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United Kingdom: It won’t be a one-off appearance for BBC!

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In a recent exclusive discussion on the Euro Trip Podcast, Lee Smithurst revealed details of how the United Kingdom decided to return to the Junior Eurovision contest in 2022, and highlighted the UK’s ambition to create a “positive” impression at the competition.

Recalling his Turin experience, Lee Smithurst admits he felt responsible while awaiting the results of last May’s Eurovision. In the end, Sam Ryder won the jury vote and came second with 466 points representing the UK. Following the success, Lee Smithurst hopes that new fans will get the impression that “the United Kingdom is always competitive“.

Moving on to UK’s return to Junior Eurovision, Lee says the idea of the BBC entering Junior Eurovision 2022 came from BBC committee member Rachel Ashdown just two weeks after the Grand Final in Turin. He goes on to say that they wanted to capitalise on “the goodwill, positivity and interest” of Eurovision in the UK, something Sam Ryder had supported during his involvement in the contest.

Looking for the artist for Junior Eurovision 2022, which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, Lee says he wanted to do something “really modern” and “build on Sam’s success“. On the morning of 3 November 2022, BBC Breakfast announced that 13-year-old Freya Skye will represent the United Kingdom in Armenia with the fresh pop song, “Lose My Head“.

Lee was asked if the 2022 return was a one off appearance for BBC, but there was no such question. He says it is a “long-term plan” and hopes to build on it “a TV final and audition show“.

The United Kingdom is returning to the competition for the first time since 2005. In the three years it participated, 2003-2005. It’s best result was second place in 2004 with Cory Spedding’s “The Best Is Yet To Come”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p_L-vr3Mdc&feature=emb_title

Do you think the United Kingdom will find success in Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022? Tell us in the comments!

Source: Eurovoix

Eurovision 2023: BBC revealed the production team of the Contest!

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The BBC, United Kingdom’s public broadcaster, which is going to organize the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, revealed the whole production team of the contest!

The team is consisted of:

  • Martin Green CBE

Martbin will lead a team to create, plan and deliver this large-scale, complex and special event. As host broadcaster the BBC will work in partnership with the European Broadcasting Union,  Liverpool as host city and other external partners to deliver The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 to an audience of over one hundred million across the world, involving thousands of people, hundreds of delegates and multiple acts.  Green has over twenty years of experience in major global events, most recently he was the Chief Creative Officer of Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games (where he delivered the opening and closing ceremonies and a major cultural programme), and Chief Creative Officer of Unboxed 2022. Prior to that Martin was CEO of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, a ground-breaking world class arts festival that reinvigorated the city; as well as Head of Ceremonies for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

  • Rachel Ashdown

Rachel has been confirmed as the Lead Commissioner for the BBC on Eurovision 2023. She will work with BBC Studios, who will produce the three live shows, on the overall look and tone of the show and is responsible for commissioning other programming to run across the BBC and work with the independent production companies on their delivery. This will include the Allocation Draw and other Eurovision Song Contest based shows in the weeks leading up to the event. Rachel has been the Commissioner for all Eurovision Song Contest coverage on the BBC since 2018 and she subsequently joined the Reference Group, the Eurovision Song Contest governing body, for the 2019 – 2021 editions.

  • Andrew Cartmell

Leading the BBC Studios team is Andrew Cartmell – appointed Executive Producer of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, and taking overall responsibility for the Semi-Finals and the Grand Final. Andrew has more than a decade’s experience as an Executive Producer making entertainment shows and large scale live events for the likes of BBC Studios, Done & Dusted, and Hungry Bear Media. He was the Head of Delegation for the United Kingdom in Turin earlier this year. Past credits include the Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony, Children in Need & Sport Relief.

