Eurovision fans have been left heartbroken for Czechia's entry, Daniel Zizka, after his performance on Saturday evening was plagued with errors beyond his control.
Technical problems became rife for the Czech entry during this evening's Eurovision Song Contest grand final in Vienna, during his rendition of Crossroads.
Visual glitches and lines appearing across the screen distorted the picture for audiences watching the 70th edition of the competition from home.
And the situation worsened when a cameraman became visible on screen and appeared to stumble whilst filming inside the mirrored stage setup.
Czechia's entry, Daniel Zizka, performed during Saturday's grand finale
|GETTY
BBC commentator Graham Norton stepped in to offer an explanation to viewers following the troubled performance, confirming that the technical issues had not occurred during any of the rehearsal sessions.
"A great performance vocally, but quite a few technical problems there that did not happen in any of the rehearsals," Mr Norton told viewers.
He went on: "The distorted picture, and I think the cameraman inside the mirrors fell. I'm not quite sure.
"But Czechia won't be happy about that."
Czechia's entry Daniel Zizka had his performance hit by tech issues
|GETTY
Before long, social media was flooded with furious and sympathetic comments from viewers who demanded that Czechia be allowed to perform again.
"LET CZECHIA REPERFORM IT'S A CRIME #Eurovision," one X user emphatically said on social media.
"I do not say this lightly: LET CZECHIA PERFORM AGAIN #eurovision," a second echoed, while a third typed: "Justice for czechia!!!!!! I really hope they will be allowed to perform again #eurovision."
Another concurred: "Czechia was totally screwed over by technical issues, despite having a phenomenal song and vocals. Please consider casting some votes for them. They deserve it. #Eurovision." (sic)
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Czechia was totally screwed over by technical issues, despite having a phenominal song and vocals. Please consider casting some votes for them. They deserve it. #Eurovision
— Ludwig Wolf 🇨🇿 🇫🇮 (@Ludwig_IV) May 16, 2026
The sympathetic responses kept on coming, with a fifth weighing in: "Czechia's victory ripped off by Eurovision broadcasting! @ORF @Eurovision You can't disturb the singer and watchers for 30 seconds and expect to keep focus his voice! #eurovision."
"Czechia needs to perform again, technical issues for the whole 2nd part of the song… it isn't fair #Eurovision," another commented. (sic)
And an eighth reached out: "#Czechia #DanielZizka You deserve better than that broken camera shot. Please perform again after the last song so we can see the gorgeous mirrored effect for real. #Eurovision #Českátelevize #Crossroads."
Mr Zizka looked visibly perturbed as he left the stage. Given the tight schedule of the finale, he wasn't allowed to perform again.
Daniel Zizka's performance was suddenly broadcast with a distorted issue and a cameraman in shot
|BBC
Meanwhile, Mr Norton found himself hitting headlines for a different reason during Saturday's grand finale.
The Irish presenter sparked a debate among BBC Eurovision viewers with comments made about Israel's participation in the competition.
Israeli singer Noam Bettan performed following the withdrawal of five nations in protest at the country's inclusion.
Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and the Netherlands all withdrew due to Israel's continued involvement amid the Gaza conflict.
BBC Eurovision: Graham Norton stepped in to explain what had happened
| BBCAs Mr Bettan took part in the flag parade at the top of the show, Mr Norton wasted no time in informing viewers of the countries who'd boycotted this year's contest.
As a result, he was accused of "gleefully" reminding fans of the controversy, while others suggested he should "keep politics out of Eurovision."
However, Mr Norton also received plaudits from some fans who praised him for addressing the controversy head-on.