Eurovision 2024: Abba super fan fills home with 800 items of memorabilia
An Abba fan who wanted to find his own way to say thank for the music has built a shrine to the Swedish supergroup in his home.
Clive Roe, 76, from Eastfield, near Scarborough, has collected more than 800 items of Abba memorabilia.
A fan since the group's 1974 Eurovision win, he even named his daughter after band member Agnetha Fältskog.
He said he hoped the 50th anniversary of their success would be marked at this weekend's contest in Sweden.
Speaking to BBC Radio York, he said he still remembered the moment they walked on stage in Brighton for the first time to sing Waterloo.
"I remember thinking, 'they should be good', then they started singing the first six words of their song and I thought, 'oh they'll win it'," he said.
He recalled seeing the blue and orange colours of their outfit and hearing the jaunty tune, and instantly became a fan.
In fact, he was so blown away by their performance he went to see them live at Wembley Stadium in 1978, aged 40, which he said was "brilliant, as there was about 20,000 people there".
He still has the programme from the concert, which he said remained his favourite Abba souvenir.
Although he has only seen the pop group in concert once, he has found another way to distinguish himself as a super fan, by filling the walls of his home with memorabilia.
His favourite part of his collection is the 80 photos of band members that are stuck on the walls, along with with the hundreds of DVD covers, vinyls, posters, CDs, and even mugs and books with their images and logos on that he bought online, through the post or just spotted out and about.
He even has a special Mamma Mia shelf dedicated to the musical films, which the former painter and decorator built himself.
"My favourite songs have always been Mamma Mia, Dancing Queen and The Winner Takes It All - you can't beat a classic tune that makes you feel good," he said.
Mr Roe said his collection had built up steadily over the years but had reached a point where he was struggling to find space.
"I'd love to get more items, but they are just too expensive these days," he said.
However, he added that might be a good thing, as "there's not much space left".
Despite saying so long to watching Eurovision many years ago, he said he would tune in this weekend as not only was it being held in Abba's home country but it marks 50 years since he first fell in love with the group.
"I think the stars of this year's show will do something at the end, like sing Abba songs, and that's why I'll watch it this year," he said.
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