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00:00It's more than 40 years since the Eurovision Song Contest came to Harrogate in 1982,
00:05when it was hosted at the newly built Harrogate International Centre.
00:10There were a couple of big names missing that year, with France and Greece both withdrawing.
00:16France declined to enter well in advance with a spokesperson,
00:18promoting the absence of talent and the mediocrity of the songs,
00:22and memorably branding the competition a monument to insanity.
00:25Greece pulled out a few weeks before the contest, with the country's culture minister
00:31reportedly claiming the chosen entry was lacking in quality.
00:39The decision to choose Harrogate did raise a few eyebrows, as it was relatively unknown outside the UK,
00:45although some people thought it was a good opportunity to shine a spotlight on a lesser known area.
00:51The size of the venue also didn't help persuade the doubters.
00:55With one person commenting on how tiny the space was for such a big event.
01:00The show opened with a map of Europe and the words,
01:02Where is Harrogate? translated by viewers around the continent,
01:05before a video outlined a town's charm to a national audience.
01:13The UK won the right to host the event after Bucks Fizz won the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest with
01:18Making Your Mind Up.
01:19One step further, performed by Bardo, consisting of Sally Ann Triplett and Stephen Fisher,
01:31failed to live up to expectations sadly, finishing in a disappointing 7th place despite receiving 12 points from Luxembourg in Austria.
01:39Germany stormed to victory for the first time, with 18-year-old Nicole receiving 161 points,
01:4761 more on second place to Israel, with her song A Little Peace, which ended up going to the top of the UK chart.
01:54Despite failing to win over Eurovision Judges, one step further did make it to number two in the UK,
02:01and Sally Ann Triplett, who is one half of Bardo, described the experience as extraordinary,
02:06and said she still has a real soft spot of Harrogate.