Last year’s competition ended a bleak couple of Eurovision decades for the UK. After becoming accustomed to getting “nul points”, Sam Ryder’s performance got the UK the maximum “douze points” from eight countries in the jury vote and one in the televote.
It was a dramatic change of fortunes for the UK, having finished last the year before. Mae Muller will be representing the UK this time round, and will be hoping to go one better and give the country its first win since Katrina and the Waves in 1997.
But which countries can she rely on for votes? While Eurovision is ostensibly about the music, costumes and out-there shows, politics and history do play their part.
