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The Euro Years
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1970
Winners: Ireland
UK Placing: 2nd
Our friends from across the water score their virgin Euro-victory and win through with Dana's 'All Kinds Of Everything'. For the UK, Mary Hopkin comes a close second, trouncing a svelte fontiard named Julio Iglesias into a distant fourth place.
1971
Winners: Monaco
UK Placing: 4th
Clodagh Rogers is our jolly 'Jack In The Box', springing into a credible fourth place out of 18. Terry Wogan takes on the BBC radio commentary, partnering with the 'Hairy Cornflake', Dave Lee Travis and Monaco take the title.
1972
Winners: Luxembourg
UK Placing: 2nd
Having finally forgiven Kenneth McKellar and his kilt (see 1966), Eurovision heads for Scotland and sees The New Seekers representing the UK, with 'Beg, Steal Or Borrow'. They come second to a Greek girl, living in Germany, singing for Luxembourg, by a single point. The New Seekers still perform today on the cabaret circuit.
1973
Winners: Luxembourg
UK Placing: 3rd
Housewives favourite, Terry Wogan, finds his way back onto our screens, as does Cliff Richard who scores third place for the UK with 'Power To All Our Friends'. ABBA fails the Swedish national selection process with 'Ring Ring' as Luxembourg, again, take the crown.
1974
Winners: Sweden
UK Placing: 4th
Eurovision heads to Brighton and Katie Boyle makes her fourth appearance (with nothing on beneath her tight dress, she now admits). The French withdraw to mark the death of President Georges Pompidou, clearing the way for ABBA's epochal 'Waterloo'. Olivia Newton-John struggles into fourth for the UK.
1975
Winners: Netherlands
UK Placing: 2nd
'Let Me Be The One' sang The Shadows. No, replied the rest of Europe, casting them into second behind 'Ding Ding Dong', the irritating entry from Dutch outfit, Teach-In.
1976
Winners: UK
UK Placing: 1st
Michael Aspel grabs the TV mic for commentary duties in The Hague, which sees the UK claiming a third Eurovision victory with the legendary dance routine and kitsch delight of Brotherhood Of Man's chart-topping, 'Save Your Kisses For Me'.
1977
Winners: France
UK Placing: 2nd
Wembley Conference Centre becomes the sixth UK venue for Eurovision. Lynsey de Paul and Mike Moran sing 'Rock Bottom', but finish second, behind France's 'L'Oiseau Et L'Enfant'. Eurovision stalwart, Angela Rippon presents.
1978
Winners: Israel
UK Placing: 11th
Nil points for Norway again, as the UK's Co-Co finish a miserable 11th. Israel's Izhar Cohen runs away with the contest thanks to his memorable little number, 'A-ba-ni-bi'.
1979
Winners: Israel
UK Placing: 7th
BBC Radio 1 hands the Eurovision baton to Radio 2 leaving them with exclusive audio coverage in the UK. Israel retains the Eurovision prize in Jerusalem, overcoming even Austria's percipiently-titled 'Heute In Jerusalem'. The mighty Black Lace launch their career with the seventh-placed 'Mary Ann'. Curiously, other songs include tributes to 'Socrates' (Greece), 'Dschingis Khan' (Germany), and Ms Mouskouri - 'Hey Nana' (Belgium).
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