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Despite Eurovision’s inception in 1956, the United Kingdom has only won the popular song contest a grand total of five times, with the last victory taking place in 1997.
Past winners of the international song competition who later went on to achieve international stardom include Sweden’s 1974 entry ABBA and Switzerland’s 1988 entry Celine Dion.
The previous UK winners of Eurovision are as follows:
Sandie Shaw – Puppet On A String (1967)
Sandie Shaw, 77, was the first British entry to ever win Eurovision with her song Puppet On A String in 1967, earning her 47 votes.
The Dagenham native, went on to earn thousands from her music and was one most successful British female singers of the 1960s.
She performed her song barefoot at the contest in Vienna, something that was a trademark of hers during the swinging sixties.
After her Eurovision win, she continued making music and even appeared on a lot of British TV programmes such as Ready Steady Go! and Top Of The Pops.
Lulu – Boom Bang-a-Bang (1969)
Lulu was the second British Eurovision winner, who took home the crown just two years after Sandie Shaw in 1969 with her song Boom Bang a-Bang in Madrid.
She shared the crown with Lenny Kuhr from the Netherlands, Frida Boccara from France, and Salomé from Spain, after the voting led to a four-way tie.
The Scottish singer and actress, who was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie, went on to have a glittering career spanning six decades.
Her success began before the contest, with her first single hitting the UK Singles Charts in 1964.
Brotherhood of Man – Save Your Kisses For Me (1976)
In 1976, Brotherhood of Man became the first British group to take the Eurovision crown home for the UK with their song Save Your Kisses For Me.
The hit tune became the biggest-selling Eurovision-winning song to date and earned the group some international tours.
Original members of the group included Nicky Stevens, Lee Sheriden, Martin Lee and Sandra Stevens.
Before the competition, which took place in The Hague, they initially found success with their single United We Stand, which was also the name of their debut album – it became a top 20 hit in the UK, Canada, Australia and the US.
They released some more successful singles, including Oh Boy (The Mood I’m In) and Angelo, as well as a second album called B for Brotherhood.
However, going into the eighties, their popularity began to deplete and the hits dried up, before the group eventually split in the 1980s.
Buck’s Fizz – Making Your Mind Up (1981)
In 1981, pop group Bucks Fizz won the competition for the UK, with their catchy song Making Your Mind Up.
Bucks Fizz were formed specially for the Eurovision Song Contest and as a result, they became one of the best-selling UK pop acts of the 80s.
The group was comprised of vocalists Mike, Bobby G, Cheryl Baker and Jay Aston – their banger catapulted to Number One in the UK charts and sold four million copies worldwide.
After winning the contest, they went on to release more hits, including Piece Of The Action and One Of Those Nights, The Land Of Make Believe, and My Camera Never Lies.
Katrina and the Waves – Love Shine A Light (1997)
Rock band Katrina and the Waves were the most recent UK winners of the international competition, having taken home the trophy in 1997 with their song Love Shine A Light in Dublin.
They scored an unprecedented 227 points, giving the band their biggest hit since Walking on Sunshine.
Before the competition, the band had found success with a string of hit singles in the 1980s and 1990s – however Love Shine A Light became their most popular.
The band had toured worldwide with artists such as The Beach Boys, Wham and Fleetwood Mac.
However, things went downhill from here as the group failed to produce another hit and their lead singer Katrina Leskanich, now 64, left in 1998 after some disagreements with the band.
