Congratulations? - Radio Times

It is just not true that it is difficult to get artists; they are absolutely queuing up for it. Any of the British singers or groups that have appeared in the charts in the last year would jump at it.

This year we chose Olivia Newton-John because I think she is one of the best singers of popular songs in the country with a big following from people both under and over 25. In terms of Eurovision the song contest is the one show, apart from sport or current affairs when virtually the whole of the network gets together. Even if only for that, it should be worthwhile.

In the final analysis it is as much the singer as the song that decides the result of the Eurovision Song Contest, and Olivia Newton-John can take considerable comfort from the fact that she has got something going for her that Cliff Richard will never have. She's a girl and pretty to boot.

Pretty girl singers everyone says stand a better chance of winning than men. After the results were announced last year Cliff remembers saying If you want to win get Olivia to sing a ballad.

Olivia says that she is sure she will be nervous but she can't think too much about the number of people watching, otherwise she will be more nervous still. All I can do, she says, is my best. I'll try and be myself

Last three Eurovisions she unerringly picked the winners before the results were announced so she can rely on her own judgment on how to present the song. The only real problem she has is that last time she entered a song contest - in Tokyo she lost her voice through nerves two days before she was due to appear. Let's hope this won't happen this time. It will help to have a voice.