SONGWRITER Simon May says he will never enter one of his compositions for the Eurovision Song Contest again after his 16-year-old protg MiMi came third in the competition to choose a song for Britain.

It was Devizes-born Mr May's third attempt to have one of his songs represent the UK in the contest, which has been running since the 1950s.

He said: "It has taken me a long time to realise it, but it's a niche market. I honestly thought our song was the best, but it wasn't a Euro song. I take nothing away from the winners. I wish them all the best in Riga and I hope they win."

Mr May was born and brought up in Devizes, was a pupil at Dauntsey's School in West Lavington, and taught at both Dauntsey's and Lavington School before breaking into showbiz. He has written many successful songs but it is as a writer of TV theme tunes that he is most renowned.

He is responsible for the themes for EastEnders, Eldorado, Howard's Way, Trainer and many more.

In Sunday's contest, MiMi, the stage name for Marie Kavan, a pupil of Matravers School in Westbury, sang Ever Since That Night, a number Mr May co-wrote with John Brant.

Mr May said: "The best thing about Sunday afternoon was MiMi's fantastic performance. It was her first appearance on national television and she showed she is a true star.

"It was a great platform for MiMi and the feedback I have had since Sunday has been amazing. I have so many messages on my voice mail and e-mail about her. She is going to have a fantastic career."

Mr May and Mr Brant have written all the songs for MiMi's first album, which is due to be released in the autumn. Her appearance on Sunday will do a lot to boost her popularity.

Mr May said: "I would like to thank all our friends and all of MiMi's fans for their support. It was a very close vote. We had nearly 30 per cent of the votes cast by viewers."

All the regions placed MiMi and Ever Since That Night in third place and the team garnered 54 points, compared to the second placed song, Help Me, with 64, and the winner, Cry Baby, which got 68 points. More than 100,000 viewers voted within ten minutes.

The winning group, Jemini, will now represent Britain in Riga, the capital of last year's winner Latvia, in May.

But neither MiMi nor her songwriting team are disheartened by Sunday's disappointment. She ended third out of nearly 1,000 hopefuls who entered the competition.

The teenager already has won an army of fans in the county and beyond since she came to prominence as the winner of the Starry Eyes talent contest in Trowbridge in 2001. Since then she has sung all over the country.

Mr May said: "MiMi's family is very level-headed and is not letting her success go to her head. She will continue with her education and we very much appreciate the co-operation the school has given us."

Mr May is patron of the Devizes Junior Eisteddfod, a competition begun by his uncle, Ray Smith. He himself competed in its early days.

He won a choral scholarship to Cambridge and took a degree in modern languages.

He took up teaching for a few years, but the success of his first musical Smike, which has been performed more than 10,000 times, made him a household name and enabled him to become a full-time composer.

Smike was based on Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby novel, and Mr May has also penned a musical based on the Rick Van Winkel legend.