UK finishes Eurovision 2026 in last place as Bulgaria crowned winner
Neither the audience nor the professional jury were persuaded by the UK's entry Look Mum No Computer
The UK has finished in at last place at the 2026 Eurovision competition following a close final which saw Bulgaria crowned as the winner.
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The UK's entry, Look Mum No Computer, received no points in the public vote and only one in the jury vote, meaning it finished in a disappointing last place in this year's contest.
Bulgaria won with 516 votes while Israel came second with 343
Bulgaria's victory with the song Bangaranga was seen as a surprise, with artist Dara not initially considered to be in the running and after a tight scoreboard with Israel taking the lead at one point.
Look Mum No Computer, whose real name is Sam Battle, performed his song Eins, Zwei, Drei at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria, while dancing energetically with people dressed as computers on Saturday night.
At one point, Battle attempted to get the crowd to sing with him, chanting: “When I say eins, you say zwei.”
The YouTube star wore a pink boiler suit as performers in fluffy headwear danced in a mock workshop, while he played a synthesizer, and ended up in a cardboard box.
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Speaking to the Press Association before the competition, Battle revealed he made many of his own stage props.
Battle is best known for his YouTube career, which began in 2013 and sees him make his own quirky musical instruments, including an organ from Furby toys and a triple oscillator synthesizer made out of Nintendo Game Boy consoles.
Israel’s entrant Noam Bettan came second after appearing to have performed without incident, receiving a mixed reception from the crowd.
Bettan, 28, sang his song Michelle, in English, Hebrew and French, while some chants and booing could be heard in the crowd, where many Israel flags and banners could also be seen.
The final was held amid several protests in the Austrian capital this week over Israel’s inclusion in the contest, the larger being the No Stage For Genocide event, organised by Palestine Solidarity Austria, on the outskirts of Vienna.
There was also a march from the city’s western train station to the area where the Wiener Stadthalle is located on Saturday, but police directed protesters away from the venue in a loop.
Ireland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia all boycotted the event over Israel's participation.
Elsewhere, Daniel Zizka, the act from the Czech Republic, appeared to be plagued by technical difficulties during his performance of the song Crossroads.
He performed inside an elaborate hall of mirrors but at one point the picture became distorted and seemed to freeze.
Afterwards, UK commentator Graham Norton said: “A great performance vocally but quite a few technical problems there.
“That did not happen at any of the rehearsals, the distorted picture.
“I think the camera inside the mirrors, I think he fell, I’m not quite sure.
“Czechia won’t be happy about that but the show goes on.”
Former Love Island contestant Antigoni Buxton, who was born in London, performed for Cyprus.
The 30-year-old competed in the eighth series of the reality TV show in 2022.
She sang her song Jalla wearing a white bralette and dress, as hands reached up from the stage below her, while flames shot out from behind her and her backing dancers waved towels.
Australian pop singer and former Neighbours star Delta Goodrem also performed her song Eclipse, with which she is representing her home country, at the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest.
Greece’s Akylas attracted attention on social media with his video game-inspired performance of his song Ferto which saw him scooter down the runway wearing a tiger outfit.
Lithuania’s Lion Ceccah gave an eye-catching performance with his head and hands painted silver, wearing a black sculpture-like costume at the start of his performance.
Other eccentric performances came from Romania’s Alexandra Capitanescu, who provided an intense rendition of her song Choke Me, and Lithuania’s Lion Ceccah, who gave an eye-catching performance with his head and hands painted silver, wearing a black sculpture-like costume at the start of his performance.