A museum has acquired Mel Giedroyc’s butter churn, which ignited social media during Eurovision.
This month, the 54-year-old former host of the Great British Bake Off astonished viewers with a cameo appearance during the broadcast.
Mel, dressed as a milkmaid and holding a traditional butter churn between her thighs, appeared behind one of the presenters, Hannah Waddingham, as she announced Armenia to the audience from the main stage.
Clearly taking her position seriously, she did not hold back, leaving the audience in ‘hysterics’ as she stirred with vigour.
Now, the item has been added to the Museum of Liverpool’s collection as part of an initiative to acquire artefacts that tell the tale of the ‘fantastic mayhem’ the song contest unleashed upon the city.
Kay Jones, the museum’s chief conservator of municipal and community history, told the Liverpool ECHO that recovering the churn was a top priority.
‘The butter churn may have only appeared for a moment in the live show but Mel Giedroyc’s playful nod to the 2014 Polish entry quickly went viral, capturing the humour, joy and inclusivity of Eurovision – just like Liverpool’s contribution to Eurovision history – so it was top of the list for our contacts at the BBC who have kindly helped us collect iconic items from the show,’ she said.
Graham Norton could not contain his mirth during the unforgettable moment.
‘There’s Mel Giedroyc, literally milking it,’ he said, before observing: ‘She has a slight look of Melania Trump.’
Fans of the competition immediately recognised the moment as a reference to Poland’s 2014 Eurovision entry, which featured Donatan and Cleo churning butter and washing laundry on stage while performing My Sowianie – We Are Slavic.
Loreen of Sweden won (for the second time) this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, but there were many other memorable moments and performances that captivated the public’s attention.
Graham’s hilarious remarks included the live audience joining in to sing an NSFW line for Serbia’s Luke Black and people being puzzled by a shout-out during Sam Ryder’s performance.
Eurovision is streaming on BBC iPlayer.
