London 1963

Eurovision Song Contest Grand Prix 1963

The UK hosted the song contest after France declined, having recently hosted twice (1959 & 1961). The competition featured international stars like Esther Ofarim (Switzerland), Nana Mouskouri (Luxembourg), and Francoise Hardy (Monaco). Host broadcaster BBC used an innovative approach: songs were performed in one studio while the audience watched from another. Each performance had unique, rapidly changed staging, sparking untrue rumours that the songs were pre-recorded. A voting controversy erupted when the Norwegian jury spokesperson, caught unprepared by presenter Katie Boyle, gave a rushed, incorrect set of points. Following the rules, Boyle returned to the Norwegian jury after all other countries had voted. Their corrected final results were decisively different from the interim ones, handing victory to their Nordic neighbour, Denmark, in a close race with Switzerland.