Harrogate man to represent UK at Eurovision

A Harrogate-born pop star will represent the United Kingdom at the 68th Eurovision Song Contest next year.

Olly Alexander, frontman of UK-chart-topping band Years & Years, announced the news on the Strictly Come Dancing final on Saturday night.

The contest, which is being held in Malmö in Sweden, will mark the beginning of Olly’s solo career.

In a press release published by the BBC, he said:

“I’ve loved watching Eurovision ever since I was a little kid and I’m beyond excited to be taking part next year.

“As a young boy I always looked forward to this incredible event of unbridled joy, the wonderfully chaotic mix of musical styles, theatrical performances, heartfelt emotion and humour.

“I really can’t believe I’m going to be a part of such a special legacy and fly the flag for the UK in the gayest way possible, it shall be an honour.”

Despite this being his first solo venture, Olly is no stranger to global success.

Since 2015, Years and Years have scored two number one UK albums, 10 UK top 40 singles and, most recently, were awarded the BRIT Billion Award after achieving 6.5 billion global streams.

He has also worked with the likes of Sir Elton John, Kylie and Pet Shop Boys.

He added:

“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time and it feels like the right moment to start releasing music under my own name.

“I’m determined to give it everything I’ve got and put on an excellent and unforgettable performance for you all.”

But the Harrogate-born star is not just a singer – he has also received prestigious recognition for his acting skills.

Olly starred in the Channel 4 drama It’s A Sin, which won best new drama at the National Television Awards.

He was also nominated for leading actor at the BAFTA Television Awards for the same programme.

Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, also said:

“To have an artist of Olly Alexander’s calibre representing the UK in Malmö in 2024 is testament to just how much the BBC wants to keep momentum of Eurovision riding high since the UK had the honour of hosting the contest on behalf of Ukraine in Liverpool earlier this year.

“Olly is the perfect ambassador for the UK as both an immensely talented and world-renowned artist and passionate fan of the competition.”

Olly’s Eurovision song, co-written by British producer Danny L Harle, has not yet been released.

All three live Eurovision programmes – including two semi-finals and the final – will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

They will be held on May 7, 9 and 11, 2024.

Read more:

 

‘Devastated’ parents miss son’s wedding celebration after passport delay

A “devastated” Harrogate mum was unable to attend her son’s wedding celebration because of a delay in receiving her passport.

Alison Johnson was due to fly to Sweden with husband David last Thursday ready for the event on Saturday, which would also have been the first time she met her daughter-in-law’s family.

She applied for a new passport in early May, as soon as the event was arranged – around the recommended 10-week window before travel – after realising she could not find her old one.

The Passport Office confirmed it had received it within two days and asked a friend to verify the photo.

However, with no sign of the new passport by early July, Mrs Johnson was beginning to worry.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“Every time I tried to contact them, the phone went dead. When I did get through, I was promised call-backs that never materialised.

“I got a message earlier in July telling me not to keep contacting them because it slowed the process down, so I stopped.”

After sending off the passport, Mrs Johnson said she heard nothing until she was told the photograph she had sent had been rejected just 10 days before they were due to travel. She sent a new one immediately, then heard nothing more.

After paying to upgrade to a fast-track service, last Monday, July 18, she received a call from the Passport Office reassuring her that the new passport would arrive by special delivery before 9am on the Wednesday, July 20.

Mr and Mrs Johnson were due to travel to Manchester that afternoon, ready for their flight the next day.

Mrs Johnson said, with the promise of the passport’s arrival, she even baked a wedding cake for her son Matt and his new wife Linn. They were married at New Year, but decided to have a celebration for the whole family in the summer in her native Sweden.

“It was going to be in the most idyllic setting at a place called Osby. He’s allergic to nuts, so I made a traditional English wedding cake without the nuts, cooked with brandy.

“I iced it on the Tuesday on the morning of the awful heat.

“Then the passport didn’t turn up on Wednesday. The cake is now in a cake box in a case and it’s going to have to stay there.”

Read more:

With no passport, Mr and Mrs Johnson were left with no option but to cancel their flights. She said they could have rearranged their travel plans, but the cost of doing so was too much for them to afford.

It was also made more complicated by the fact Ms Johnson has ME and requires a mobility scooter. Arranging for it to be taken on a plane can be complex even with a lot of notice.

She said:

“I am just devastated. He is our only child and we just wanted to be there.

“I’ve been there for every other milestone of my son’s life. This was a bit special – a highlight after a few awful years.

“We haven’t seen them since the beginning of January and they’re going away on honeymoon now, then they’re both working flat out when they get back so I don’t think we’ll see them until next year.

“There’s another celebration planned in London next year so we can go to that and take the cake, but that’s no compensation for what we’ve missed.”

A spokesperson for HM Passport Office said:

“Between March and May, we processed approximately three million applications, and 98.5% of applications were completed within 10 weeks. But we cannot compromise security checks and people should apply with plenty of time prior to travelling.”

Mrs Johnson said although she has missed out on the important family event, she hopes other people will learn from her experience and apply as early as possible or pay to receive their passport sooner.