The best photos from Eurovision Song Contest 2025

The Eurovision Song Contest brought the drama as 26 countries battled it out for the trophy.

The night saw wacky songs, fabulous outfits and high-tempo dancing.

It eventually came down to tense stand off during the results between Austria and Israel, with Austria eventually taking the Eurovision trophy.

Here are the best photos from the night:

World number one Scottie Scheffler stormed into the lead of the US PGA Championship and will take a three-shot advantage into Sunday's final round at Quail Hollow.

The 28-year-old carded a superb round of 65 - playing his final five holes in five under - to end the day on 11 under par for the tournament.

In both 2022 and 2024, Scheffler converted 54-hole leads into victories at the Masters and is in prime position to seal his third major win.

Sweden's Alex Noren holds solo second spot on eight under, making birdies on four of his final five holes to shoot 66.

Spain's Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau both briefly held the lead before finishing at six under and five under par respectively.

Eurovision 2025: Austria wins with last-minute vote, as the UK comes 19th

20 minutes ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Share Save

Getty Images JJ took a break from his job at the Vienna State Opera to compete at Eurovision

Austrian singer JJ has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, Switzerland, after a nail-biting finish that saw him topple Israel from pole position at the very last minute. The 24-year-old, who is a counter-tenor at the Vienna State Opera, took the title with the song Wasted Love, an tempestuous electro-ballad about unrequited love. "Thank you so much for making my dreams come true," he said as he accepted the coveted glass microphone trophy. "Love is the strongest force in the world, let's spread more love." The singer scored 436 points, with Israel in second place on 357 and Estonia third on 356. The UK's act, Remember Monday, placed 19th with 88 points. The best photos from the Eurovision Song Contest 2025

As it happened: Austria's JJ wins Eurovision 2025

For the second year in a row, the UK received zero from the public.

Eurovision 2025: The top five contestants

Austria: JJ - Wasted Love Israel: Yuval Raphael: New Day Will Rise Estonia: Tommy Cash - Espresso Macchiato Sweden: KAJ - Bara Bada Bastu Italy: Lucio Corsi - Volevo Essere Un Duro

Alma Bengtsson / EBU KAJ's song has been number one in Sweden for the last 12 weeks (L-R: Jakob Norrgård, Kevin Holmström and Axel Åhman)

It is the third time Austria has won the contest, with previous victories going to Udo Jürgens' Merci, Cherie in 1966; and Conchita Wurst with Rise Like a Phoenix in 2014. JJ was inspired to take part in Eurovision by Conchita. JJ had been one of the favourites to win the contest, but the most hotly-tipped contestants were Sweden's KAJ - whose tongue-in-cheek ode to sauna culture, Bara Bada Bastu, ultimately took fourth place. Speaking after the show, JJ said he was "so pleased" that viewers had connected with his story of heartache. "I wanted to let them have an insight on my deepest soul [and] how I felt when we wrote the song." "What I'm trying to commit [to] is that there's no wasted love. There's so much love that we can spread around. It's the strongest force on planet earth." Asked how he would celebrate, he replied: "Honestly, I need to sleep now. I'm tired."

Corinne Cumming / EBU Yuval Raphael represented Israel, amid protests over the country's involvement

For the second year in a row, there was controversy over Israel's participation, with protestors arguing for the country's dismissal over its military action in Gaza. Pro-Palestinian protests took place on the streets of Basel in the hours before the contest. Later, a man and a woman people were prevented from invading the stage during Israel's performance. "One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit," said Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR in a statement to the BBC. "The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. "The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police." The performance, by young singer Yuval Raphael, was unaffected. The 25-year-old is a survivor of the Hamas attacks of 7 October, 2023, an experience which coloured her delicate ballad, New Day Will Rise. The Israeli delegation said Raphael was left "shaken and upset" by the incident, but that it was "extremely proud" of her performance "which represented Israel in a respectful manner".

