United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest | |
|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest | |
| Participating broadcaster | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) |
| Participation summary | |
| Appearances | 67 |
| First appearance | 1957 |
| Highest placement | 1st: 1967, 1969, 1976, 1981, 1997 |
| Host | 1960, 1963, 1968, 1972, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1998, 2023 |
| External links | |
| BBC page | |
| United Kingdom's page at Eurovision.tv | |
| For the most recent participation see United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 | |
The United Kingdom has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 67 times since its debut in 1957. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the British broadcaster. United Kingdom had missed only two contests: 1956 and 1958.
The United Kingdom's five victories was achieved with the following songs:
- Sandie Shaw — Puppet on a String (1967)
- Lulu — Boom Bang-a-Bang (1969)
- Brotherhood of Man — Save Your Kisses for Me (1976)
- Bucks Fizz — Making Your Mind Up (1981)
- Katrina and the Waves — Love Shine a Light (1997)
Participation overview
| 1 | First place |
| 2 | Second place |
| 3 | Third place |
| ◁ | Last place |
| X | Entry selected but did not compete |
| † | Upcoming event |
| Year | Artist | Song | Language | Final | Points | Semi | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Patricia Bredin | "All" | English | 7 | 6 | No semi-finals | |
| 1959 | Pearl Carr and Teddy Johnson | "Sing Little Birdie" | English | 2 | 16 | ||
| 1960 | Bryan Johnson | "Looking High, High, High" | English | 2 | 25 | ||
| 1961 | The Allisons | "Are You Sure?" | English | 2 | 24 | ||
| 1962 | Ronnie Carroll | "Ring-A-Ding Girl" | English | 4 | 10 | ||
| 1963 | Ronnie Carroll | "Say Wonderful Things" | English | 4 | 28 | ||
| 1964 | Matt Monro | "I Love the Little Things" | English | 2 | 17 | ||
| 1965 | Kathy Kirby | "I Belong" | English | 2 | 26 | ||
| 1966 | Kenneth McKellar | "A Man Without Love" | English | 9 | 8 | ||
| 1967 | Sandie Shaw | "Puppet on a String" | English | 1 | 47 | ||
| 1968 | Cliff Richard | "Congratulations" | English | 2 | 28 | ||
| 1969 | Lulu | "Boom Bang-a-Bang" | English | 1 | 18 | ||
| 1970 | Mary Hopkin | "Knock, Knock (Who's There?)" | English | 2 | 26 | ||
| 1971 | Clodagh Rodgers | "Jack in the Box" | English | 4 | 98 | ||
| 1972 | The New Seekers | "Beg, Steal or Borrow" | English | 2 | 114 | ||
| 1973 | Cliff Richard | "Power to All Our Friends" | English | 3 | 123 | ||
| 1974 | Olivia Newton-John | "Long Live Love" | English | 4 | 14 | ||
| 1975 | The Shadows | "Let Me Be the One" | English | 2 | 138 | ||
| 1976 | Brotherhood of Man | "Save Your Kisses for Me" | English | 1 | 164 | ||
| 1977 | Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran | "Rock Bottom" | English | 2 | 121 | ||
| 1978 | Co-Co | "The Bad Old Days" | English | 11 | 61 | ||
| 1979 | Black Lace | "Mary Ann" | English | 7 | 73 | ||
| 1980 | Prima Donna | "Love Enough for Two" | English | 3 | 106 | ||
| 1981 | Bucks Fizz | "Making Your Mind Up" | English | 1 | 136 | ||
| 1982 | Bardo | "One Step Further" | English | 7 | 76 | ||
| 1983 | Sweet Dreams | "I'm Never Giving Up" | English | 6 | 79 | ||
| 1984 | Belle and the Devotions | "Love Games" | English | 7 | 63 | ||
| 1985 | Vikki | "Love Is" | English | 4 | 100 | ||
| 1986 | Ryder | "Runner in the Night" | English | 7 | 72 | ||
| 1987 | Rikki | "Only the Light" | English | 13 | 47 | ||
| 1988 | Scott Fitzgerald | "Go" | English | 2 | 136 | ||
| 1989 | Live Report | "Why Do I Always Get It Wrong" | English | 2 | 130 | ||
| 1990 | Emma | "Give a Little Love Back to the World" | English | 6 | 87 | ||
| 1991 | Samantha Janus | "A Message to Your Heart" | English | 10 | 47 | ||
| 1992 | Michael Ball | "One Step Out of Time" | English | 2 | 139 | ||
| 1993 | Sonia | "Better the Devil You Know" | English | 2 | 164 | Kvalifikacija za Millstreet | |
| 1994 | Frances Ruffelle | "We Will Be Free (Lonely Symphony)" | English | 10 | 63 | No semi-finals | |
| 1995 | Love City Groove | "Love City Groove" | English | 10 | 76 | ||
| 1996 | Gina G | "Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit" | English | 8 | 77 | 3 | 153 |
