In September last year, it was announced that record company BMG would take the lead in finding our entry for Eurovision, marking a significant change in how the BBC approaches the song contest.

After months of speculation and all sorts of names being fired out like confetti from a glitter cannon (Ronan Parke, Fleur East, Jane McDonald, Roachford, the return of Scooch?!), the Beeb finally revealed our artist for Rotterdam 2020.

With an impressive stack of writing credits to his name (including work for Ed Sheeran and Rudimental), James Newman will be flying the flag for the United Kingdom. He’ll perform the self-penned track “My Last Breath”, an anthemic ballad about faulty diving equipment – a bold pitch given our propensity to sink to the bottom of the Eurovision leaderboard. But whether he’ll actually do well in the competition is another question.

I’ll let others analyse the song itself, but let’s take a step back and question why the UK has been scoring so poorly in recent times.

Top 10 UK Eurovision entries Show all 10 1 /10 Top 10 UK Eurovision entries Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 10. Better the Devil You Know - Sonia (Runner-up in Millstreet, 1993) 352.9pts Sonia’s Eurovision journey took her to Millstreet, Ireland - and with its population of just 1,500, it holds the record for being the smallest host “city”. The town’s equestrian arena was transformed into a TV studio for the contest, meaning that many of the video postcards between performances have a very horsey vibe. Ms Evans chit-chats to a couple of foals in hers. This year the UK won 3 points from Bosnia and Herzegovina. When that particular Balkan jury managed to phone through on a connection that sounded so fragile and fragmented, they received the biggest applause of the night, having delivered their votes in the midst of the Bosnian War. Eurovision at its most important. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 9. Making Your Mind Up - Bucks Fizz (Winner in Dublin, 1981) 355.4pts This tune is so synonymous with British Eurovision glory, what could possibly explain it ranking no higher than 9th? Bucks Fizz are ingrained into the national psyche by the yearly repetition of that one skirt-whipping clip. But we’d imagine that Cheryl, Jay, Mike and Bobby would be the first to say their vocals weren’t quite as polished as we’ve come to expect from the legendary band. However, that takes absolutely nothing away from this absolute classic. And if our rundown is inspiring you to do a bit of a Eurovision deep dive, then check out the poptastic “Christmas With The Fizz” (who cares that it’s May?) and Jay Aston’s “True Love” on Spotify. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 8. Ooh Aah... Just a Little Bit - Gina G (8th in Oslo, 1996) 360.1pts Cher has an enjoyable habit of covering Eurovision artists: ABBA (she released an entire album last year), Bucks Fizz (“Heart of Stone”), Johnny Logan (One by One), and Gina G, literally, with a rejected, spangly dress. That iconic outfit Gina wore in Oslo was actually custom made by Paco Rabanne for Cher, who was living in Wapping at the time. For whatever reason, the “Believe” hitmaker cast aside the glittering garment one afternoon at the Warner Bros offices, where Ms G later stumbled across it hanging up just days before the contest. She stuffed it into her handbag and the rest is history. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 7. Puppet on a String - Sandie Shaw (Winner in Vienna, 1967) 366.5pts Our first Eurovision victory. Sandie notoriously hated this song “from the very first oompah to the final bang on the big bass drum… I was instinctively repelled by its sexist drivel and cuckoo-clock tune” she recalls in her autobiography. As part of a promo drive to reinvigorate Sandie’s public profile, “Puppet On A String” was written for the contest and not for its performer – thankfully, because the British public still loves it over half a century later, and it might not have ever existed. Getty Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 6. Where Are You? - Imaani (Runner-up in Birmingham, 1998) 366.7pts If there’s one UK entry that deserves more recognition than it gets, it’s this. Imaani was the UK’s fifteenth and most recent runner-up. She narrowly missed out on a hometurf victory as “Where Are You?” failed to win any points when the final jury dished out their scores. It’s both frustrating and joyful that a recurring feature of Eurovision is that sometimes an incredible performance alone is not enough to win. 1998 was an important year for trans visibility across Europe, as Israeli superstar Dana International won the competition by a margin of 6 points with her track “Diva”. She’ll be performing at the finals this week, alongside Madonna – both dressed by Jean Paul Gaultier, who created Dana’s iconic feathery Birmingham victory outfit.. