BBC Breakfast presenters Ben Thompson and Rachel Burden lashed out at British Eurovision contestant Mae Muller during the Sunday edition of the show.
Singer Mae, 25, took the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool on Saturday to perform her song I Wrote A Song.
However, the tune did not go down well with the judges and telephone voters, with Mae finishing second from bottom, ranked 25th out of 26 countries.
Host Rachel, 48, discussed Mae’s offer on BBC Breakfast this morning and said: ‘I just don’t think it was ultimately a song made for that Eurovision stage.’
Co-presenter Ben, 41, said he also didn’t think the song stood out above the other acts, adding that her appearance last in the running, as is traditional for the host nation, probably didn’t help.
Honest: BBC Breakfast presenters Ben Thompson, 41, and Rachel Burden, 48, swiped at British Eurovision contestant Mae Muller, 25, during the Sunday edition of the show
Disappointed: Singer Mae took the stage at the Eurovision final in Liverpool on Saturday to perform her song I Wrote A Song, but she finished second from last in the contest (pictured during Saturday’s contest)
“There were also many similar acts. Really good, powerful songs from great singers,” he said.
It comes after Mae said she was ‘proud of everyone’ while admitting that her second place in the Eurovision Song Contest was ‘not the result we hoped for’.
The London-born singer took the stage in Liverpool for the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, but finished 25th with I Wrote A Song, good for 24 points.
Germany was the only country to finish below the UK by 18 points.
Posing on Twitter in the early hours of Sunday, Mae wrote: “Just want to say thank you know I joke a lot but we really gave it our all over the last few months not the result we hoped for but so proud of everyone & what we have achieved on this journey.
“Congratulations to all countries, I will never forget this trip and I love you all.”
The disappointment comes just 12 months after the UK finished second to Ukraine when Sam Ryder made a splash with his smash hit Space Man.
Compassion came from the BBC, who organized the competition in conjunction with the European Broadcasting Union.
Tried her best: Mae’s tune didn’t go down well with the judges and telephone voters, with Mae finishing second from bottom, 25th out of 26 countries (Mae introduced herself at Saturday’s Eurovision Song Contest)
The broadcaster’s official Twitter account posted: “Mae, we are so proud of you and everything you’ve achieved at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.”
As the show ended, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: ‘Liverpool, you have made the UK and Ukraine proud.
What a fantastic party for #Eurovision2023 Congratulations @Loreen-Talhaoui. Sweden, it’s up to you.’
It was Sweden’s Loreen who stormed to victory that night, making history as the first woman and second person to win the song competition twice after her win in 2012.
She scored a total of 583 points after the public and jury votes were combined, narrowly beating Finland’s Kaarija who scored 526.
The victory also ties her native Sweden with Ireland as the country with the most wins, with seven apiece.
Higher expectations: It comes after Mae said she’s ‘proud of everyone’ while admitting that her second place in the Eurovision Song Contest was ‘not the result we hoped for’ (Mae imagined herself performing in the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday)
Loreen’s victory with Tattoo also means that Sweden will host the contest next year, on the 50th anniversary of Abba winning the Eurovision Song Contest with their hit Waterloo.
After being announced as the winner at the M&S Bank Arena, Loreen returned to the stage and was presented with the trophy by last year’s winners, the Kalush Orchestra of Ukraine.
She said, “This is overwhelming. I’m so happy and I’m so grateful.’
With her win, she equals the record held by Irish singer Johnny Logan, who won the competition in both 1980 and 1987.
The Ukrainian entry, the brooding electronic duo Tvorchi, scored 243 points and placed sixth.
Saturday night’s grand finale featured a series of musical tributes to Ukraine, which would have hosted this year had it not been for the Russian invasion.
Success story: It was Sweden’s Loreen who stormed to victory overnight and made history as the first woman and second person to win the song competition twice after her 2012 win (pictured on Saturday)
The evening opened with a pre-recorded video featuring last year’s winners, the Kalush Orchestra, and a surprise appearance by the Princess of Wales playing the piano.
They were joined by Ryder playing guitar at the top of the Liver Building on Liverpool’s waterfront, with Andrew Lloyd Webber on piano.
Former Go-A Ukrainian contestants Tina Karol and Jamala, who won for Ukraine in 2016, performed among this year’s hopefuls arriving for the flag parade.
But there was no appearance from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was barred from addressing the event.
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