BBC sparks fury among Eurovision fans as host broadcaster ‘breaks’ impartiality rules with article

The BBC has sparked fury among Eurovision fans after ‘breaking’ the contest’s impartiality rules.

Published on the BBC News website, a ‘disparaging’ article slating some of the European hopefuls emerged on Thursday.

Music journalist Mark Savage certainly lived up to his surname as he predicted where acts would finish and blasted some as unlikely to even qualify for the final.

But in just a month’s time, the Beeb will broadcast the extravaganza live from M&S Bank Arena Liverpool.

‘A grasping, aspirational hymn to togetherness, with lyrics Coldplay would have rejected for being too twee,’ Mark said of Ireland’s entry, We Are One by Wild Youth.

Furthermore, he claimed the band were ‘about as rowdy and unpredictable as a facecloth’ and anticipated they would lose in the opening semi-final.

I Wrote a Song, submitted by the UK’s entry Mae Muller, 25, received a backhanded complement from Mark too.

‘It’s probably too generic to top the leaderboard, but this camp disco banger is difficult to ignore,’ he remarked – before predicting she will come in at eighth place.

Making fun of Joker Out’s Carpe Diem, Slovenia’s entry, he penned: ‘When it finishes, you will have no memory that it ever happened.’

Mark predicted the tune will make the bottom five – but the outraged band told The Sun: ‘We must admit reading it on BBC, the host of Eurovision, left a bad taste in our mouths.

‘The process and the journey before Eurovision is very heavy on the minds and bodies of the contestants, and we believe the BBC knows that and should not make contestants worry about not being taken seriously when we arrive at the event itself.

‘Some of us countries are really racing against Lamborghinis with bikes, so every stick on the road makes it much harder for us to compete.’

When the journalist shared his latest article to Twitter, his followers blasted him for his lack of ‘respect’ while questioning his abiding of impartiality guidelines.

Uh-oh: I Wrote a Song, submitted by the UK’s entry Mae Muller, 25, received a backhanded complement

‘Eek! A grasping, aspirational hymn to togetherness, with lyrics Coldplay would have rejected for being too twee,’ Mark Savage said of Ireland’s entry, We Are One by Wild Youth 

Cruel: Making fun of Joker Out’s Carpe Diem, Slovenia’s entry, he penned: ‘When it finishes, you will have no memory that it ever happened’ 

One wrote, ‘I think a bit more respect could’ve been shown… specially from the host broadcaster… ‘

Another penned, ‘Really unnecessary disparaging remarks about about some of the artists. Disrespectful to any artist who puts themselves forward. Is this the official view of @bbceurovision?’

A third added, ‘Most unprofessional coming from the host broadcaster, also often wrong,’ while a fourth chimed in with, ‘So unprofessional and disrespectful….’

A source at the BBC said: ‘BBC News is completely editorially independent and not the voice of the BBC.’

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.

It comes after Tory MPs criticised the BBC over their choice of singer to represent the UK at Eurovision as she branded Tories ‘racist elitists’ and said Boris Johnson should not have an intensive care bed when he was fighting for his life in hospital with Covid.

I Wrote A Song singer Mae, who will be performing in Liverpool in May, made the comments as the then-PM was in hospital after he ‘nearly died’ from the virus.

Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson has slammed the singer for ‘vile Left-wing slurs’ and hit out against the BBC for ‘planting a Left-wing entrant’ into the song contest to somehow get the UK to reenter the EU.

Furious: When the journalist shared his latest article to Twitter, his followers blasted him for his lack of ‘respect’ while questioning his abiding of impartiality guidelines

Mae, now 25, tweeted about politics, backing then-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, saying she ‘hated this country’ during arguments over free school meals.

The artist, who became popular on social media video app TikTok, was chosen as the Eurovision contestant by BBC bosses with management company TaP Music, in the hope that she can lead Britain to victory, besting predecessor Sam Ryder, on May 13.

While Boris was in his third day of intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on April 8, 2020, Ms Muller tweeted her ‘unpopular opinion’ that ‘I do not feel sorry for Boris Johnson’, The Telegraph reported.

She added: ‘Yes, he is human, yes he has kids, but so do 100s of other people who have actually died due to Tory policies. Taking up a bed in intensive care but you’re not on a ventilator and in ‘high spirits’? Nah mate.’

In another tweet she said: ‘The same nurses you praise in your speeches are the same nurses you chose to cut all their benefits, and CHEERED while doing it. The same nurses that can’t even afford protective wear, and are LITERALLY dying because of YOU. Boris does not have my sympathy and NEVER will.’

Exciting: But in just a month’s time, the Beeb will broadcast the extravaganza live from M&S Bank Arena Liverpool

It had been confirmed the previous night by Downing Street that the PM was ‘stable’ and ‘in good spirits’ – as well as that he did not have pneumonia and was not on a ventilator but was in ICU for ‘close monitoring’.

And leading to the 2019 general election, which saw Tory leader Boris and Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn battle for No 10, Mae tweeted: ‘f** the Tories.’

She said: ‘Please register to vote today! And when you do vote please vote Labour! We have the power to take those racist elitists down so lets do it!’

Her political views were condemned by Tory MPs, who also said the BBC showed a deficit of ‘common sense’ in choosing her.

Ashfield MP Mr Anderson told The Telegraph that it looked as if ‘vile Left-wing slurs are actually something the BBC requires from people it wants to promote.

He accused the corporation of ‘planting their own Left-wing entrant into Eurovision’ and said ‘they should think again’ if they think it will see the UK rejoin the European Union. He said the days of ‘making our mind up’ are done’.

Tory MP for South Thanet Craig Mackinlay said that ‘foul-mouthed and unpleasant’ comments were ‘the norm’ among employees of the BBC.

Ex-cabinet minister David Jones said that while Muller was ‘genuinely very talented’ and has excellent career prospects that she should ‘be a bit more human’ as ‘Boris Johnson was close to death’.

I Wrote A Song has already been streamed more than three million times on Spotify, already breaching the UK Top 40.

The song is not political and Eurovision rules say it is a ‘non-political event’. The Telegraph newspaper reportedly understands that the BBC will take no action over the tweets as they were made before they started to engage with her over Eurovision.

The paper contacted Mae’s representative and TaP Music for comment but they did not respond.

The BBC declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline at the time.