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30 years ago today - Bucks Fizz win for United Kingdom

04 April 2011 at 02:05 CEST

After Johnny Logan had given Ireland their second victory in The Hague in 1980 with Whats Another Year, the honour of staging the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest, for the second time in their history, went to Irish broadcaster RTE.

The show was held on April 4th in the Simmonscourt Pavillion, Royal Dublin Society and was presented by Doireann Ní Bhríain. A total of 20 countries participated all with the same goal, winning Europe's Favourite TV Show.

1981 Facts & Figures

  • Cyprus made their Eurovision debut, and a very successful one it was too with Island taking their jolly number Monica to a very respectable 6th place.
  • 1961 Eurovision Song Contest winner Jean-Claude Pascal took part for Luxembourg, a full 20 years after winning in Cannes. His second attempt was much less successful as he finished in joint 11th place.
  • Yugoslavia returned to the contest for the first time since 1976, only to finish in 15th place. Israel also returned after winning the competition in 1978 and 1979, but not defending their title in 1980.
  • Italy decided to stay at home as interest in the competition had diminshed, and after their debut entry in 1980, Morocco decided against participating again.
  • The voting saw one of the closest finishes ever, with two countries remaining to vote, Switzerland, Germany and the United Kingdom all had 120 points!. No fewer than five countries had led at some stage during the voting.
  • Although the United Kingdom only received two maximum 12 points, they did score points from every country. Switzerland gained the most maximum points but ultimately finished in 4th place.
  • Norway scored the dreaded nul points for the third time in their history in 1981, with Finn Kalvik not being awarded a single point from any of the juries for his ballad Aldri I Livet.


What became of Bucks Fizz?

Bucks Fizz were specially formed for the Eurovision Song Contest, and had created a memorable stage act when the 2 guys in the group ripped off the skirts of the 2 girls, revealing a shorter skirt underneath. To date, it is seen by many as one of the most memorable moments in the history of the Europe's Favourite TV Show.

Bucks Fizz did enjoy a successful career both in the United Kingdom and over Europe with many hit songs during the 1980s, such as The Land Of Make Believe and My Camera Never Lies. Their worldwide record sales have exceeded 15 million copies.

Bucks Fizz were involved in a serious road accident in 1984 when their tour bus crashed, all members were seriously injured but thankfully not fatally. After this, there have been several line up changes over the years, and most recently original band members Mike Nolan, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston have formed The Original Bucks Fizz.

Full statistics including details of the performers, song titles and the full scoreboard can be found here in the 1981 history pages