Alma Bengtsson / EBU

Elsewhere, Eurovision was its usual explosion of high camp, sexual innuendo and dresses being removed to reveal smaller, tighter dresses. Malta's Mariana Conte was forced to rewrite her disco anthem Serving Kant to remove what sounded like a swear word - but performed the censored version with a knowing wink, safe in the knowledge the audience would fill in the blanks. Although it was a fan favourite, Conte could only manage 17th. Estonia's Tommy Cash, who came third, also kept the innuendo train running, with Espresso Macchiato, a caffeinated disco anthem featuring the unforgettable phrase: "Life is like spaghetti, it's hard until you make it." Another highlight was Finland's Erika Vikman, who dispensed with double entendres entirely on Ich Komme, a vibrant hymn to sexual pleasure. The singer ended her performance by taking flight on a giant phallic microphone that shot sparks into the air. It thrust her into 11th position, and a permanent place in the Eurovision pantheon.

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU Erika Vikman's performance suffered several technical hitches in rehearsals, but it all went right on the night

The contest also dealt with more weighty subjects like economic migration (Portuguese rock band Napa) and environmental catastrophe (Latvia's Tautumeitas, who scored 12 points from the UK jury). Dutch singer Claude delivered a heartfelt tribute to his mother in C'est La Vie - an upbeat anthem that reflected on her positivity as she uprooted the family from their home country of the Democratic Republic of Congo as a child. In a touching climax, the 21-year-old danced with an image of his childhood self in a mirror on the stage.

Sarah Louise Bennett / EBU

Also reflecting on their childhood was French singer Louane, whose tearjerking ballad was dedicated to her mother, who died of cancer when she was 17. In one of the night's most striking performances, she was surrounded by a whirlwind of sand as she hollered the word "mother" over and over again. One of the favourites to win, it ended the night in seventh place, after receiving a disappointing 50 points from the public. JJ's performance was similarly dramatic. Shot entirely in black and white, it saw him being tossed around on a rickety boat, as waves (of emotion) threatened to consume him. An honourable mention also goes to Italy's Lucio Corsi, whose harmonica solo in Volevo Essere Un Duro marked the first time a live instrument has been played at Eurovision since 1998.

Alma Bengtsson / EBU Remember Monday's performance included a callback to Bucks Fizz's skirt-shedding performance at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest

The UK spent a third year in the bottom half of the leaderboard, despite a spirited performance from girl group Remember Monday. A group of friends who met at high school, their inventive pop song What The Hell Just Happened? drew on their many years of experience in West End theatre. The girls pulled off their tricky three-part harmonies while dancing around a fallen chandelier, but the performance didn't connect with voters. Despite earning a healthy 88 points from juries - including 12 from Italy - it bombed with viewers. They ended in 19th place, one below last year's entrant Olly Alexander. The group laughed off their "nul points" score from the public, holding up peace signs and hugging each other as the score was announced.

Getty Images The band took their defeat in good grace

The voting was chaotic overall. Thirteen of the 26 finalists received the maximum of 12 points from at least one jury, leaving the competition completely open before the public vote was counted. Israel, who had been languishing in the bottom half of the table, then received 297 points from the public (out of a possible maximum of 444). Twelve of those points came from the UK. For a while, it looked like Yuval Raphael's lead might be unassailable - but Austria's tally of 178 was the last to be announced, leaving the singer empty-handed.

Defence deals and palace invites: UK and EU haggle before first summit since Brexit

18 minutes ago Share Save Katya Adler Europe editor Share Save

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

"Don't expect miracles. But do know - everyone wants this to work." On Monday in London the EU and UK hold their first bilateral summit since Brexit. Symbolically, this is a big moment. Officials and analysts I speak to, on and off the record, like the individual I just quoted, are quick to point out difficulties that exist between the two sides. But all acknowledge the bilateral bitterness provoked by Brexit is no more. It's been eviscerated by the gravity of global events. Concerns about Russia and China, the war in Ukraine, the shock of the US under Donald Trump no longer prioritising European defence, plus a growing sense of voter insecurity is propelling the two powers to work closer together.

