Denmark wins in Sweden, UK 19th

After all the excitement and tension in Sweden, Bonnie Tyler probably can’t wait to get back to the serenity of her home in the Algarve.

The Eurovision Song Contest produced some good performances last night but in the end the annual event lived up to its delightfully daft reputation again.

Unsurprisingly, the most votes went to Sweden’s neighbour, Denmark. The bookies had been giving the UK odds of 50/1 compared with the favourite Denmark at 4/6 to win, with the closest competition coming from Norway and Ukraine.

Despite enjoying 80 million record sales in a glittering career spanning more than 30 years, Tyler admitted on the eve of the contest that she was very nervous about representing Britain before an audience said to number 120 million. “This is one of the most nerve-wracking things I have ever done,” she said. She was remarkably upbeat afterwards.

Here is a sample of how the BBC is reporting the result and Tyler’s reaction.....

Denmark has triumphed at this year's Eurovision Song Contest, held in the Swedish city of Malmo.

Emmelie de Forest, 20, had been the overwhelming favourite among the 26 entries, with her song Only Teardrops. Azerbaijan finished second.

The UK's Bonnie Tyler came 19th, an improvement on last year when Engelbert Humperdinck came second from last.

There was disappointment for Ireland's Ryan Dolan as he finished in last place with just five points.

De Forest won with 281 points and Azerbaijan's Farid Mammadov finished 47 points behind, followed by Ukraine in third and Norway in fourth.

UK entrant Tyler, 61, who is best known for her 1983 hit Total Eclipse of the Heart, had high hopes for her chances.

But the Welsh singer scored just 23 points for her performance of Believe In Me.

Speaking afterwards, Tyler said that despite her final score the experience had been “a night to remember”.

She said: “I got the feeling tonight that I got at the Grammy awards.

“I'm sure a lot of people will be disappointed on my behalf but I have really enjoyed my Eurovision experience.

“I did the best that I could do with a great song. I don't feel down and I'm ready to party.”