Here's how many times the UK has won the Eurovision Song Contest - and who they were

The 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest had been set to take place this week, with entries from 41 countries participating.

The contest was supposed to take place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, with two semi-finals on May 12 and 14 followed by the final at the Rotterdam Ahoy arena on May 16.

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But due to the coronavirus pandemic, it won’t be happening.

But how many times has the UK won Eurovision in the past, and which county can boast the most victories?

Here’s everything you need to know:

How many times has the UK won Eurovision?

While the UK has not won in over 20 years, it has got five wins under its belt from previous performances.

Who were the UK winners?

Sandie Shaw was the UK's first Eurovision champion after performing 'Puppet on a String' in 1967. The single became a number one hit in the charts shortly after and remained there for three weeks.

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Two years later, four acts being crowned winners of the competition - including the UK's Lulu.

She, Frida Boccara, Lennie Kuhr and Salomé found themselves in tied first place and as no provisions had been put in place in the event of a tie-break, they were named winners.

Lulu sang 'Boom Bang-a-Bang' while Frida Boccara performed Un Jour, Un Enfant' (A Day, A Child), Lennie Kuhr 'De Troubadour' (The 'Troubadour') and Salomé 'Vivo Cantando' (I Live Singing).

It wouldn’t be until 1976 when the UK would see its next win, when Brotherhood of Man became the UK's third win with 'Save Your Kisses for Me'. The performance received the maximum 12 points from seven countries giving the band a 17-lead from the first runner up.

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Perhaps the UK most famous win came in 1981 when Bucks Fizz bagged the another triumph for the UK with their performance of 'Makin Your Mind Up'. It was the band's debut single, having formed just months earlier.

The final (to this point) UK Eurovision win was way back in 1997, when Katrina & The Waves became the nation’s fifth victory with 'Love Shine a Light'. The performance was awarded the maximum points by 10 nations totalling at 227 of a possible 288.

Which nation has won Eurovision the most number of times?

The nation to have claimed the top title the most times is Ireland with seven wins.

Who could win this year?

Nobody!

That’s because the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed in March that the event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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They said in a statement: "Over the past few weeks we have explored many alternative options to allow the Eurovision Song Contest to go ahead.

"However the uncertainty created by the spread of Covid-19 throughout Europe - and the restrictions put in place by the governments of the participating broadcasters and the Dutch authorities - means the European Broadcasting Union has taken the difficult decision that it is impossible to continue with the live event as planned."

James Newman had been the UK's entry and was hoping his track 'My Last Breath' could bring success.

Newman is one of the UK’s most successful songwriters, having penned several multi-platinum selling records and been nominated for a slew of awards.

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He won the Brit Award for British Single of the Year in 2014 for his chart-topping song, ‘Waiting All Night’, performed by Rudimental and Ella Eyre.

All is not lost for Eurovision fans however, and the BBC have come to the rescue and scheduled a raft of programmes designed to bring the joy of Eurovision to living rooms even without the live show.

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