Eurovision: Where can you watch it, which country is favourite to win and is this the UK's year?

Correspondent Chloe Keedy heard from British super fans who travelled to Turin to support Sam Ryder

The greatest song contest on earth returns this weekend, back to full capacity for the first time since the Covid pandemic, and the UK, usually languishing in 'nul points' position, could even be in with a chance this year.

All eyes are on Turin in Italy for the 66th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday when 26 countries go head-to-head to be crowned this year's winner.

Where can you watch it? Which country is favourite to win? And who is representing the UK?

When is it?

The Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final is taking place on Saturday May 14 at 8pm.

Where can I watch it?

The Grand Final is being broadcast on BBC Three on Saturday, with commentary from TV star Rylan Clark and Radio 1 presenter Scott Mills.

Who is the UK entry?

The 32-year-old TikTok star Sam Ryder is representing the UK on Saturday with his uplifting pop song Space Man.

The singer-songwriter found fame covering hits on social media site TikTok during lockdown and has so far accumulated more than 12 million followers, making him the most-followed UK music artist on the platform.

The UK has featured at the bottom of the Eurovision leaderboard for the past two contests – coming in last place in 2019 with Michael Rice’s Bigger Than Us, and James Newman’s Embers scoring “nul points” in 2021.

Listen to ITV News' entertainment podcast Unscripted:

Hopes are high the UK, which has come in last place for the two most recent contests and hasn’t managed a top ten finish since 2009, may earn the odd 'douze points' this year, although they have some stiff competition...

Who are the favourites?

Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra are firm favourites to win with their upbeat song Stefania, inspired by lead rapper Oleh Psiuk's mother, which has quickly become an anthem for the war-torn country.

The band haven't had an opportunity to get together and rehearse for a "long time" due to the war and they had just one day to practice before they left for the semi-finals in Italy.

Oleh said they're now rehearsing "extra to catch up" so they can do their country proud before they head home.

Any quirky outsiders?

In classic Eurovision style, the second semi-final featured a number of quirky performances including Serbia’s Konstrakta – who won over the audience during the semi-finals with her peculiar song about Meghan Markle, securing herself a place in the top 10.

Can I vote for my favourite?

Yes, viewers can give the acts marks from one to 12 via the official app, telephone and/or SMS using the number that will be shown on the screen. The voting window opens after the last song has been performed, and ends 15 minutes later.

You can not vote for your country, this means UK-based callers cannot vote for the UK act.