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 5. Boom Bang-a-Bang - Lulu (Winner in Madrid, 1969) 367.4pts Lulu won the 14th contest in a four-way tie with France, Spain and the Netherlands – a situation which prompted Finland, Norway, Portugal and Sweden to withdraw from the following year’s contest out of protest. Such drama! Salvador Dalí designed the promotional materials for the contest as well as the stage, which explains the slightly weird metal sculpture that Lulu performed in front of. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 4. Love Shine a Light - Katrina and the Waves (Winner in Dublin, 1997) 381.1pts It’s been 22 long years since Katrina Leskanich brought home our last Eurovision victory, and we suspect it’ll be at least 23 years until the next. “Love Shine A Light” was originally written as a track for the Samaritans organisation, but several friends and colleagues convinced Leskanich to enter it into that years’ Song For Europe where it romped to victory, 11,138 votes ahead of our other potential entry: “Yodel In The Canyon of Love” by Do-Re Me feat Kerri. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 3. Storm - SuRie (24th in Lisbon, 2018) 381.4pts Eurovision performances can stand out for all sorts of reasons. SuRie’s time on stage is memorable not because her microphone was snatched by a stage invader, but by the way she reacted to the situation. Few other artists on this list would have handled it so deftly. As she picks the mic from off the floor, she kicks back into the bridge with the lyrics: “Hold your head up, don't give up, no no” - at which point you can see her adrenaline weaponising those words to deliver a defiant, triumphant and unforgettable end to the song. In 60+ years of Eurovision participation SuRie’s performance is unique in that it unquestionably transcends the song. An absolute ambassador for Britain’s participation in Eurovision, her next single “Only You and I” is out on 17 May. Getty Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 2. Save Your Kisses for Me - Brotherhood of Man (Winner in The Hague, 1976) 381.9pts With a last-second plot twist to rival those in Game of Thrones, “Save Your Kisses For Me” is the highest ranking winner on our chart. 1976 was the first time since the Sixties that our national final was open to multiple artists, rather than one act selected by the BBC presenting a number of tracks. The Brotherhood fought off stiff competition from Co-Co and Sweet Dreams (who would both go on to represent in ‘78 and ‘83 respectively), as well as turns from Hazel Dean and Tony Christie. Check out Kenickie’s version, commissioned in the late Nineties by Channel 4 for a special Eurotrash does Eurovision compilation. PA Top 10 UK Eurovision entries 1. Never Give Up on You - Lucie Jones (15th in Kiev, 2017) 398.4pts Uh oh. We fully realise that some fans will race to the bottom of this list, see “Lucie Jones” at number one, slam their Union Jack mug down, open a new tab and furiously tap out a tweet about the ludicrousness of it all. In another poll, in another format, another song might come top – but judging across composition, lyrics, vocals, presentation and charisma, Lucie’s performance ranked highly in all 5 categories with all 20 jury members. A strong song, expertly delivered and beautifully staged. “Never Give Up On You” serves as a reminder that when we try, we’re not a lost cause at Eurovision. One day in the not too distant future, a British artist will come along with a self-penned track, a story to tell, a vision of how to present it, and a personality that’ll shine through on Europe’s biggest stage. If they match Lucie’s technical ability, that’s when we’ll win Eurovision again. AFP/Getty

As much as I love hearing “they all hate us because of Brexit!” barked at me with the misplaced confidence of a coronavirus pensioner using Facebook Live, this simply isn’t true. The average teen in Tbilisi or granny in Gdansk has less of a clue about Brexit than even our own spectacularly confused mess of a government, and even if they did all hate us, this isn’t Big Brother and we’re not voting to evict countries. The UK cannot be voted down, we can only inspire people to vote us up the table.

To score any points on the night, a song needs to consistently finish in the average viewer or jury member’s top 10 out of the 42 competing songs. Think about it like your favourite NOW album: there were always chunks (mostly around the middle of disc two) that you’d skip through before you got to the bonkers tracks at the very end. If you were to illegally record that compilation onto a 60-minute cassette for a mate (I’m 38, OK?) you’d simply have to cut some songs.

