The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
TV Movie | 55 min | Documentary, History

Primary photo for The Secret History of Eurovision

The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)

TV Movie | 55 min | Documentary, History

A decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss exec working for the European Broadcasting Union, had a daring idea. He wanted to stage a live Pan-European singing competition to promote the nascent television ...See moreA decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss exec working for the European Broadcasting Union, had a daring idea. He wanted to stage a live Pan-European singing competition to promote the nascent television services of Western Europe, and bring the divided nations of a war-torn Europe closer together in a shared celebration of music. The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24th May 1956. Just seven countries took part (six of whom, significantly, went on to sign the Treaty of Rome and lay the foundations of the European Community) but it was an instant hit and has become an unbroken annual fixture in the life of the continent. But it came to mean even more than that. During the Cold War, the glitz and glamour on the Eurovision stage was seen as a symbol of Western fun and freedom. Only a very few in the Eastern bloc were able or brave enough to risk their lives by tuning in to Finnish TV signals in secret. In recent decades, following the fall of the Iron Curtain and breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, new nations have clamoured to take part, injecting new life into the contest and raising the political stakes yet further by seeing it as a rare opportunity to promote their national identity on an international stage. Today, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most-watched broadcast events in the world, attracting hundreds of millions of fans across Europe and as far afield as Australasia, Asia and Latin America. Some love it, some laugh at it, some are obsessed by it, but most think of the Eurovision Song Contest as just a great night's entertainment. And yet it has slowly become one of the great popular cultural festivals of our age, a carnival of fun and frivolity that can be taken -- in a certain light -- as a symbol of just how far Europe has travelled since Monsieur Bescancon had his brainwave. Written by Stephen Oliver See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
75 cast members

Name	Known for
Linda Cropper Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice) See fewer	Upgrade (2018)
Lena Meyer-Landrut Self (as Lena) Self (as Lena) See fewer	What a Man (2011)
Thomas Schreiber Self - NDR Self - NDR See fewer	Wim Wenders: Desperado (2020)
Donald Sassoon Self - Queen Mary University of London Self - Queen Mary University of London See fewer	The Missing Piece: Mona Lisa, Her Thief, the True Story (2012)
Lys Assia Self Self See fewer	Oberstadtgass (1956)
Brian Singleton Self - Trinity College, Dublin Self - Trinity College, Dublin See fewer	The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
Alexis Petridis Self - music critic, The Guardian Self - music critic, The Guardian See fewer	Diastimikes peripeteies (2015)
Paul G. Sheridan Self - Eurovision expert Self - Eurovision expert See fewer	The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
Domenico Modugno Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Batman (2022)
Bill Martin Self Self See fewer	Unforgotten (2015)
Katalin Miklóssy Self - University of Helsinki Self - University of Helsinki See fewer	Aamu-TV (1997)
Cliff Richard Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rocketman (I) (2019)
Francisco Franco Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Raza (1942)
Joan Manuel Serrat Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Cuéntame (2001)
Massiel Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Codo con codo (1967)
Julian Vignoles Self - RTÉ Self - RTÉ See fewer	The Story of Ireland (2011)
Dana Self Self See fewer	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Dana International Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2008)
Ilanit Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Schwarzer Peter (1970)
Paul Jordan Self - University of Glasgow Self - University of Glasgow See fewer	Abba: How They Won Eurovision (2024)
ABBA Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer	Muriel's Wedding (1994)
Svante Stockselius Self - EBU Self - EBU See fewer	Melodifestivalen 2002 (2002)
Gigliola Cinquetti Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	How Do I Love You? (1966)
Paulo de Carvalho Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer
Mariza Koch Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Chorafa Family (1968)
Ioannis Polychronakis Self - University of Oxford Self - University of Oxford See fewer	The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
Jahn Teigen Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Prima Veras saga om Olav den hellige (1983)
Timo Kojo Self (as Kojo) Self (as Kojo) See fewer	Eurovision 2006: Muistathan... (2006)
Eduard Hi Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer
Marion Rung Self Self See fewer	Anatol (1966)
Lech Walesa Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Prawdziwy koniec zimnej wojny (2011)
Johnny Logan Self Self See fewer	Staying Alive (I) (2015)
Sverre Kjelsberg Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Thing (I) (2011)
Mattis Hætta Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Skáidi (1995)
Bucks Fizz Themselves Themselves See fewer	Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009)
Ronald Reagan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Kings Row (1942)
Margaret Thatcher Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	SDI Star Wars (1991)
Nicole Hohloch Self (as Nicole) Self (as Nicole) See fewer	Playoff (2011)
Mikhail Gorbachev Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Meeting Gorbachev (2018)
Bobbysocks Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer	Lords of Chaos (2018)
Céline Dion Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Titanic (1997)
Paddy O'Connell Self - BBC Self - BBC See fewer	Celebdaq (2003)
Mart Laar Self - former Prime Minister of Estonia Self - former Prime Minister of Estonia See fewer	1944 (2015)
Toto Cutugno Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Bélier Family (2014)
Ketil Stokkan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Eurovision Song Contest (1986)
Dean Vuletic Self - Institute for East European History Self - Institute for East European History See fewer	Eurovision: Secrets and Scandals (2022)
Azúcar Moreno Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer	The Specialist (1994)
Linda Martin Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Val Falvey TD (2009)
Niamh Kavanagh Self Self See fewer	The Commitments (1991)
Noel Duggan Self - entrepreneur of Millstreet Town, Ireland Self - entrepreneur of Millstreet Town, Ireland See fewer	Baywatch (1989)
Fazla Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer
Catherine Baker Self - University of Southampton Self - University of Southampton See fewer	The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
Sonia Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Lily Savage Show (1997)
Bill Whelan Self Self See fewer	The Mask (1994)
Alma Cardzic Self (archive footage) (as Alma) Self (archive footage) (as Alma) See fewer	The Eurovision Song Contest (1997)
Dejan Lazarevic Self (archive footage) (as Dejan) Self (archive footage) (as Dejan) See fewer	Eurovision Song Contest: Dublin 1994 (1994)
Paul Harrington Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Eurovision Song Contest: Dublin 1994 (1994)
Charlie McGettigan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	I Remain, Your Loving Son (1999)
Declan Lowney Self Self See fewer	Ted Lasso (2020)
John Kennedy O'Connor Self - author of 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History' Self - author of 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History' See fewer	BBC Look North: Yorkshire (1968)
Jade Ewen Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	End of a Gun (2016)
Tanel Padar Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Detour (2007)
Dave Benton Self Self See fewer	The Dissidents (2017)
Sertab Erener Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Kizim (2018)
Ruslana Lyzhicko Self (as Ruslana) Self (as Ruslana) See fewer	Ruslana: Wild Dances (2004)
Pavel Hrytsak Self - UTR (as Pavlo Grytsak) Self - UTR (as Pavlo Grytsak) See fewer	Kazka staroho melnyka (2020)
Viktor Yushchenko Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Orange Winter (2007)
Greenjolly Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage) See fewer	The Eurovision Song Contest (2005)
Helena Paparizou Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)
Mr. Lordi Self (as Lordi) Self (as Lordi) See fewer	Dark Floors (2008)
Marija Serifovic Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Setnja sa lavom (2022)
Alistair Birch Self - Australian Radio Self - Australian Radio See fewer	The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
Inga and Anush Themselves (archive footage) (as Inga & Anush) Themselves (archive footage) (as Inga & Anush) See fewer
Alexander Rybak Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)
Stephane Themselves (archive footage) (as Stephane & 3G) Themselves (archive footage) (as Stephane & 3G) See fewer	Arena (I) (2019)

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