The first heat of Mello, Sweden’s Eurovision qualifiers, kicked off on Saturday. Now, this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but the six-week competition is the country’s most popular TV show, even more so this year as Sweden gears up to host Eurovision in Malmö in May.

As our Editor Emma Löfgren wrote in Inside Sweden this weekend, there’s one thing you can be sure of when heading back to work in Melodifestivalen season – everyone will be discussing the show and whether the right songs won or not.

• Inside Sweden: How to watch Melodifestivalen – Sweden’s Eurovision tryouts 

But whether you tuned in from abroad or from within Sweden, you may have been confused when – seemingly randomly – the solo presenter, Carina Berg, was derailed by a man in a tuxedo, Björn Gustafsson, who got down on one knee to awkwardly propose.

My Swedish is okay, but not great. What actually happened?

So, around an hour into what was admittedly quite a slow programme, Gustafsson entered the arena to huge applause, joining Berg on stage. He complimented her on her dress, before giving his commiserations on her divorce from Kristian Luuk and getting down on one knee, apparently to propose.

He was interrupted by another man entering the stage carrying the Sångfågeln trophy – the award given to the winner of the Mello contest – who Gustafsson eventually realises is Berg’s husband, Erik Berg.

Gustafsson is understandably crushed by the news that his sweetheart is not only married, but has two children with Erik Berg, but appears to not let this stop him in trying to win her over, apparently managing to convince Mello officials backstage that he should join the rest of the competition as her co-host.

Okay… I don’t get it. Why is everyone talking about this sketch?

First off, it’s just classic Swedish humour, with the kind of cringy awkwardness that makes you get out your skämskudde due to the second-hand embarrassment.

It was, of course, completely staged, but that didn’t stop Mello fans across the country from enjoying it.

But the real reason everyone is talking about it goes back to an iconic 2008 Mello sketch from the heats in Linköping that year, which happened to be hosted by Berg’s then-husband, Kristian Luuk.

In the sketch, a 22-year-old Gustafsson explained that he had written a song to a “girl he’d been in love with for many years, since he was 17”, who – you guessed it – is Carina Berg.

He then proceeds to serenade Berg, who was sitting in the audience, with lines such as “I am beautiful and unique, my father is rich, my ceilings are three metres high and my sheets are made of velvet, you can get my number from Kristian after the programme.”

Gustafsson was a huge name in Swedish comedy at this point – he was even declared Sweden’s funniest man by Aftonbladet’s readers in 2008.

He disappeared somewhat in the following years, explaining later that this huge breakthrough – Aftonbladet said it was “unprecedented in Swedish comedy history” – was the start of a turbulent period in his life which eventually led to a complete breakdown and suicidal thoughts.

Although he has been on Swedish screens since then, he’s largely avoided the limelight, so his return to the Mello stage is also a bit of a comeback for one of Sweden’s favourite comedians.