The man responsible for the pop careers of Jason Donovan, Rick Astley, Big Fun and Sonia will produce this year’s UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Pete Waterman will write the song, which will then be performed at Eurovision 2010 in Oslo this May.

The former Pop Idol judge said: “Eurovision is one of those iconic competitions that has stood the test of time and keeps coming up with great acts, great tunes and great performances.

“Life’s full of challenges and I’m relishing the opportunity to put my own stamp on this one.”

This is the first time Pete has been directly involved in the Eurovision Song Contest.

Executive Producer Phil Parsons said: “This year, with an extremely successful pop writer, the aim is to build on the UK’s success while moving on in style and doing something different.

“Pete Waterman has an incredible track record of hits that are known all around Europe so we’re thrilled that he has taken on Eurovision.”

Last year, the UK signalled a change of direction in its approach to the contest when Andrew Lloyd Webber and American songwriter Diane Warren collaborated to produce It’s My Time, performed by Jade Ewen.

The aim was to restore some much-needed national pride in the competition after the UK had fared so poorly in recent years.

The strategy was successful as the UK finished in a respectable fifth place with, by common consent, a vastly-improved entry.

There were also changes to the song contest itself with voting split in each country between the public and a panel of industry experts.