This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is almost upon us and the excitement is truly building.
The 2023 event will be hosted in Liverpool on behalf of last year’s winners Ukraine and there are expected to be plenty of surprises and celebrations along the way.
It will mark the first time the UK has hosted the Eurovision since Birmingham in 1998, and comes after the UK came second at last year’s event with Sam Ryder’s ‘Spaceman’.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
Winners Ukraine have been unable to host this year’s event due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
This year’s Grand Final will get underway on May 13 but before that there will be two semi-finals to help decide who will be competing for the trophy at the end of the contest.
The two semi-finals will be hosted by Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon, with Rylan and Scott Mills taking on commentating duties.
The first semi-final will take place on Tuesday, May 9. The event will air live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
15 countries including Moldova, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, and Azerbaijan will be participating in the first semi-final with ten making it through to the final.
Rita Ora, Rebecca Ferguson and Ukrainian singer Alyosha will be performing during the interval of the first semi-final.
The second semi-final will take place on Thursday, May 11, with it again being aired live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 8pm.
There will be 16 countries participating for ten spots in the final, with Romania, Cyprus, San Marino, Austria and Lithuania amongst those taking part.
Mariya Yaremchuk, who represented Ukraine at Eurovision in 2014, will perform during the interval alongside rapper OTOY and Ukraine’s Junior Eurovision representative Zlata Dziunka.
The Grand Final will take place on Saturday, May 13, at 8pm. Alongside being screened on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, it will also be available to tune into on BBC Radio 2 and the BBC Sounds app.
The final will be hosted by Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon, and Graham Norton, who will also be sharing commentator duty with Mel Giedroyc.
The event will also be screened live in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens whilst a host of events across the city-region will also be screening the event.
Kate Phillips, BBC’s Director of Unscripted, says: “The BBC is thrilled to have such a talented line-up bringing the Eurovision Song Contest from Liverpool - on behalf of Ukraine - to the world.
“One thing that truly unites us all is music, and we’re proud to have a team - who are well accustomed to the worlds of music, performing and live broadcasting - as part of our Eurovision presenting family.
“It will be a remarkable moment for the BBC to deliver two huge pinnacles in this year’s broadcasting calendar, the King’s Coronation and Eurovision, within the same week.”
Read more of today's top stories here
READ NEXT:-
- Eurovision 2023 presenters say you're still 'welcome' to join the party in Liverpool even if you haven't got a ticket - and here's how
- Where to watch the Eurovision final across Greater Manchester
-
UK Eurovision singer Mae Muller announces one-off show for Manchester fans
- Eurovision final not picked intentionally when deciding further strikes, says Union boss
- Sam Ryder, Kalush Orchestra and Sonia to perform at Eurovision Grand Final
