Olly Alexander sends UK Eurovision fans wild with 'best ever' staging as odds slashed

Olly Alexander in Eurovision 2024 rehearsals
Olly Alexander in Eurovision 2024 rehearsals -Credit:EBU/Sarah Louise Bennett


Having been written off by some bookmakers just a few days ago, Olly Alexander looks to be right back in contention for victory at the Eurovision Song Contest, as the staging for his track Dizzy has been declared the 'best ever' for the UK by ecstatic fans.

Already a well established star, thanks to his chart success with Years & Years, Olly revealed he was going to be doing Eurovision in an announcement during last year's Strictly final, before Dizzy was released at the start of March and Olly hit the pre-party circuit to promote the song.

As Olly, who earned rave reviews for his role in It's A Sin, headed over to Sweden to begin preparations in Malmo, his odds of winning Eurovision slumped as low as 100/1 with some bookies, with an average of around 40/1, putting him out of the top 10. However, after that blow to his chances, Olly has let his performance and his staging do the talking.

READ MORE: Eurovision Song Contest 2024 countries, acts and songs for Malmo competition

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After photos of his first rehearsal caused a real stir on Thursday, excitement to see him perform Dizzy during Tuesday's semi final is now at fever pitch, thanks to footage of his second turn in the arena being released by the BBC on Saturday afternoon. Olly has described the vision for the production, which sees him flanked by four dancers in boxing gear, as 'dystopian locker room' and it' certainly made an impact.

Reacting to it on X, one fan enthused: "Our staging is the best of the whole competition this year. The camera work is chaotic - almost like something out of a horror film but it's still INSANELY brilliant!" as another commented: "Olly Alexander and his team should take a bow that STAGING IS INSANEEEE"

It looks like the experts have sat up and taken note of Olly's staging to, as the buzz surrounding it has seen his odds shift rather significantly. At the time of writing on Saturday, the UK was back in 10th place with Oddschecker, with some odds as low as 33/1, while Eurovoix moved Olly up two spots in the betting from 12th to 10th.

In a break with tradition, the EBU are giving the Big Five and host country Sweden the chance to give televised performances during this year's semi meaning fans at home will get to see them in action before May 11's grand finale.