The Hump's Defeat Sparks Eurovision Fears

Fears have been voiced that the UK will not be able to attract famous names to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest following Engelbert Humperdinck's drubbing on Saturday night.

The veteran crooner's traditional ballad only managed to collect 12 points in total and finished second-from last, while Sweden's winning entry bagged a whopping 372 points - with a modern trance-pop number and some nifty crab dancing.

The Sun quotes an insider at the BBC as expressing concerns that famous names won't want to get involved in Eurovision in future.

The paper's mole said: "The BBC really thought Engelbert would have made Britain a serious player in Eurovision again and would open the door for other major singers to compete.

"They had really high hopes for him and insisted he would do well. But that has all gone out of the window now and there is a very real fear that other major credible artists will not want to risk the humiliation of being thrashed in Europe like Engelbert was."

And betting firms are reported to be offering odds for the UK not entering the contest next year. The Sun says William Hill are giving punters 25/1.

A spokesman for the firm told the paper: "If Engelbert Humperdinck can only manage 12 points, you have to question whether it is worth the UK entering the competition at all."