1) Dustin The Turkey - Many serious Irish Eurovision fans cried fowl when TV puppet Dustin The Turkey won a public vote to represent Ireland at the 2008 Eurovision. Dustin's entry "Irelande Douze Points" is a satirical response to the notorious geopolitical voting that has blighted the Eurovision in recent years. Watch clips of Dustin The Turkey with Live Video Search.

2) Lordi - Even Eurovision experts failed to predict the runaway success of Finnish rock monsters Lordi in the 2006 Eurovision. Their anthemic "Hard Rock Hallelujah" crushed the opposition and their final points total of 292 was a Eurovision record. Watch clips of rock mosters Lordi with Live Video Search.

3) Dana International - The Israeli transsexual was arguably the most controversial Eurovision winner ever. Her participation in the event was opposed by religious leaders in Israel. However, the extravagant performance of her song "Diva" earned a winning total of 174 points. Watch clips of Eurovision winner Dana International with Live Video Search.

4) Kojo - The year was 1982. The cold war was raging. Activists across Europe protested against the threat of nuclear weapons. Finnish entrant Kojo thought the Eurovision was the perfect platform for a zeitgeist-defining protest song highlighting the ills of nuclear war. The result? Null points, proving once and for all the Europop and politics do not mix. Apart from Wind of Change by The Scorpions.

5) Guido Horn - Back in 1998, Guildo Horn was considered an embarrassment to Germany and had faced demands to withdraw from the contest. He flatly refused and then turned in one of Eurovision's most memorable performances ringing bells, climbing all over the stage and finally jumping into the audience.

6) Zdob si Zdub - Age is no barrier to Eurovision notoriety, Moldovan act Zdob si Zdub finished a creditable 6th in 2005 with their song "Boonika Bate Toba" (Grandmother Beats The Drum). Proving beyond doubt that Eurovision is not the place for subtlety, the band performed their song accompanied by an old woman, possibly a grandmother, who stood centre stage beating a large drum.

7) Verka Serduckha - In 2007, Ukrainian drag queen Verka Serduchka finished second with the song "Dancing Lasha Tumbai". Clad in what appeared to be Bacofoil, Serduckha, a 34-year-old male comedian, turned in a memorable and flamboyant performance.

8) Cetin Alp and the Short Wave - A nod to the electro minimalism or just a badly misjudged attempt at Eurovision glory? Either way, Turkey's 1983 entrants Cetin Alp and the Short Wave performed a song entitled Opera in which the only lyric was the song's title repeated over and over again. The result? Last place and a resounding null points.

9) Telex - Belgium's electro humourists went to the 1980 Eurovision with the stated aim of finishing last. Their song "Euro-Vision" was a cheerfully bleepy number that featured purposefully dire, bland lyrics. Their plan to claim the wooden spoon backfired when Portugal awarded them ten points. Watch Telex's 1980 Eurovision performance with Live Video Search.

10) Peter, Sue and Marc - The Swiss trio's bid for Eurovision glory in 1979 was scuppered before it began when they were refused entry into Israel. They failed to accurately explain why they were bringing so many hoses, watering cans, bin bags and bottle openers - props essential to their performance - into the country. They were eventually allowed in but could only finish 8th. Watch footage from Peter, Sue and Marc's three Eurovision performances with Live Video Search.

Find out more about Eurovision 2008 at the contest's official website