| 1997 | Katrina and the Waves | "Love Shine a Light" | English | 1 | 227 | No semi-finals | |
| 1998 | Imaani | "Where Are You?" | English | 2 | 166 | ||
| 1999 | Precious | "Say It Again" | English | 12 | 38 | ||
| 2000 | Nicki French | "Don't Play That Song Again" | English | 16 | 28 | ||
| 2001 | Lindsay Dracass | "No Dream Impossible" | English | 15 | 28 | ||
| 2002 | Jessica Garlick | "Come Back" | English | 3 | 111 | ||
| 2003 | Jemini | "Cry Baby" | English | 26 ◁ | 0 | ||
| 2004 | James Fox | "Hold On to Our Love" | English | 16 | 29 | Member of the "Big Four" | |
| 2005 | Javine | "Touch My Fire" | English | 22 | 18 | ||
| 2006 | Daz Sampson | "Teenage Life" | English | 19 | 25 | ||
| 2007 | Scooch | "Flying the Flag (For You)" | English | 22 | 19 | ||
| 2008 | Andy Abraham | "Even If" | English | 25 ◁ | 14 | ||
| 2009 | Jade Ewen | "It's My Time" | English | 5 | 173 | ||
| 2010 | Josh Dubovie | "That Sounds Good to Me" | English | 25 ◁ | 10 | ||
| 2011 | Blue | "I Can" | English | 11 | 100 | Member of the "Big Five" | |
| 2012 | Engelbert Humperdinck | "Love Will Set You Free" | English | 25 | 12 | ||
| 2013 | Bonnie Tyler | "Believe in Me" | English | 19 | 23 | ||
| 2014 | Molly | "Children of the Universe" | English | 17 | 40 | ||
| 2015 | Electro Velvet | "Still in Love with You" | English | 24 | 5 | ||
| 2016 | Joe and Jake | "You're Not Alone" | English | 24 | 62 | ||
| 2017 | Lucie Jones | "Never Give Up on You" | English | 15 | 111 | ||
| 2018 | SuRie | "Storm" | English | 24 | 48 | ||
| 2019 | Michael Rice | "Bigger than Us" | English | 26 ◁ | 11 | ||
| 2020 | James Newman | "My Last Breath" | English | Contest cancelled[a] X | |||
| 2021 | James Newman | "Embers" | English | 26 ◁ | 0 | ||
| 2022 | Sam Ryder | "Space Man" | English | 2 | 466 | ||
| 2023 | Mae Muller | "I Wrote a Song" | English | 25 | 24 | Member of the "Big Five" Host country | |
| 2024 | Olly Alexander | "Dizzy" | English | 18 | 46 | Member of the "Big Five" | |
| 2025 | Remember Monday | "What the Hell Just Happened?" | English | 19 | 88 | ||
| 2026 | Confirmed intention to participate †[1] | ||||||
Hostings
The United Kingdom has hosted the contest nine times, four times in London (1960, 1963, 1968, 1977, one time in Edinburgh (1972), one time in Brighton (1974), one time in Harrogate (1982), one time in Birmingham (1998) and one time in Liverpool (2023)
The BBC had helped hosted contests in countries like the Netherlands 1960, France 1963, Monaco 1972, and Luxembourg 1974. In 2023, the BBC hosted the contest for Ukraine due to Russia's war.[2]
| Year | Location | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | London | Royal Festival Hall | [3] |
| 1963 | BBC Television Centre | [4] | |
| 1968 | Royal Albert Hall | [5] | |
| 1972 | Edinburgh | Usher Hall | [6] |
| 1974 | Brighton | Brighton Dome | [7] |
| 1977 | London | Wembley Conference Centre | [8] |
| 1982 | Harrogate | Harrogate International Centre | [9] |
| 1998 | Birmingham | National Indoor Arena | [10] |
| 2023 | Liverpool | Liverpool Arena | [11] |
Notes
- ↑ The 2020 contest was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
References
- ↑ "BBC Studios retains the contract to produce UK coverage of Eurovision until 2028". BBC Media Centre. 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
BBC Studios will also work alongside the BBC in the selection of the UK act, and oversee their performance.
- ↑ "United Kingdom to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023". Eurovision Song Contest. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
- ↑ "London 1960". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "London 1960". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "London 1960". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Edinburgh 1972". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Brighton 1974". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "London 1977". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Harrogate 1982". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Birmingham 1998". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ↑ "Liverpool 2023". European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Retrieved 27 December 2023.