Sir has won many awards throughout his illustrious career but one gong he has never managed to add to his trophy cabinet is the award, despite two attempts. The national treasure competed in the contest in both 1968 with Congratulations and 1973 Power To All Our Friends placing second and third respectively. However his 1968 loss has been alleged to have been down to more than just the judges personal taste and rather a plot by Spanish dictator General Franco who bought votes to ensure the Spanish entrant Massiel won the competition with the track La La La.

The competition took place at 's Royal Albert Hall following Sandie Shaw's win with Puppet on a String the year before, and Cliff lost out by just one point. The song's co-writer Phil Coulter admitted on 's the Reunion, Cliff was peeved by the loss. "It stung Cliff, he's never gotten over the fact he didn't win," the songwriter said.

"It hurt at the time, especially when there were rumours of dark deeds by General Franco to bribe juries," Phil said admitting he was also disappointed by the loss. "In the Royal Albert Hall, with two countries to vote, the floor manager came down and took us out of our seats because we were six or seven points ahead... I still wake up with nightmares about that.

"We were side stage and going to enter the history books. But then Germany gave seven points to Spain and none to the UK which felt strange because Congratulations had been scoring readily and steadily all night. Something felt seriously not right," he said.

Cliff himself opened up about the situation in a 2008 interview with The Guardian. "I've lived with this number two thing for so many years, it would be wonderful if someone official from the contest turned around and said: 'Cliff, you won that darn thing after all.' If, like they say, they believe there is evidence that it was I that was the winner, there won't be a happier person on the planet," he said. "I'd be quite happy to be able to say I won Eurovision '68. It's an impressive date in the calendar these days."

A 2008 Spanish documentary, 1968, directed by Montse Fernandez Vila, investigated claims that TV executives travelled across Europe promising cash and contracts in exchange for votes. At the time, the film's director said: "I lived the Spanish May, Franco was determined to claim Eurovision glory for his own country.

"It's in the public domain that Televisión Española executives travelled around Europe buying series that would never be broadcast and signing concert contracts with odd, unknown groups and singers. It was these bought votes that won Eurovision for Massiel. The regime was well aware of the need to improve its image overseas. When you look at all the parties they organised and how Massiel was transformed into a national heroine, you realise it was rather over the top for a singing competition. It was all intended to boost the regime."

Indeed the Spanish authorities had already meddled in that year's contest changing their contestant to one of their favour. Originally their song was to be sung by Barcelonian Joan Manuel Serrat in Catalan but they demanded that the song instead be sung in the "traditional" Spanish language as spoken in most of the country, Castilian Spanish, which is how Madrid-born Massiel came to be in the competition.

Eurovision TV director Bjorn Erichsen has said he couldn't "exclude" the possibility of a fix, but said there would be no investigation. He told Reuters: "Just to make Cliff Richard a little happier and the Spanish winner a bit more unhappy?"

Despite losing the contest Cliff would appear to be the real winner with Congratulations now an integral part of any celebration. The song is constantly played at parties and events and most people could sing along with it. Unlike La, La, La which seems to have faded into obscurity.