British MPs to tackle UK crisis — why it does so badly in Eurovision

British lawmakers are set to investigate the reasons behind the United Kingdom's poor performance in Eurovision, a song competition that garners significant attention across Europe. The House of Commons' Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee plans to host an evidence session to scrutinize the process used to select the UK's entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, the committee's chair, highlighted the country's "dismal record of achievement in recent years," noting the 2023 exit with just one point for 'Eins, Zwei, Drei' by British YouTuber "Look Mum No Computer."

The current method of choosing the British entry relies on internal selection by the BBC, one of the world's largest public broadcasters, and is further facilitated by the UK's substantial contribution to the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest. Despite these advantages, the UK has repeatedly struggled in the competition, often ending in the lower half of the results over the past fifteen years, with a single exception in 2022 where Sam Ryder finished second with 'Space Man.'

The committee intends to gather insights from various stakeholders, including representatives from the BBC and the music industry, in order to determine if the UK's subpar performance is due to poor song selection, inadequate performances, or other factors. As of now, the BBC has not announced its entry for the upcoming Eurovision in May 2027, which will be held in Burgas, Bulgaria.

The Eurovision has faced controversies in recent years, notably boycotts from several nations over Israel's participation following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli military offensive in Gaza. Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS and Ireland's RTÉ have already communicated their decision not to participate in next year's contest.