BBC confuses random fan on street for Finland's Eurovision act
BBC reporter Katie Walderman thought she was talking to Finland's Eurovision entry Käärijä
As anticipation builds for this weekend’s Eurovision final, one BBC reporter may have let all the excitement go to her head after interviewing a random fan who she thought was Finland’s entry.
This year is the first time the UK has hosted Eurovision since 1997.
Although Ukraine won the competition last year, Putin’s ongoing invasion meant it wouldn’t be safe to host the competition there, with the UK picking up hosting duties after finishing second and choosing Liverpool as the host city.
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It’s not been an entirely smooth journey to the Eurovision final. The ticketing process was described as an ‘absolute shambles’, with many fans left disappointed.
Others have also seen accommodation costs skyrocket for this week, with one bloke having his booking cancelled and relisted for a staggering £20,000.
Add to that the recently announced train strike, which will make it difficult for many fans to make it to Liverpool.
But despite all this, the day is almost upon us, with the BBC proving they were up to the task of hosting the 67th edition of the song contest and definitely knew who all the contestants were.
BBC North West reporter Katie Walderman thought she’d cornered Finnish entrant Käärijä for a chat.
Except, though the man was wearing Käärijä’s memorable lime green outfit, he actually looked nothing like the ‘Cha Cha Cha’ singer.
Walderman told her viewers: “We even managed to catch up with the main man himself.”
You sure about that, Katie?
Hammering home the mix-up, the strapline read: “Kaarija – Finland entrant.”
The unidentified Eurovision superfan seemed unaware he’d been mistaken for the singer he was cosplaying as.
Asked how he was enjoying being in Liverpool, the man responded: “Incredible. In comparison with all the other countries that I have been, this is better organised.
“Everything is walking distance, and it’s just so friendly. Everything is just so easy around here. It’s incredible.”
Once the Beeb realised its mistake, Walderman went back on air to explain how the mix-up happened.
She explained: “I saw this guy sprint out of the arena. There were people there waiting to take photos with him, he was signing autographs and I was like, ‘Are you the ‘Cha Cha Cha’ guy? Are you Finland?'
“And he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah I am'. And I was like, ‘Ah wow, can I have a word? And he was like, ‘Yeah'. Then I wished him luck for the semi-final.
“So I put it in my package and came off air last night and my phone just went boom! And I was like, ‘Oh no'.”
A BBC spokesperson said of the gaffe: “This was a case of Eurovision fever. We hope the real Kaarija will join us on North West Tonight so we can say sorry and wish him well for the Grand Final."
Topics: BBC, Eurovision, Music
Simon Fearn