United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971
| United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eurovision Song Contest 1971 | ||||
| Participating broadcaster | British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) | |||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Selection process | Artist: Internal selection Song: A Song for Europe 1971 | |||
| Selection date | 20 February 1971 | |||
| Competing entry | ||||
| Song | "Jack in the Box" | |||
| Artist | Clodagh Rodgers | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Placement | ||||
| Final result | 4th, 98 points | |||
| Participation chronology | ||||
| ||||
The United Kingdom was represented at the Eurovision Song Contest 1971 with the song "Jack in the Box", composed by John Worsley, with lyrics by David Myers, and performed by Clodagh Rodgers. The British participating broadcaster, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), selected its entry through a national final, after having previously selected the performer internally.
As the 16th annual Eurovision Song Contest was being held in Dublin, the BBC were worried about the possible audience reaction to the British song due to the hostilities raging in Northern Ireland. They specifically selected a singer from Northern Ireland, Clodagh Rodgers, who was popular in both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, to ease any ill-feeling from the Irish audience. However, Rodgers still received death threats from the IRA for representing the United Kingdom.