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Worst Eurovision scores in history
The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrated for its exotic and diverse range of performances and acts, with some previous winners going on to achieve international fame and glory for their country.
Some acts, however, find themselves at the opposite end of the spectrum, especially when countries receive the dreaded ‘Nul Points’ from the judges, something that has happened on 39 occasions in the past.
We analyse some of those notable acts below.
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Fud Leclerc – Belgium (1962)
Belgium’s Fernand Urbain Dominic Leclercq (known more commonly by just his initials ‘Fud’) was the first ever victim of the Nul Points accolade with the song Ton nom (French for ‘Your Name’) during the 1962 edition in Luxembourg. It was the artist’s fourth appearance at the contest, having represented Belgium in the 1956, 1958 and 1960 editions in the preceding years.
Remarkably, there were four entries at this edition to receive Nul Points – the Spanish, Austrian and the Dutch entries being the other three unfortunate acts – but due to Leclerc performing first out of all the acts, he is better remembered as being the first artist to not contribute to the scoreboard.
Tor Endresen – Norway (1997)
In the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin, Norway was represented by Tor Endresen with his single “San Francisco.” This was a particularly notable Nul Points as it represented Norway’s fourth in the competition – an unwanted record that has never been surpassed (Austria equalled it in 2015).
Whilst the tune was a catchy, up-tempo track, the song’s lyrics and overall style were seen as outdated and lacking in originality, with critics comparing it to cheesy disco music from the 1970s. Endresen’s performance was also criticised for his vocal performance, with many viewers noting that he struggled to hit some of the high notes in the song.
Despite the disappointing result, Tor continued his music career in Norway and has released several albums since his performance 25 years ago.
Jemini – United Kingdom (2003)
It wouldn’t be a Eurovision blog without mentioning a UK Nul Points entry.
The 2003 contest saw all competing nations travel to Latvia, with the United Kingdom selecting Liverpool-born duo Chris Cromby and Gemma Abbey – known by their group name Jemini – to represent them. Their single “Cry Baby” was an up-tempo pop track with a catchy chorus and a modern sound, but Jemini’s performance was marked by technical difficulties and a lackluster stage presence.
In a night where almost everything went wrong for the Brits, the duo couldn’t hear themselves clearly in their earpieces, causing them to occasionally miss their cues and sing off key. The pair received zero points – the first time the UK had been victim to the dreaded Nul Points and the first time a song sang in the English language failed to get on the scoreboard.
James Newman – United Kingdom (2021)
This is perhaps the most well-known of zero-point hauls at Eurovision, and – sadly for James Newman and the United Kingdom – for all the wrong reasons. In 2016, the point-scoring method in the competition was famously revamped into the split-vote system, supposedly eliminating the chances of a nation ever receiving an overall score of zero ever again.
Agonisingly for Newman, who represented the UK with his song “Embers”, him and his team defied the odds to score Nul Points from both the judges and the public. Some critics felt that the staging looked a bit flat and uninspired, lacking the creative spark and visual interest that other entries had, but Newman looked like he couldn’t care less as he famously raised his drink to the camera upon realisation, receiving sympathetic cheers from the audience and other contestants.