"Failure to do so, in the current international context, would not be a good look," says Anand Menon, director of the think tank UK in a Changing Europe. Most European countries realise that, he adds: "Even the French." More than most EU countries, France has been playing hardball in pre-summit negotiations. Is it a coincidence that as talks went to the wire before Monday's summit, the UK announced that France's president has been invited for his first state visit? King Charles and Queen Camilla will host Emmanuel Macron and his wife at Windsor Palace in July. A UK attempt to butter up the French leader, perhaps? "It'll be interesting to see if they can agree common language [for a summit agreement]," says Georgina Wright, European policy expert at the Institut Montaigne. "Everyone in the EU wants closer relations with the UK right now and France doesn't want to be seen as the one country blocking closer UK-EU cooperation. But that does not mean that Paris is willing to give up on core interests." Interests like fishing rights in UK waters and bidding for EU defence contracts.

The Telegraph/PA French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have been invited to the UK for a state visit

Negotiating - or to be more accurate - haggling over the "meat" of the summit will, I'm told, continue till the last moment. On the day itself, we can expect three separate announcements: A joint declaration that addresses the worrying geopolitical situation and emphasises UK-EU shared foreign policy priorities - such as supporting Ukraine, keeping up pressure on Russia, and ending civilian suffering in Gaza

An EU-UK security and defence pact

A package of measures targeted at removing some trade barriers between the EU and UK that have come about because of Brexit

Closer economic ties to Europe

These trade measures are the "reset" of relations with the EU that UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has promised since his party won a general election last summer. They are far from an economic gamechanger for the UK, though. Hardly what you'd call ambitious. Destroying all trade barriers with the EU is impossible if the Labour government keeps to its own "red lines" of not rejoining the bloc's customs union or single market. Despite promising to prioritise UK economic growth, and polls suggesting the majority of Britons want to do more trade with the EU, Labour will feel hemmed in by the increasingly popular, Eurosceptic Reform Party. It performed well in recent local elections in the UK. While some in Labour (quietly) admit they are tempted by a customs union with the EU to boost growth, any economic benefits would likely not be apparent to voters before the next UK election. Party members fear they would risk being punished at the polls, amidst accusations by the opposition Conservatives and Reform that the government would have betrayed Brexit. These concerns make the Starmer government "more cautious, less bold", says Mr Menon.

So what will be agreed at the summit?

The UK is taking a sector-by-sector approach to try reduce costly trade barriers with the EU. Many EU-UK negotiating hours have gone into agreeing a plant and animal health deal, known as an SPS agreement. This will facilitate the export and import of meat and plant products between the EU and UK and help reduce post-Brexit trade complications between Northern Ireland and Britain. In exchange, the EU insists the UK must agree to following any new SPS rules introduced in the future and accept a role for the European Court of Justice in policing the agreement. Those conditions will likely be unpopular with ardent Brexit supporters. They might also put backs up in Washington and complicate the UK doing a wider future deal on agriculture with the US, as the UK would be tied to stringent EU standards.

PA A new fishing agreement for UK waters is needed as the current one expires next year

But the Labour government knows public opinion polls suggest most people in the UK prioritise trade with the EU over the US. Currently the EU counts for 41% of UK exports; the US for 21%. The UK government will probably insist the SPS agreement is good for the British economy. Though animal and plant exports and imports are, in fact, a small part of overall GDP. In reality "growth is a bit of a red herring here", says Mr Menon. On the EU side, the French, backed by other fishing nations like the Netherlands and Denmark, have taken a tough stance in these talks - refusing to sign up unless the UK agrees to long-term EU fishing rights in UK waters. The current post-Brexit fishing agreement expires next year.

Free-er movement for some

The reset we'll hear about at Monday's summit will also include a "mobility" section. Starmer will get his ask, for the EU to recognise UK professional qualifications, to encourage cross-border business. There will also be a reduction in visa restrictions for UK musicians travelling and performing in the EU. In exchange, the EU - and Germany, most passionately - wants a youth mobility scheme, allowing young EU citizens to travel, study, and even work in the UK. The UK has similar schemes with Canada, Australia, South Korea and Japan, amongst others. But this has been tricky to agree. Reducing migration figures is a number one priority for the Labour government. It's a hot-button issue and the UK Home Office will seek to toughen conditions and limit EU numbers.

