The initial idea for Olly Alexander’s Eurovision performance was turned down by SVT because it was branded as “impossible”. 

The staging of the United Kingdom’s entry was an elaborative stage show depicting the Dizzy singer flanked by backing dancers clad in boxing shorts flying through space. 

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• The United Kingdom’s initial staging concept for Olly Alexander’s Eurovision performance was rejected by SVT due to its complexity and the physical constraints of the Eurovision stage
• The UK team, led by Alexander’s longtime collaborator Theo Adams, adapted the concept, incorporating ambitious camera tricks and coordinated dancer movements to create the illusion of movement
• Senior Technical Director Ola Melzig highlighted the importance of early communication, noting that the UK’s proactive approach allowed for the creative adaptation of their performance

But had the BBC not contacted SVT with its idea months in advance, the performance would have looked entirely different. 

Speaking exclusively to The Euro Trip as part of The Contest & Me miniseries, Senior Technical Director of Eurovision 2024 Ola Melzig said: “If the UK hadn’t reached out very early on this year, you wouldn’t have seen that performance. 

“Their first idea was impossible to do on our stage because we have less than 50 seconds to do a changeover – you can’t show up with something that weighs a tonne and takes two minutes to do.” 

Alexander’s Eurovision performance used ambitious camera tilts and trickery, matched with timed movements from the backing dancers to simulate movement inside a box. 

The staging was the brainchild of the singer’s longtime creative collaborator Theo Adams. 

Adams had been a long-time collaborator with Alexander before Eurovision. He was the driving force behind the singer’s iconic BRIT Award performance with Elton John in 2021, and his Night Call world tour. 

“It was the same idea, but bigger; too big, and too heavy,” Melzig said of the initial proposal. 

“We just went through the guidelines with them, and they were super creative. 

“We had to have the same discussion with Sweden, but much later because they don’t select their song until it’s too late. What they used in Melodifestivalen, we could not physically get on stage at Eurovision because it was too tall. 

“There are so many restrictions about what you can do on the Eurovision stage, especially when it comes to props. The amount of props, the size, the length, the weight.”