At Eurovision, if you send something that provokes a divisive reaction like a BDSM techno art project (hello Iceland!) or an unchoreographed jazz singer (ola, Portugal!), you can rest assured that some people will love those acts so much they will vote for them. Send something that’s competent, well performed and sounds OK but doesn’t excite and motivate (sorry Michael Rice), and it won’t make the tape. It will tank in the competition.

“Safe” is the least safe option in this contest, and as the UK doesn’t have to qualify through the semi-final proving grounds (along with Spain, France, Germany and Italy), if we’re not worthy of winning points it really, really shows during the eight hours of voting.

So why do we keep sending forgettable, inoffensive entries? Well, let’s not be under any illusion, the BBC has no pressure to win the contest – their focus is (quite rightly) to deliver quality programming, and the one thing the UK does exceptionally well when it comes to Eurovision is creating a fandom.

A couple of weeks back, the Brit Awards hit a peak audience of 4.8 million; however, last year Eurovision reached 7.7 million for a fraction of the cost of any other primetime TV output. Us Brits love to join in with Eurovision and the fact that UK viewers adore the contest regardless of whether we have a chance in hell of winning is a legitimate success for the BBC that we too often overlook.

But herein lies a challenge. As older viewers get snagged on their outdated ideas about the contest (Wogan! Bucks Fizz! Key changes!!), younger viewers who follow the competition all year round (thanks to high-quality national final streams and pre-qualifiers that can start as early as December) can find the BBC coverage a little, well... old fashioned. Particularly when the same old tropes are trotted out: “Making Your Mind Up” is nearly 40 years old and ABBA’s “Waterloo” feels a lot closer in time to the actual Battle of Waterloo than the 2020 Spotify charts.

According to the EBU, on average 45.3 per cent of 15-24-year-olds watching TV in the 40 competing countries last year watched the Eurovision Grand Final – that’s a huge youth audience. Curiously, the contest is appealing to Radio 1’s target audience and yet in previous years the BBC’s coverage and entries have remained very Radio 2.

There’s a disconnect there.

This is where BMG’s impact can be felt the most. The record company was tasked to find the act and manage the commercial aspects of our entry (promo and marketing) that the British broadcaster previously couldn’t get too involved with because of the way it operates. It looks like Newman might get in on the pre-contest international promo trail, which worked well for Blue and Jade Ewan – our most successful entries in the last decade or so.

Crucially, as independent record industry experts, BMG are best positioned to nag the BBC into looking at how best to reach a younger audience for their product, which means this year, for the first time, Radio 1 has been involved in the announcement of the UK entry. This is a very good call: if you genuinely want to compete at Eurovision, you’ve got to win over the home crowd first.

One final complaint I hear each winter is “why can’t the BBC take Eurovision seriously like Sweden does?” The answer is the same as when people moan about the UK shutting down after 5mm of snow: Sweden is already geared up for it. Melodifestivalen (their national selection process) is a six-week arena spectacular fully backed not only by broadcaster SVT but also the entire Swedish record industry.

All 28 Melfest contestants have secured funding for their staging and promotion before they reach the live shows because it’s a lucrative business. Therefore, unlike our previous attempts at selection shows, the ratio of bops to flops is much, much higher as Sweden looks to turn a profit from pop, making the performances inherently competitive should they reach Eurovision. Seeking support from a record company is the Swedish way and now (on a smaller scale) ours too.

Regardless of how well we do this year, one thing’s for sure: this is the direction the BBC needs to be going in. James might not win Eurovision but with his songwriting credentials, credibility and connections (plus a chance at some decent staging and pre-contest promo) will help to change local perceptions of the competition, which may open the door a little wider for the next act.

This feels like a long-term project and is exactly how the Netherlands began to approach the contest when they selected alt-rock singer/songwriter Anouk in 2013 after a decade of not qualifying. Three top-10 finishes later and they’re hosting for the first time in 40 years.