Negotiations are ongoing but, according to EU sources, the scheme already has a name: YES, or Youth Experience Scheme. Some areas of negotiation are more advanced than others. This will be reflected in Monday's announcement. There will also be talk at the summit of plans to tackle illegal migration, cooperate on carbon border taxes, and simplify energy trading between the EU and UK. Reducing EU-UK trade barriers on chemicals and pharmaceutical goods is also a UK ambition, as is getting access to EU databases, like the Schengen Information System, to better track down criminals. But for now, at least, the EU is saying no to that. If it makes an exception for the UK, other non-EU countries will demand the same, it insists. Of course, it's in the interest of both sides to fight cross-border crime. The UK argues the current state of the world calls for more flexible thinking from Brussels.

Defence and security complications

The case for more flexible thinking is also something the UK is calling for when it comes to Monday's defence and security pact with the EU. The EU and UK already work closely together on Russian sanctions and defending Ukraine. And the pact isn't a legally binding document, so how complicated can these talks be, you may ask? The answer is pretty complicated. The UK wants its defence companies to be allowed to bid for contracts under the EU's new re-armament scheme, SAFE (Security Action for Europe). "The UK has earned the right to access such a deal because of the leadership it's shown over Ukraine," says international defence expert Sophia Gaston, a visiting fellow at King's College London.

PA Some believe the UK has earned the right to bid for EU arms contracts due to its leadership over Ukraine

"Britain is a serious player both in traditional defence capabilities, like producing munitions, and in cutting edge defence innovation, where new growth and energy is. "If the UK has access to the emerging EU defence programmes, it can contribute to mass and pace. [The war in Ukraine] has shown that both are needed." But Ms Gaston admits, UK companies getting the go-ahead from Brussels is a "messy" process. "Re-Arm EU", as Brussels dubs its new drive, is still a work in progress, spurred by rapidly changing geopolitics, including fears the US will withdraw at least some of the crucial security support Europe has relied on since World War Two. This is not yet a fully formed EU strategy that the UK can "pay to play" a part in, as it has done post-Brexit with the EU's research and innovation scheme Horizon, for example. An agreement with the UK in this defence industrial context will be brand new and bespoke. And it's getting political.

Signing the security pact on Monday is just a step in the process. France wants to severely restrict non-EU companies bidding for the bloc's defence contracts, including the UK but Canadian and American firms too. If the EU is spending its taxpayers' money on defence, it argues it should be spent with EU companies to help boost EU economies. Paris also says, in this rapidly changing world of shifting alliances and allegiances, the EU should be self-reliant, not dependent on suppliers outside the bloc. Sceptics suspect France, which has a sophisticated defence industry, of wanting to hoover up lucrative EU contracts for itself. But it looks like it is losing the internal EU argument, with the Nordics, the Baltics, Poland, Italy and the Netherlands favouring more openness on defence contracts, and particularly with the EU's biggest economic power, Germany, championing the UK. "Germany and France have very different attitudes towards the UK," says German economist Armin Steinbach from think tank Bruegel. Germany will always put relations with EU heavyweights France and Poland first, says Mr Steinbach. But he believes the UK will be helped in defence and economic negotiations with the EU by new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who argues "a unified Europe is the absolute priority in the current geopolitical setting".

Huge challenge of defence cooperation

New era beckons for Air Force One after Qatari offer - but what's it like inside?

