"This is a red letter day," declared host Graham Norton proudly as Sam Ryder earned the UK's best result in 20 years at the Eurovision Song Contest. And the praise and respect came pouring in for the TikTok sensation as he narrowly lost out to Ukraine.
The war-torn nation was favourite to win Eurovision 2022 and viewers were charmed by the rap band Kalush Orchestra's rousing performance of Stefania. And Ukraine won a massive 439 points in the public vote to claim the title.
They topped the leaderboard with 631 points followed by the UK with 466 for Sam's belter of a performance with his song Space Man. "It's our highest position in 20 years and all thanks to Sam Ryder," said host Graham. "He's the saviour of Eurovision. Three cheers for Sam Ryder."
