The
United Kingdom has participated in the
Eurovision Song Contest 58 times and is one of the most successful countries to compete in the contest. They first participated in the second contest in
1957. The
BBC had wanted to take part in the first contest in
1956, but had submitted their entry to the event after the deadline had passed. The UK has entered every year since
1959, and has won the contest a total of five times. Along with
Sweden, the UK is one of only two countries with Eurovision victories in four different decades. The United Kingdom is one of the "
Big 5", along with
France,
Germany,
Italy and
Spain who are automatically allowed to participate in the final as they are the five biggest financial contributors to the
European Broadcasting Union (EBU).