53 minutes ago Share Save Anthony Zurcher On board Air Force One Share Save

Getty Images

Most journalists travelling with the US president don't see much of the interior of Air Force One, the presidential jet. The press cabin is in the back of the plane, accessible by a rear set of steps and a quick turn of a corner. To reach the presidential suite at the front of the plane would require negotiating with the armed Secret Service agents in the next-door cabin. On Donald Trump's trip to the Middle East this week, when the future of the famous plane was a huge talking point, Fox News host Sean Hannity had priority seating and access to the president to conduct an in-flight interview. But the rest of us in the travelling press pool were consigned to our small section of the plane. It was a whirlwind trip, hitting three nations in three nights, half a world away. The president described it as an "endurance test" - one that his staff and those of us in the press pool had to manage, as well. The presidential jet is not a bad way to fly, however. The 14 seats are comfortable, roughly on par with a first-class domestic flight. There's a bathroom and a table with snacks (including the coveted Air Force One-branded M&Ms bearing the president's signature, which aren't available anywhere else). Qatar's Air Force One offer angers Trump supporters

Is Trump allowed to accept 747 gift? The cabin has a pair of television monitors - usually tuned to the president's preferred cable news channel (CNN during Joe Biden's term; Fox News for Trump). On occasion, they've been set to a football game or other sporting events. For longer flights, the on-board kitchen serves plated meals (the president eats from a different, fancier menu). On short hops, there's usually food in a takeaway bag.

Watch: President Trump takes a question from the BBC's Anthony Zurcher on board

But the interior of this famous aircraft could soon undergo a radical refit if, as looks likely, Trump accepts the Qatari offer to supply a new "palace in the sky" - the biggest foreign gift ever received by a US president. Technically, "Air Force One" is a radio call sign, the designation for any Air Force aircraft with the US president aboard. The small prop plane Lyndon Baines Johnson took from Austin to his Texas ranch in the 1960s was Air Force One, too. But the Air Force One most people picture, the one featured in the Harrison Ford action film, is the 747-200b with water blue, steel blue and white paint set against a chrome underbody - a colour scheme picked out by First Lady Jackie Kennedy in 1962. Currently there are two of these 747s in the Air Force passenger fleet, in use since 1990. Needless to say, technology – both in aircraft design and everything else – has come a long way in the ensuing years. The planes have been upgraded, but the costs of maintaining the airframe and engines are growing. The aircrafts are showing their age.

Getty Images Jackie Kennedy watches Lyndon Johnson being sworn in as president on board after the assassination of her husband, JFK, in 1963

This has clearly irked the current White House occupant – the only president to own his own jet, or for that matter, his own airline, prior to taking office. "I leave now and get onto a 42-year-old Boeing," he said, exaggerating the plane's age during an industry briefing on Thursday in Abu Dhabi. "But new ones are coming." Coming, but not soon enough for Trump. During his first term, he touted an updated presidential aircraft, made by Boeing, that was in the works. He even picked out his own colour palette, scrapping Kennedy's design for a red-white-and-blue livery. He proudly displays a model of that jet in the Oval Office.

Getty Images President Obama making calls on board in 2012

Originally planned to be delivered by 2021, delays and cost overruns for the estimated $4bn construction programme have made it less likely that the two new planes on order will be available for much, if any, of Trump's second term in office, which expires in January 2029. He has tasked tech multi-billionaire Elon Musk with speeding up the process and reportedly groused in private that he is embarrassed to travel in such an outdated plane. That explains why the president has become enamoured with the prospect of a seemingly more immediate solution to his air transport woes – courtesy of the Persian Gulf nation of Qatar. News of Qatar's offer of a lavish $400m 747-8 made headlines last week, but the gift apparently has been in the works for months. Trump surreptitiously visited the aircraft in question in mid-February, just a few weeks after the start of his second term in office. Aside from the legal and ethical concerns of such a substantial gift – raised by critics and some allies of the president - converting a foreign 747 for use by an American president creates a number of technical challenges. The aircraft would have to be made capable of in-flight refuelling and retrofitted with a sophisticated package of communications and security equipment. The current models have systems built to withstand the electromagnetic pulse of a nuclear explosion.

