Petition calls for independent Welsh entry at the Eurovision Song Contest

A petition has been created calling for an independent Welsh entry in the Eurovision Song Contest.

The petition by Lewis Owen, who enjoys a substantial following on TikTok under the name Bendigaydfran, comes after the UK entry scored 'nul points' for only the second time in its history in the contest on Saturday night.

The UK's vote announcer Amanda Holden was also criticised after she made a joke of not understanding the difference between French and Dutch.

“Bonsoir. Goedenavond," she said. "That is good evening in French and Dutch although I’ve got absolutely no idea which is which.”

Lewis Owen said that given Wales' musical talents the nation should now consider going it alone at the contest.

"Wales is known around the world as “The Land of Song”, and we have a rich culture of music and performance which is recognised and celebrated internationally," the petition says.

"Wales should have the opportunity to be represented at Eurovision as a nation in its own right. Therefore, we call on the Welsh Government to work with S4C and other relevant bodies to prepare a bid for Wales to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest."

Taking to Twitter and TikTok to drum up support, Lewis Owen said: "I've talked a lot about how Wales should compete in Eurovision, so I've decided to put a very important petition to the Senedd to make this dream a reality! Please share and sign!"

@bendigaydfranLet's do it!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 ##wales ##welsh ##cymru ##cymraeg ##welshtiktok ##welshy ##eurovision ##eurovision2021 ##esc ##eurovisionsongcontest ##fyp ##foryou♬ original sound - Lewis

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'Not eligible'

Wales has already competed in Junior Eurovision in 2018 and 2019 but has always been represented by the United Kingdom at the main event.

Phil Jackson, Associate Head of Media at Edge Hill University and expert on all things Eurovision, told Nation.Cymru prior to Saturday's show that it would be difficult to see a Welsh entry while the BBC remained the main public service broadcaster in Wales.

“Wales is currently not eligible to be a competitive country as we compete as the United Kingdom,” he said.

“Devolved government does not mean separate participation, as the Eurovision Song Contest is populated by the main member public service broadcaster of each country.

“For the UK it’s the BBC, although S4C are members of the European Broadcasting Union.”