BBC Eurovision UK entry Remember Monday dealt crushing blow hours before Basel ceremony
Just hours before taking to the Eurovision Finals stage in Basel, Switzerland, UK hopefuls Remember Monday have been dealt a sobering reality check – despite their best efforts, the odds remain stacked against them.
The country-pop trio have been campaigning hard ahead of Saturday night’s Grand Final, where they’ll perform their upbeat track What The Hell Just Happened? on behalf of the UK.
But despite modest improvements in their betting odds, the UK still faces long-shot status in this year’s contest.
The UK has struggled to make an impact at Eurovision in recent years, earning just 46 points in 2023 and 24 points in 2024, raising fears of a third consecutive underwhelming result.
However, there are signs of growing momentum.
The UK’s odds have shortened from 175/1 in March to as low as 66/1 with some bookmakers, placing Remember Monday around joint-12th to 14th favourites to win.
While still a tall order, this slight boost suggests a potential return to more respectable scoring territory.
In fact, the UK is now priced at 13/8, in from 4/1, to earn between 101 and 200 points – a threshold they haven’t breached since 2022, when Sam Ryder’s ‘Space Man’ secured 466 points and a second-place finish.
Aside from that standout performance, the last UK act to score triple digits was Lucie Jones in 2017 with 111 points.
Historically, though, the stats don’t paint a promising picture.
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Between 2014 and 2024 (excluding 2020’s cancelled contest), the UK has averaged just 81.3 points- and if you remove Ryder’s result, the average plummets to 38.5 points.
Despite this, Remember Monday appear to be in a stronger position than some of their predecessors.
The odds of the UK receiving ‘nul points’- last suffered by James Newman in 2021- have drifted from Evens to 5/2, making a complete shutout unlikely.
In fact, the UK is now 8/11 to receive 1–100 points, which remains the most favoured outcome.
Some bookmakers are even offering 7/1 on the UK collecting 300 or more points, and 5/1 for a total between 201 and 300.
While those scenarios remain optimistic, they reflect increasing support for the UK’s entry among fans and oddsmakers alike.
Much of the UK’s hopes could rest on traditional Eurovision allies.
Ireland, historically the UK’s most generous neighbour with 209 points awarded over the years, is currently 6/4 favourite to give the UK its highest score on the night.
Austria and Belgium follow closely at 2/1 and 3/1, respectively.
Meanwhile, the UK is likely to return the favour to Sweden, the current favourite to win this year’s contest.
Sweden has received 228 points from the UK across Eurovision history, more than any other country – even more than Ireland (227).
While Ireland awarded the UK seven points last year, they were notably absent from the UK’s voting tally in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2019.
Whether that changes this year could be crucial in helping Remember Monday avoid an unwanted repeat of Eurovision history.