Why Eurovision Was the Clue to My Autism

For one lifelong Eurovision fan, attending the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool became much more than a dream come true. The overwhelming experience eventually helped him understand that he was autistic.

Eurovision has long been known for its colourful performances, huge crowds and intense atmosphere. But for British television critic and writer Scott Bryan, the contest also became the setting for a deeply personal realisation.

In a new personal essay published by The Guardian, Bryan explains how his lifelong passion for Eurovision eventually played a role in his autism diagnosis at the age of 34.

Bryan had followed Eurovision since childhood and had dreamed of working at the contest if it ever returned to the UK. That dream finally became reality in 2023, when Liverpool hosted the competition and Bryan attended as a TV critic.

He arrived at the Eurovision media centre before many others and was excited to spend the week covering the contest.

However, Eurovision week turned out to be much more intense than he had expected.

‘A washing machine of noise and publicity’

Bryan describes the Eurovision experience as a constant combination of loud noises, crowds, publicity and stimulation.

As the week progressed, he began experiencing what he describes as a strange physical and mental “fuzz”. Eventually, he found himself hiding in a men's bathroom at the Liverpool Arena simply to escape the overwhelming environment and decompress.

Even leaving the venue did not provide much relief. Eurovision-related performances were taking place around Liverpool, while the media centre was filled with cheering fans and vloggers.

The Grand Final itself was also an intense sensory experience for him.

At the time, Bryan did not immediately connect what was happening with autism. But after mentioning the experience to a friend several weeks later, the friend suggested that he should consider an autism assessment.

He eventually received an autism diagnosis at 34.

Eurovision helped him understand his past

According to Bryan, the diagnosis gave him a new perspective on several experiences throughout his life, including difficulties with social interaction, eye contact and sensory overload.

It also helped him understand his intense interest in television.

Bryan says that television — including Eurovision — has effectively been one of his special interests, and that his encyclopedic knowledge of the medium has played an important role in his career.

There is therefore an unusual irony in his story: he had spent much of his life dreaming of working at Eurovision, only to discover that being surrounded by the full Eurovision experience could be overwhelming for him.

Yet he says the event ultimately changed his life in an unexpected way.

Eurovision as a place of self-discovery

Bryan's story highlights another side of Eurovision fandom. For many people, the contest is not simply a television show. It can become a deeply personal interest, a community and an important part of someone's identity.

In Bryan's case, the event that he had dreamed about since childhood eventually helped him better understand himself.

His experience also illustrates how sensory overload can affect autistic people in extremely stimulating environments — something particularly relevant to a competition famous for its enormous arenas, bright lights, loud music, crowds and constant activity.

For Bryan, Eurovision may have been overwhelming, but it also became the unexpected place where he began to understand himself more clearly.

His essay was published by The Guardian on 12 September 2026.

Read Scott Bryan's original essay in The Guardian