10m tuned in for Eurovision show

Scooch received 12 points from Malta and seven from Ireland Talking Shop: Scooch 'The worst Eurovision ever'

More than 10 million viewers tuned in to watch the climax of the Eurovision song contest despite the UK's dismal showing in the contest.

The annual musical event drew 50.8% of the viewing share - 10.9m viewers - at its peak, as people tuned in to watch the results at 10.30pm.

The UK's group, Scooch, have been criticised for their performance after they finished joint 22nd out of 24.

The contest was won by Serbia's entrant Marija Serifovic.

Only two countries gave Scooch points - Ireland, who awarded seven points, and Malta, who gave the UK the maximum 12 points.

The number of people switching on to watch went up during the evening - the average audience figure stood at 8.7 million at 8.30pm.

'Cheesy quartet'

Scooch have said they were "happy" with their final position, but the UK's newspapers have criticised the singers.

The Sunday Mirror said the "cheesy quartet" made the UK "the laughing stock of Europe".

The People described Britain as having only just "escaped a 'nul points' humiliation".

"Scooch nosedive at Eurovision" was the headline in the Sunday Times.

"It wasn't a disaster - more of a crash landing," the paper added.

Scooch singer Caroline Barnes described the Eurovision experience as being "one in a million".