punky!’.
At the end it speeds up a little, but it needs to speed up a tad more. I do think we’ll be the coolest entry this year… it’s different.
Political voting aside, why does Simone believe the UK rarely succeeds in the competition?
We don’t send good enough songs and we don’t take it seriously enough. We have no consistency… I think we’re very standalone. The UK has such a developed music scene. Our entry this year is a great song, but I don’t think people in Europe will get it.
Simone has been a regular attendee at the Eurovision Song Contest for the last few years. She even bagged press tickets when it was held Liverpool in 2023, meaning she saw all the rehearsals, heats and the grand final.
“Excuse my French, but it was f****** awesome!”, she laughs in her Brummie accent.
Everyone who is there is on the same page – they all love Eurovision as much as you do. The atmosphere was incredible; I’ve never experienced an atmosphere like it.
Harrogate has its own ties to Eurovision, having hosted it at the convention centre 1982 and town-born star Olly Alexander represented the UK in 2024.
The chances of it returning appear pretty slim, but if it ever did, someone would need to keep an eye on Simone’s blood pressure.
The Eurovision Song Contest grand final will be streamed live on BBC One Saturday, May 16.
You can listen to The Eurovision Show on Switch Radio at 11pm on May 5 and 10. It'll also be available to stream on Switch Radio's website.
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