Revealed: Best British Eurovision entries of all time ranked

2,000 Brits took the survey | Shutterstock

Cliff Richard’s first Eurovision entry in 1968, ‘Congratulations’, and Katrina and the Waves’ ‘Love Shine a Light’, the last Eurovision win for the UK in 1997, make up the remainder of the top five, in a study of 2,000 adults.

Others to feature in the top UK Eurovision songs include Lulu with ‘Boom Bang-a-Bang’ from 1969, and Sonia’s ‘Better the Devil You Know’, which finished an agonising second place in 1993.

Cheryl Baker, who won Eurovision as part of Bucks Fizz's hit in 1981, said: “That’s fantastic! It’s amazing it was 44 years ago that we won.

“Katrina was a lot more recent, my favourite was Sandie Shaw with Puppet on a String, and I was so excited when I got to meet her.

“Brotherhood of Man were the biggest selling of the Eurovision entries – I think they sold six million records! But it’s an absolute honour and a privilege that people think of our entry as the best of British.

“There’s been so many great songs which have come from the UK over the years, and it makes me so proud that people think of Bucks Fizz when they think of Eurovision.”

Speaking at the WhichBingo Awards, she also lifted the lid on how the UK’s entry, Remember Monday, would perform – and which nation she thinks will win Eurovision this year.

Cheryl said: “Who knows – with Eurovision, I’ve never picked a winning song yet. I think the girls are fantastic, and the song is really good.

“I know the bookies are only giving it a one per cent chance – but you never know.

“I love what the girls wear, it’s almost theatrical, and historical in a way – it could be something from Bridgerton.

“But they’re up against Sweden and they put everything in – it’s not just the song and the singing, it’s all in the production.

“I think they could possibly nick it, which would make them the most successful Eurovision country ever, and they’d love to take that crown – but we’ll give them a good run for their money.

“It all depends on if the song’s good enough – When Sam did it, his song and performance were great, and had it not been for Russia invading Ukraine, we could have won that year.”

“I’d like to think Making Your Mind Up will still be popular in another 44 years – the bit they always show on the telly is when the skirts come off, as simple as that was – it made that performance and that moment is what stuck in people’s memories.”

The research found the most important elements to a Eurovision-winning entry includes a catchy, memorable chorus (38 per cent), a strong hook melody you can’t forget (34 per cent) and an emotional or powerful vocal performance (24 per cent).

Other vital ingredients include a charismatic performer you can root for (20 per cent) and a sense of fun and chaos (19 per cent).

It also emerged the UK is a Eurovision-loving nation, as 38 per cent either watch it every year or most years.

And there’s confidence among fans that the UK could end its 28-year wait for a Eurovision win, with 15 per cent believing Remember Monday could win.

Almost a third (32 per cent) want Ed Sheeran to compete for the UK at Eurovision – ahead of Adele (29 per cent) and Harry Styles (20 per cent).

WhichBingo spokesperson, Charlie Shakespeare, added: “We’re backing Remember Monday to go all the way, but how cool would it be if Ed Sheeran stepped out for Britain one year?

“As our research shows, there’s a few different factors which go into a knockout Eurovision performance. If they can stick close to them, there’s no reason Britain can’t go all the way.”

“It’s been great hosting so many stars at our awards ceremony this week. There’s been a real buzz about the place with everyone chatting and having so much fun together.”

Sam Ryder's 'Space Man' came second | Shutterstock

Top 10 Brits Eurovision entires

1. Bucks Fizz – “Making Your Mind Up”
2. Sam Ryder – “Space Man”
3. Brotherhood of Man – “Save Your Kisses for Me”
4. Cliff Richard – “Congratulations”
5. Katrina and the Waves – “Love Shine a Light”
6. Lulu – “Boom Bang-a-Bang”
7. Sonia – “Better the Devil You Know”
8. Olivia Newton-John – “Long Live Love”
9. Bonnie Tyler – “Believe in Me”
10. Cliff Richard – “Power to All Our Friends”

Cheryl Baker’s top tip for Eurovision success

• Rely on autopilot, rehearse until you’re blue in the face. Before I went on in 1981, I thought “I can’t remember the words” – the panic! But when the music starts, autopilot kicks in, and you know it all so well, you rely on that.
• Remember to enjoy it, look friendly and look like the rest of Europe wants to see you again.
• You never know which type of song is going to do well – the Austrian entry is really high up in the odds, and ballads can win just as much as a high-energy pop song. You just don’t know!
• Add in your own ‘skirt rip’ moment – make people want to vote for you because they want to see you again, and give them something to remember.
• When we won, we also won the Song for Europe, which they don’t do any more. When we did it, my dad bet on us winning both the Song for Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest – and he never told us how much he won, but I bet it was a substantial amount!