The UK Doubles Down With Cabin-Crew Innuendo

MAY 15 2007 · 12:05

Scooch · "Flying the Flag (For You)" · United Kingdom · 2007 Placement: 22 · Score: 19 · Language: English · Composers: Morten Schjolin, Russ Spencer · Venue: Hartwall Arena · Host: Helsinki, Finland · Type: scandal · Broadcast: digital hd Scooch — two men and two women dressed as airline cabin crew with small trolleys — take the Helsinki stage performing choreography that would be read as in-flight safety briefing crossed with Carry-On film double-entendre. Lines about 'would you like something to suck on for landing' and 'some salted nuts, sir?' are delivered with straight-faced campy confidence. 22nd place with 19 points. Context BBC's 'Making Your Mind Up' public vote had chosen Scooch over candidates including Brian Harvey and Cyndi. The group had had an actual UK top-40 run in 2000 before breaking up. Their 2007 comeback was orchestrated entirely around Eurovision. The cabin-crew concept was developed in full awareness of the innuendo. Legacy 'Flying the Flag' is arguably the UK's most-remembered 21st-century entry for cultural-theory reasons — a deliberate self-aware camp maximalism that Eurovision mostly rewards. It didn't. The 22nd place finish with 19 points led the BBC to abandon public selection for several years. Scooch dissolved again in 2008.