Such a refitting process, says aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia, managing director of AeroDynamic Advisory, would take years, until 2030 at least. "They have to assume the jet has been left unattended in a dangerous place for 13 years," he says. "Which means it's not enough to take the plane apart. You also have to take every single component apart." The plane would need additional power to run its new systems, and its interior might have to be rearranged. Chances are there's no press cabin in the flying palace as originally designed. Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Defense and Security Department, says the costs of such retrofitting could easily run to $1bn. He adds, however, that Trump could waive some, or all, of the security modifications if he so chooses. "He's the president," he said. When the Air Force ultimately does retire its current crop of 747s, it will put to pasture an aircraft that have been part of fabric of American history for decades. One that transported President Bill Clinton, along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W Bush, to Israel for Yitzhak Rabin's funeral in 1995. After the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, George W Bush took to the skies in Air Force One and stayed aloft for hours, refuelling mid-air, until his security team determined it was safe for him to land and address the nation, before ultimately returning to Washington.

Getty Images President George W Bush directing the 9/11 response from Air Force One hours after the attacks

'I was refused service in a cafe because of my face'

21 minutes ago Share Save Vanessa Pearce BBC News, West Midlands Share Save

BBC Amit Ghose was born with Neurofibromatosis type 1

Subjected to brutal bullying as a child, Amit Ghose says he still has to deal with constant staring, pointing and comments, and has even been refused service in a cafe because of his face. The 35-year-old from Birmingham described how visiting an independent coffee shop in London recently "everyone was staring at me, and it was like they'd almost seen a ghost". "The person serving looked at me and said: 'Oh, we're not serving any more'. "She turned around and walked off. But clearly, clearly they were still serving."

Amit was born with Neurofibromatosis type 1, a condition that causes non-cancerous tumours to grow along nerves. But after "learning acceptance" of his facial disfigurement he now shares his motivational story in schools with the aim of helping children "embrace their personalities and celebrate who they are".

Amit Ghose Amit Ghose had surgery to remove his eye when he was 11

Another recent experience of abuse spurred him on to self publish a children's book, Born Different. "I had a couple of individuals come over to me in a park and ask me what happened to my face, and I thought they were just being curious," he said. "But actually they started laughing, giggling, saying: 'Oh my God, if I had a face like you I wouldn't even come out my house'." He said the encounter "really upset" him, "and I thought to myself, I need to do something about this. I need to get this book out. Now is the right time". "If I had this book when I was a young child, I think it would have helped me."

Amit Ghose After suffering bullying at school it was joining the cricket team that helped him make friends

Amit had his left eye surgically removed at the age of 11, leading to further facial disfigurement as well as abuse and bullying. In the run up to Halloween one year, a child at school told him "you don't need a Halloween mask, you've got one for life", he recalled. "That broke me to the point where I did not accept the left hand side of my face," he said. "For a very, very long time I hid the face, I just was not comfortable showing it to the world at all."

Looking back, he said he had not understood the depth of depression and anxiety he experienced then. "Other children not wanting to come and sit next to me or hiding behind their parents all had a mental effect on me," he said. At school, cricket was his passion and it was through playing the game that he eventually made friends. "Cricket helped me become Amit, that boy who plays cricket, from Amit, the boy who has a funny face," he explained.

Amit Ghose The motivational speaker said he hoped the book would help children celebrate who they were

But, he said, even as an adult he still experienced "constant staring". "The pointing, the tapping the friend next to them saying 'have you seen that guy's face', that is also constant," he said. "But there is kindness out there as well, and that needs highlighting."

'This is me, take it or leave it'

It was his wife Piyali who eventually taught him the "art of acceptance," he explained. "Really that I've got to accept myself before others can accept me," he added. She also persuaded him to start sharing his story on social media. "I thought TikTok was all about singing and dancing, and I thought maybe not, but she convinced me. "I created a video and I said to the world: 'I want to take you all on a journey to help and support and inspire you using my lived experiences.'" He started his account in early 2023, and has since gone on to gain almost 200,000 followers and millions of likes. "Me helping people on social media by sharing my story has helped me become more accepting of myself. "Now I say to the world, this is me, take it or leave it."