  • Lee Smithurst

Lee Smithurst joins the BBC Studios team as Head of Show for Eurovision 2023. As Head of Show he will be responsible for the editorial content and take the creative lead for the three live shows. Lee was Assistant Head of Delegation for the United Kingdom in Turin this year, and will be Executive Producer and Head of Delegation for the United Kingdom at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Yerevan in December. Lee’s recent credits include I Can See Your Voice, Kylie Minogue’s Secret Night and Soccer Aid.

  • Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen

Twan van de Nieuwenhuijzen makes a very welcome return, who has been re-appointed as Head of Contest, the role he successfully delivered at both the 2021 & 2022 Eurovision Song Contests in Rotterdam and Turin. Twan will have specific responsibility working with the national delegations to deliver the creative, on stage ambitions of their artists. Twan is a hugely experienced television producer in the Netherlands, and has been Editor in Chief on many programmes and live events.

  • James O’ Brien

Finally, James O’ Brien joins BBC Studios as the Executive in Charge of Production. James comes to Eurovision with huge experience working on large scale events such as MTV Europe Music Awards, the London 2012 Olympics and this year’s Commonwealth Games. James will oversee a team that is responsible for the technical delivery of both the Eurovision live shows and broadcast, and all other elements within the venue precinct.

We remind you that the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in Liverpool. The semi-finals will take place in May 9 and May 11 and the Grand Final on May 13th, live from Liverpool Arena.

Stay tuned on Eurovisionfun for all the news regarding the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, in Liverpool!

Source: eurovision.tv

United Kingdom: TaP Music is once again in search for Eurovision!

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TaP Music is a global management and music publishing company behind some of the world’s most successful pop artists, such as Lana del Rey, Ellie Goulding, Mabel and etc.

The United Kingdom has started working with that label since 2022. The collaboration turned out to be magnificent for the country and resulted in a second place, which appears to be the UK’s best result in 24 years. Sam Ryder with ‘SPACE MAN” scored incredible 466 points, placing second at ESC 2022.

TaP Music has confirmed on Instagram that it is once again helping United Kingdom and BBC with their Eurovision entry.

 

Δείτε αυτή τη δημοσίευση στο Instagram.

 

Η δημοσίευση κοινοποιήθηκε από το χρήστη TaP Music (@tapmusic)

Ben Mawson and Ed Millett from TaP Music said earlier in September that:

TaP are very excited to be back working with the BBC to select the UK entry for Eurovision 2023. Last year we wanted to change the narrative around the UK and Eurovision to something much more positive. We focussed on what Eurovision is all about – we found an brilliant artist, an unforgettable song and an incredible person in Sam Ryder – we’re so proud of his fantastic success, coming 2nd in the competition and then achieving a number 1 single. 2022 will be a hard act to follow but we’re more than ready for the challenge – Eurovision being held in the UK for 2023 is such an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of British musical talent. Our search starts here!

Stay tuned to EurovisionFun regarding the news about ESC!

United Kingdom: All Eurovision 2023 Shows to be Broadcast through BBC One!

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Through its announcement for the hosting city for Eurovision 2023, BBC has also revealed that its main channel, BBC One, is going to broadcast all three Eurovision shows for the first time ever.

Since their introduction in 2004 until 2015, the Semi-Finals along with the Grand Final were broadcast through BBC Three, then moved to BBC Four in 2021 and returned back to BBC Three in 2022. Usually the ratings for the Semi-Finals vary between 500,000-600,000 viewers, but this year those figures are expected to substantially increase due to the hosting of the contest in the United Kingdom.

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest is going to be held in Liverpool on May 9th, 11th and 13th. Due to the ongoing war situation in Ukraine, it’s the first time since 1980 that the contest isn’t going to be held by the previous winning nation.

Kalush Orchestra won Eurovision 2022 with the song “Stefania” and achieved a televoting points record, marking the third Ukrainian victory in the contest.

Source: Eurovoix

Eurovision 2023: First details of Liverpool’s organisation!

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And while we are mere days away from the announcement of the Eurovision 2023 host city, the first details about the proposed scheduled events came to light. In particular, Liverpoolecho reveals exclusive details of how Liverpool intends to organise the Competition, should it be selected.

