BBC officially moves into M&S Arena ahead of Eurovision

The BBC has officially moved into the arena with stage production underway.

The current state of the M&S Arena isn't unfamiliar to the organisers but the scale of Eurovision has been branded as one of the most exciting events not just for the venue but for Liverpool as a city.

Production of the stage is well underway, as is the rigging process, in the lead-up to the contest with only a few weeks to go before they open the doors to the general public.

James O’Brien, the executive in charge of production, told the Liverpool Echo little to no changes have been made to the original planning materials. He said: "When you do a show of this scale, there are things that you have to change and adapt to from alterations to the creative design but on the whole, this is a situation where what we're actually doing is pretty close to the original vision.

"There's a lot of automation in the set because everything moves. The whole thing is constantly evolving. [People at home] are going to see something that's incredibly exciting, very innovative, and that's part of the fun and excitement of Eurovision."

The production team is yet to meet any concerning issues (Liverpool Echo)

The M&S Arena has gone above and beyond to accommodate the contest by tackling unforeseen challenges head-on. James added: "The [arena] has been incredibly welcoming. There were things that we have to do that we would never normally do like punching holes through walls to run cables, changing the whole way the flow works within the building because it's a live TV show, not just the main event, and they have been so unbelievably supportive, as has everyone in Liverpool in terms of having to get the show on."

Squashing claims the arena is too small to put on a proper show, James said: "What you see here is already huge but we're using the whole complex. We're taking over the Convention Centre and the exhibition hall as well because we've got 27 dressing rooms just for the delegations.

"We've then got dressing rooms backstage for the likes of Hannah [Waddingham], Graham [Norton], Alicia [Dixon] and Julia [Sanina]. It's going to be amazing visually no matter what but what you see here is just the tip of the iceberg."

The stage's architecture takes inspiration from a wide hug that enfolds the Liverpool Arena – from above and below. Across more than 450 square metres of staging, the set brings together another 220 square metres of independently moving and turning video screens, as well as over 700 video tiles integrated into the floor and more than 1500 metres of LED lights.

Gary Beestone, a spokesperson for the technical team, said the team are yet to encounter any problems when handling such an impressive piece of staging and equipment,

Gary Beestone, a spokesperson for the technical team, James O’Brien, the executive in charge of production, and Faye Dyer, the managing director of the M&S Arena (Liverpool Echo)

He told the Liverpool Echo: "We have an extraordinary team working to make sure that we don't have any technical problems and integrating all of those different things together is a huge and complex challenge. We have an expert team, both the BBC studios and our partners to deliver it successfully."

Faye Dyer, the managing director of the M&S Arena, claimed the arena was perfect for the job due to its "flexible compass" and connection to other facilities including the auditorium and Convention Centre. She said: "It's about all the back of house space as well that's required and where the delegations go and press and hair and makeup and so on and so forth. So our facilities are working really well. We've got a really experienced and talented team."

Finalising the stage is the team's main priority for the next two weeks to ensure lighting, sound and infrastructure meet their requirements. Camera teams, including media partners from Ukraine, will move into the arena to deliver grip equipment and finalise broadcasting necessities. This leads the arena right up to the rehearsal period followed by the live shows.

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