Amit Ghose Amit says his wife Piyali persuaded him to share his story on social media

At about the same time, he left his job at a law firm to take up motivational speaking full time. Helping young people felt so much more important, he said. He is also about to launch a podcast in which he speaks to others who have had similar experiences, including Oliver Bromley who was ejected from a restaurant because staff said he was "scaring the customers". "We're going to have lots of fun and inspire a lot of people," he said. "Disability or no disability, visible difference or no visible difference, we all have insecurities, we all have things that we're faced with, and challenges we're faced with. "I just want to give this narrative to people that if we truly celebrate who we are, accept who we are, fall in love with who we are, then we can be more confident."

Back garden's wildlife beauty captured over decade

11 minutes ago Share Save Vanessa Pearce BBC News, West Midlands Share Save

Andrew Fusek Peters Photographer Andrew Fusek Peters captured a goldfinch with rainbow-effect wings in his Shropshire garden

A photographer has spent a decade carrying out "garden safaris" in order to capture the diversity and beauty of Britain's back garden wildlife. The images, including battling birds and squabbling squirrels, showed just what could be found "under our noses", said Andrew Fusek Peters. "I wanted to celebrate the everyday stories and reveal the beauty of our birds, mammals and insects that live alongside us," the Shropshire photographer added. Hundreds of his images feature in a new book.

Andrew Fusek Peters Two red squirrels were captured fighting in a back garden on the Isle of Wight

The majority of the photographs were taken in his "modest" garden, and local village of Lydbury. "You don't have to travel to nature reserves or mountains," he said. "I sometimes get snobbery from the big photographers who go to Africa and do the lions and tigers, or Greenland for the Polar bears," he explained. "And they think I'm somehow inferior because I do blue tits in the garden."

Andrew Fusek Peters The photographer set up a hide on a domestic lawn to capture this rare image of a baby hare suckling its mother

But, he added, capturing rare images such as a hare feeding her leveret on someone's back lawn was "just amazing". "At the time I took it, that had been photographed maybe less than 10 times in the world," he said. "It was sheer gold on my memory card." He had also travelled to other parts of the UK in order to capture other "extraordinary moments," including a fox family playing in Clapham, south London, and a pair of red squirrels on the Isle of Wight.

Andrew Fusek Peters This pair of brightly coloured bramblings fighting over food was one of the photographer's favourite shots

Mr Fusek Peters started concentrating on his own garden wildlife after a diagnosis of bowel cancer in 2018, perfecting a technique to "make time stop" to get shots of birds and butterflies taking off and in mid flight. Using his kitchen as a hide, he has also taken rare pictures of birds - showing the effect of diffraction on their wings, giving a rainbow effect. "This winter I got a woodpecker and a nuthatch" he said, adding the images were "extraordinary". "Everyone's going to accuse me of using AI, but it's not - it's actually scientific." He added he was "one of the few in the world" to have taken such images. "I just seem to have this blessed luck when I concentrate on what's out of the kitchen window."

Andrew Fusek Peters This image of a nuthatch is among the collection

The book was also a "rallying cry" to transform "over-manicured spaces into more wildlife friendly havens," he said. "These places are important, I think they really are," he added. "As we know with climate change and with what's happening with habitat a lot of species are really suffering, and that includes our garden visitors so it's important to showcase them. "They are just as important as all the wonderful creatures of the jungle and the desert," he added.

Andrew Fusek Peters A fox family plays in Clapham, South London

Andrew Fusek Peters This image of a ruby tailed wasp is included in the book

Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams said of the book, Garden Safari: "Andrew makes the ordinary look extraordinary – stunning photography which helps to emphasise the importance of our gardens for wildlife." "I think this is the best compliment I've ever had," the photographer commented.

Andrew Fusek Peters A male pied flycatcher is captured bringing food to the nest

Andrew Fusek Peters The photographer said it took six days to capture this image of a bank vole in his back garden

Garden Safari is published by Graffeg Books

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