Eurovision 2019: The countries that have given the UK 'nul points' since 2012 - and those which gave us the most

Is political voting at Eurovision real? Or just a conspiracy theory?
Michael Rice. Picture c/o BBC.Michael Rice. Picture c/o BBC.
Michael Rice. Picture c/o BBC.

Whether you revel in it or grumble about it, voting patterns and the apparent slights and allegiances from some countries towards other rivals or friends are a hot topic on Eurovision night as the results come in.

Now, as Hartlepool's Michael Rice prepares to perform the UK entry on Saturday night, research by online retailer Dance Direct has revealed which countries are most likely to vote for the UK - and which habitually give us "nul points".

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Ukraine, Turkey, Slovakia, Portugal, Moldova, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Azerbaijan have all given the UK zero points since 2012.

In the same time frame, these are our top five allies: Ireland has given us 44, Australia 29, Malta 28, San Marino 23 and Albania 16.

Dance Direct said certain countries do seem to show allegiances, regardless of the quality of the performance.

"The UK has a close ally in Ireland, which has awarded the UK the most points since 2012, followed by Australia and Malta. However, the UK doesn’t seem to return the favor to its neighbour, having given the most of its points to Sweden and Bulgaria (tied) followed by Lithuania and Australia," states the research.

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"There’s a similar pattern going on between Armenia and France – France has received the most points from Armenia, followed by Israel and Belgium. However, France has chosen a different favourite – it has awarded the most points to Italy, followed by Sweden and Armenia.

"In terms of having an ear for a winner, Spain, The Netherlands, and Belgium are the best predictors to date – they are the countries that are most likely to award their points to the eventual winner each year."