A host broadcaster never wants to win. They may tell you otherwise, but deep down they know that our favourite TV show is something that would get expensive if the hosts had it for a second – or even third – year.
It has happened in the past the the host country didn’t win the previous year. The winners might have other pre-occupations, so willingly hand the show over to someone else. The last time this happened was when Israel won in 1979. They didn’t want it again, so passed it over to the Netherlands. Today’s birthday girl Maggie MacNeal (née Sjoukje van’t Spijker) was the home entrant. She’d already done her stuff six years over, but she was alone this time, singing about a different city to the host one. At one point, she was leading, which must have given NOS the jitters. In the end, she came fourth. Maybe not ideal for the host country, but a big relief for the hosts.
Maggie is 72 today.
Gefeliciteerd, Maggie!