THE 65th Eurovision song contest takes place in Holland this evening.

The grand final takes place in Rotterdam after the Dutch won the 2019 contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, as is tradition.

Last year’s contest was planned to take place in the Netherlands before Covid-19 saw the show cancelled for the first time since its debut in 1956.

The UK will be represented by Yorkshireman James Newman, who will represent the UK with his upbeat new track Embers.

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The last time the UK won the coveted title was in 1997 when Katrina and the Waves were crowned winners with their hit, Love Shine a Light.

The UK has only won the competition five times, and one of those were when represented by a Welsh artist.

In 1976, Brotherhood of Man, featuring Carmarthen’s Nicky Stevens, won the crown with Save Your Kisses for Me.

Including Brotherhood of Man, eight Welsh entrants have represented the UK over the years.

The first of these was in 1970, where Mary Hopkin finished in seventh place with Knock, Knock Who's There.

Bridgend's Emma Louise Booth, aged 15 at the time, finished sixth in 1990, having performed Give a Little Love Back to the World.

Jessica Garlick, from Kidwelly, came joint-third in 2002 with Come Back. This remains the last time the UK has placed in the top three of the competition.

Two years later, in Istanbul, another Welsh entry represented the UK. James Fox, from Cardiff, came sixteenth with Hold Onto Our Love.

Bonnie Tyler, who hails from Skewen in Neath Port Talbot, represented the UK in 2013. Tyler, more widely known for 80s hits Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding out for a Hero, finished 19th with Believe in Me.

And two Welsh singers - Joe Woolford, of Joe and Jake, and Lucie Jones - represented the UK in 2016 and 2017 respectively - finishing twenty-fourth and fifteenth.

The Eurovision grand final will take place tonight with the show being aired on BBC One from 8pm to 11.45pm.