The most memorable UK Eurovision performances
Some of the outfits are amazing!
Last updated 13th May 2024
Despite 2024 Eurovision disappointment, which saw Olly Alexander finish in 18th place with his song 'Dizzy' in Malmö, we are still Eurovision obsessed! Here are some of the most memorable performances from contestants who have represented the UK from the past 48 years.
Starting off with the UK's first winning song back in 1967 - Sandie Shaw's 'Puppet On a String', right up to this year's performance by Olly.
'Puppet On a String' by Sandie Shaw (1967)
Way back in 1967 Sandie Shaw represented the UK with 'Puppet On a String'. This fairground inspired song was very catchy and became the UK's first ever winner.
'Boom Bang-a-Bang' by Lulu (1969)
It was just two years later when Lulu became the second UK winner, with this extremely catchy tune. However, the song unusually found itself in a joint, tied first place with Spain and France.
'Making Your Mind Up' by Bucks Fizz (1981)
Another winner for the UK was Bucks Fizz in 1981, with their Number 1 hit 'Making Your Mind Up'. The catchy song by the four piece, who had only formed two months earlier, is still held high in people's affections today. And that moment when the skirts are pulled off is definitely memorable!
'Ooh Aah.. Just A Little Bit' - Gina G (1996)
Dressed a sparkly sequinned dress, Gina G performed 'Ooh Aah.. Just A Little Bit' which should have won in our opinion. The song ended up in eighth place with 77 points, however it did reach Number 2 in the UK charts in the same year.
'Love Shine a Light' by Katrina and the Waves (1997)
Scoring an unprecedented 227 points, this catchy hit scored 12 points, the maximum that can be awarded, from a whopping 10 countries. When Katrina and the Waves won in 1997 it had been a massive 16 years since we last won, with Bucks Fizz.
'Cry Baby' by Jemini (2003)
The dreaded finally happened! Sadly this performance was memorable for the wrong reasons as the UK failed to get any points, that's right nil points!
'Flying The Flag (For You)' by Scooch (2007)
Despite their airline themed routine, Scooch's 'Flying The Flag' unfortunately failed to take off scoring just 19 points.
'I Can' by Blue (2011)
Boy band Blue represented the UK in 2011 with their catchy track 'I Can'. The boys finished in 11th place with 100 points.
'Never Give Up On You' by Lucie Jones (2017)
Former X Factor star Lucie Jones took on Eurovision in 2017 and showed off her amazing vocals in the process with her track 'Never Give Up On You'.
Although Lucie only finished in 15th place with 111 points, it was the UK's best effort in a while at the time.
'Storm' by SuRie (2018)
SuRie's performance of her track 'Storm' in the 2018 contest is memorable for all of the wrong reasons! Poor SuRie was interrupted by a stage invader during her performance in the final.
Despite carrying on like a true professional, unfortunately SuRie finished in 24th place with just 48 points.
'Space Man' by Sam Ryder (2022)
Sam Ryder's performance was truly memorable in 2022. Sam took to the stage to perform 'Space Man' and ended up in second place behind Ukraine. Sam's success saw him also achieve a Number 1 song and since then he has released a couple of more songs and gone on tour.
'Dizzy' by Olly Alexander (2024)
This year's UK entry was former Years & Years singer Olly Alexander, with his amazing track 'Dizzy'.
Speaking about how the song came about, Olly said: "I was thinking about fun things that could make you dizzy and I remember saying 'dizzy from your kisses' so we built the song around that."
Olly continued: "The song is about feeling such an intense swell of emotion for someone they totally turn your world upside down and inside out, we were inspired by a lot of music we love from the 80s like Stock Aitken and Waterman, Erasure, Adamski and of course Pet Shop Boys."
Unfortunately, Olly finished in 18th position with just 46 points.
Try your Eurovision knowledge with our quiz below. Can you identify the Eurovision acts?
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Check your answers...
1) UK - Bucks Fizz: 'Making Your Mind Up' (1981)
2) FINLAND - Lordi: 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' (2006)
3) SWEDEN - Loreen: 'Euphoria' (2012)
4) UK - Scooch: 'Flying The Flag' (2007)
5) SWITZERLAND - Celine Dion: 'Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi' (1988)
6) NORWAY - Alexander Rybak: 'Fairytale' (2009)
7) SWEDEN - ABBA: 'Waterloo' (1974)
8) IRELAND - Jedward: 'Lipstick' (2011)
9) UK - Brotherhood Of Man: 'Save Your Kisses For Me' (1976)
10) UKRAINE - Verka Serduchka: 'Dancing Lasha Tumbai' (2007)
11) UK - Katrina and the Waves: 'Love Shine A Light' (1997)
12) AUSTRIA - Conchita Wurst: 'Rise Like a Phoenix' (2014)
13) RUSSIA - Buranovskiye Babushki: 'Party For Everybody' (2012)
14) UK - Blue: 'I Can' (2011)
15) ISRAEL - Netta: 'Toy' (2018)
16) IRELAND - Ryan O'Shaughnessy: 'Together' (2018)
17) UK - Sam Ryder: 'Space Man' (2022)
Now read:
12 facts you probably didn’t know about the Eurovision Song Contest
UK Eurovision contestants: Where are they now?
The most watched Eurovision performances of all time