Special Sub-Topic: Eurovision: 1963 Click Here To Play: Eurovision: 1963

In which country was the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest held?

United Kingdom. France actually won the prior year's competition, and therefore should have hosted the event. However, they felt it too soon after hosting the 1961 contest, so Britain stepped in and did the honours at the BBC Television Centre in London.

Which country won the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest?

Denmark. Denmark won the competition with their entry "Dansevise" ("Dance Ballad"). It was performed by Grethe and Jorgen Ingmann, and was the first time the contest was won by a duo. Jorgen Ingmann is probably best known for his guitar instrumental "Apache", recorded in 1961, which was a hit in the United States and Canada.

The UK's 1963 entry was a song called "Say Wonderful Things". Who sang it?

Ronnie Carroll. Ronnie Carroll is a Northern Irish singer who holds the distinction of (as of 2008) being the only singer to have represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest two years in a row. Since then he has been politically active with the "Vote for Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket Party", standing for election in 2005 in Belfast. (The party has since renamed itself the "Make Politicians History" party.) His objective in that election? To get 0 votes. He failed - 26 votes were cast for him...

One record was set at the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest, a record no country wanted to hold: going two years without gaining a single point. Which country yet again failed to gain any support for its entry?

the Netherlands. Once again, the Netherlands got a goose egg instead of points. Their entry, "Een speeldoos" ("A Musical Box") was sung by Annie Palmen, and was one of four entries not to score this year.

How many entries in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest were sung in French?

four. Four countries sang their entries in French this year. They were France - "Elle etait si jolie" ("She was So Pretty") Luxembourg - "A force de prier" ("By the Might of Prayer") Monaco - "L'amour s'en va" ("Love Goes Away") and Switzerland - "T'en va pas" ("Don't Go Away")

There was a hiccup in the scoring section, when the presenter told one country that they could not be heard and would be called back later. Which country was this?

Norway. It was Norway. Katie Boyle told them that she could not hear their announcement of their votes, even though the audience could hear them. The real reason for Katie not accepting the votes was that the Norwegian jury's 'foreman' failed to follow procedure, which cast doubt on his pronouncements.

The producers called back the country whose voting was delayed for apparent technical difficulties. What happened at this point to create rather a stir?

country changed their votes in the interim. Norway had cast their initial votes one way, but seems to have changed their selection of winner between the two calls. This ended up with Switzerland not winning the contest after all, which instead went to Norway's neighbour Denmark.

Who was the presenter at the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest?

Katie Boyle. Katie Boyle once again presented the competition, having done so for her first time in 1960. She later presented the contest in 1968 and 1974. The others are all British television presenters.

There's always a halftime - what was the entertainment for the halftime of the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest?

Ola & Barbro. Ola & Barbro Nordstrom (for this is the only Ola & Barbro I can find online which seems likely to be the same as the interval act) are basically circus performers, who perform on unicycles. Victor and Elmsley were magicians in the mid-1900s, while Thomas Rudd perfected his skills as a magician in the late 1500s and early 1600s.

Sixteen countries vied for the 1963 Eurovision Song crown. That there should have been a 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd etc, all the way to 16th, right? Wrong - or is it? How many countries, if any, tied for position?

six. Six countries tied for position this year. France and Monaco tied for fifth position, with 25 points each. There was a four-way tie at the bottom - Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden all came out with no points.