CHERYL BAKER - EUROVISION VOTING CHANGES NEEDED, SAYS BUCKS FIZZ SINGER

EUROVISION VOTING CHANGES NEEDED, SAYS BUCKS FIZZ SINGER

Former Eurovision winner Cheryl Baker says changes to the song contest voting system were essential for this year's contest.

Terry Wogan stepped down from hosting the BBC's coverage of the annual event last year after British entrant Andy Abraham came last, with Wogan blaming poor recent UK finishes on bloc voting among other European countries.

Speaking ahead of the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest in Moscow, Baker - who won the 1981 contest as part of Bucks Fizz - said she appreciated why Wogan and British viewers had grown "despondent" at recent British performances.

"It's understandable in a way; for all these eastern European countries, which have only recently come out of the Soviet Union, we were almost the enemy, we were the other side," she told inthenews.co.uk.

"So they're not going to vote for us or Germany or whoever! But now, as the years progress and we become more and more integrated, it's going to be more fair."

Baker - who performs in London tonight as part of Original Bucks Fizz with founding member Jay Aston returning to the group after 24 years - added the updated Eurovision would be "great" for the fairness of the competition.

"They used to do the panel thing but they'd have the local baker or a schoolteacher!" she added.

"This way, they'll have actual musicians, who understand performance, who'll hopefully be voting fairly for the song and the singer, rather than because they're a neighbour.

"There'll be the public vote as well, but this way will be the fairest of them all."

Cheryl Baker was speaking on behalf of BBC HD on Freesat (on the BBC HD channel), which is showing the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest at 19:30 BST on Saturday May 16th.