By Steven Oldham
The UK's Eurovision 2014 representative is set to be revealed on Monday night, and a new approach from BBC, the national broadcaster, could lead to an upturn in the country's fortunes.
Our recent struggles in Eurovision are well documented. Whether the entry has been selected by the public or internally, mostly the results have been the same. One top ten finish in the last ten years is proof of this.
This year, the BBC have stepped away from their much maligned 'veterans only' policy - acts like Bonnie Tyler whose stars sadly faded a long time ago and had little to no chance of picking up widespread, meaningful points from a new generation of Eurovision fans across the continent.
There seems to be a real effort being made this year, which is pleasing for the UK's long-suffering fans. Executive Producer Guy Freeman's blog details the work put into finding this year's entry, which explored the BBC Introducing scheme for new and unsigned talent.
In a way this is harking back to the ways of old - giving an unknown act the chance of a continental wide audition at stardom in front of a global audience of millions.
Entering a hungry new talent showcasing their own work is surely a much better bet to get the attention of juries and televoters than entering a former reality show reject or aging stars who haven't had a hit in decades.
There appears to be genuine excitement among UK fans at the artist announcement for the first time in a while, and it may be time for Europe to sit up and take notice once more.
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