The United Kingdom is reportedly considering pulling out of the Eurovision Song Contest after suffering one of the worst results in recent years. There were high hopes for veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck ahead of the show in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday evening (May 26, 2012), but he collected just 12 points - the winners, Sweden, bagged 372 points.

According to The Sun newspaper, the BBC are expressing concerns that famous names will no longer want to be represent the United Kingdom following Engelbert's drubbing. An insider 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", adding, "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". More seriously, rumors suggest the United Kingdom are considering pulling out of next year's competition after a string of bad results. Though Humperdinck's ballad was an underwhelming start to the show on Saturday, he was hammered by a series of bizarre acts, including the 'Russian Grannies', who performed on-stage with a revolving oven. A spokesman for bookmakers William Hill said, "If Engelbert Humperdinck can only manage 12 points, you have to question whether it is worth the UK entering the competition at all". The firm are offering odds of 25/1 that the United Kingdom pull out of the show.

The Eurovision winner - Sweden's Loreen - took part in the 'Idol 2004' television competition, coming fourth overall. In 2011, she released her first single 'My Heart if Refusing Me' to commercial success in Sweden.