The UK’s Eurovision selection process is set to come under scrutiny from MPs, following another disappointing result for the country at this year’s Contest. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee will examine how the BBC chooses its Eurovision acts and songs, and whether changes are needed.
MPs want answers from the BBC
The committee is expected to hear from BBC figures and music industry experts over the coming months as part of its State of Play inquiry. Written submissions are also likely to form part of the process.
At the centre of the inquiry will be a fairly simple question: who actually decides who represents the UK at Eurovision, and how are those decisions made?
The chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dame Caroline Dinenage, told the BBC that MPs want to find out whether the UK’s results come down to “bad song choice, weak performance… or something else”.
The UK’s Eurovision entry is selected internally by the BBC, sometimes in collaboration with a record label or music management company.
Another last-place finish
The inquiry comes after another difficult result for the UK. In May, Look Mum No Computer finished last at Eurovision 2026 with just one point for ‘‘’Eins, Zwei, Drei‘.
It follows two other particularly low finishes in recent years. James Newman came last with ‘Embers’ in 2021, receiving nul points, while Mae Muller finished second-last with ‘I Wrote A Song’ in 2023.
The UK did have a huge success in between those results as Sam Ryder finished second with ‘Space Man’ in 2022, giving the country its best Eurovision result in years.
Aside from Ryder’s result, however, the UK has struggled to make much of an impact. Over the past 15 years, the country has only finished higher than 15th once, with Ryder’s second place in Turin.
Could the BBC change its approach?
Until 2019, the BBC used Eurovision: You Decide to publicly select the UK’s representative. Michael Rice won the final edition of the show and went on to represent the UK with ‘Bigger Than Us’, finishing last at Eurovision in Tel Aviv. Since then, the BBC has relied on internal selections, often working with record labels or people from the music industry to choose the artist and song.
The upcoming hearing will give MPs the opportunity to ask the BBC how those selections are made and whether its current approach could be improved. It will also come as the UK prepares to mark 30 years since its last Eurovision victory, with Katrina and the Waves winning the Contest in Dublin in 1997 with ‘Love Shine A Light’.
No date has yet been set for the hearing. Once the committee has considered the evidence, it may publish a report containing recommendations for the BBC.
United Kingdom’s Eurovision Journey
The UK is one of the most successful countries in the Eurovision Song Contest. Debuting at the second edition of the Contest in 1957, the United Kingdom won the competition on five occasions. The most recent win for the UK was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves, singing “Love Shine A Light”. The UK also holds the record for second-place finishes – currently at 16.
In 2026, Look Mum No Computer represented the UK in Vienna with his song “Eins Zwei Drei”. At the close of voting, the UK finished 25th in a field of 25, earning just one point. This one point came from the jury.
What do you think of the UK’s current Eurovision selection process? Should the BBC consider changing its approach? Let us know in the comments or on social media! Be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads and Bluesky as we prepare for Eurovision 2027!
Source: BBC
Image Credit: Sarah Louise Bennett
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