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A former floor assistant who worked at Eurovision has revealed what it's really like.

Gareth Davies experienced the Song Contest from a very unique vantage point when it came to Birmingham in 1998, as he was one of the people responsible for keeping the live broadcast running to schedule.

That year, Israeli singer Dana International won with Diva, and was the first openly transgender artist to be crowned winner.

On Saturday night, Eurovision 2026 is taking place in Vienna, marking the 70th Song Contest. Last year saw Austrian singer JJ win the competition, after it was held in Basel, Switzerland.

The UK is now being represented by electronic music artist and tech creator Look Mum No Computer, who will be performing Eins, Zwei, Drei.

The Song Contest has been mired in controversy so far, with a number of countries withdrawing their applicants and boycotting over Israel's participation, and Eurovision 2026 has now featured 35 entrants, with 25 making it to the Grand Final.

Looking back on his experience working for Eurovision in 1998, Davies recalled it as "one big party" but admitted there were plenty of rules in place, including preventing the stars acting like divas.

He told Betway Insider that people would be surprised to hear how much of a "well-oiled machine" Eurovision is backstage, and the number of people required to put the show on.

Gareth said: "Watching it from home, because it looks so slick, you'd never really know how difficult those routines have been to pull off, and you only get one moment to get it right.

"One thing most people might not realise is that in Eurovision Song Contest rehearsals, everything is timed. You're given a set amount of time for each rehearsal because everything has to be fair and above board.

"It's not like you come on stage and take your time until everyone's happy and then break for coffee. It's very much: you come onto that stage bang on 10 o'clock, and at 10:30 you're off.

"So when it comes to the rules of the game and keeping things fair for every single artist, that's hugely important. And I think that probably also stops any kind of diva behaviour you might expect.

"There's just no room for complaints or grievances because everything is as fair and structured as it can possibly be. It doesn't matter who you are; you don't get preferential treatment."

Look Mum No Computer, whose real name is Sam Battle, will be performing at the final on Saturday, in the bid to become the first British entry to win since 1997.

"It could go well or completely wrong - I'm just here for the ride," he previously told the BBC.

He added: "Watching the semi-finals yesterday I thought, maybe we've got something a bit different.

"What we're doing is Marmite - you either love it or hate it - but I think there's a slot open for our sort of thing."

"I always say to expect nothing," he went on. "Because if you expect nothing, you lose nothing.

"And anyway, after Saturday night's over, I'm getting straight on the plane and going back to nappy changing duties."

Eurovision 2026 final airs on Saturday 16 May at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.