Eurovision 2023: Glasgow or Liverpool will host the upcoming contest!

 

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Eurovision 2023: The bookmakers declare Glasgow as the favourite!

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We are at the final homestretch of the selection process for the city that is going to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023. Despite announcing yesterday that only Glasgow and Liverpool remain at the course of claiming, it seems that for the bookmakers there is an absolute favourite!

According to the bookmakers, Glasgow has 64% chance to host the contest, while Liverpool concentrates the remaining 36%.

It should also be pointed out that the variability of the odds was recorded mostly the last days, before BBC’s announcement regarding the predominant cities.

Specifically, as shown at the panel above (screenshot that was taken yesterday), while Glasgow remained for long as the absolute favourite for the bookmakers, Liverpool managed to make an outstading leap in odds. However, this dynamic was not preserved after the BBC announcement, with Glasgow retaking it’s edge overnight.

Will the bookmakers be proven right or Liverpool is going to make a surprise? Stay tuned at Eurovisionfun for all the details!

United Kingdom: Selection Committee will pay a visit to Glasgow on September 30!

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STV News reports that the committee incumbent on selecting the host city of Eurovision 2023 is visiting Glasgow on September 30.

A BBC delegation is due to visit Glasgow this Friday, to carry out a thorough inspection/assessment of the city’s infrastructure. This assessment will be then taken into account for the final stage of the host city selection procedure.

The OVO Hydro has a capacity of up to 14,500 standing spectators and opened 2013. The OVO Hydro was also used in the filming of the Eurovision movie, Eurovision The Story of Fire Saga, where a fictional ESC took place in Edinburgh. Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and the fourth largest in the United Kingdom with a population of over 635,000 people.

The EBU and the BBC announced today that Glasgow and Liverpool are the final two cities in the running to host Eurovision 2023.

Eurovision 2023 will be the first Competition since 1979, where the previous year’s winner will not host the event, even though such thing happened six times in the past.

Which city do you prefer as the host city of Eurovision 2023? 

Source: SVT, Eurovoix

Junior Eurovision 2022: 16 countries will take part in the contest in Yerevan!

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The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) alongside the Armenian public broadcaster (AMPTV), announced that 16 countries are going to take part in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022, which is scheduled to take place in Yerevan, on Sunday, December 11.

https://youtu.be/NvgeXx_BUV4

The 16 countries that will travel to Yerevan in December are:

  • 🇦🇱 Albania (RTSH)
  • 🇦🇲 Armenia (AMPTV)
  • 🇫🇷 France (France TV)
  • 🇬🇪 Georgia (GPB)
  • 🇮🇪 Ireland (TG4)
  • 🇮🇹 Italy (Rai)
  • 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan (Khabar Agency)
  • 🇲🇹 Malta (PBS)
  • 🇳🇱 Netherlands (AVROTROS)
  • 🇲🇰 North Macedonia (MKRTV)
  • 🇵🇱 Poland (TVP)
  • 🇵🇹 Portugal (RTP)
  • 🇷🇸 Serbia (RTS)
  • 🇪🇸 Spain (TVE)
  • 🇺🇦 Ukraine (UA:PBC)
  • 🇬🇧 United Kingdom (BBC)

The number of countries that will take part in this year’s contest is reduced, compared to last year, since Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany and Russia will not return to the contest, while the United Kingdom returns after a 16 years of absence.

What is more, alongside the final list of competitions, the Armenian public broadcaster announced the slogan of this year’s contest which is: “Spin the Magic”.

Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, is excited about the show’s return:

“We’re delighted to be welcoming talented young artists from 16 countries this year to Yerevan for the 20th Junior Eurovision Song Contest. It’s exciting to be returning to the Armenian capital for the first time in over a decade to “Spin The Magic” on this special anniversary – and welcoming back the United Kingdom to the competition, our host country for Eurovision 2023. There’s so much energy, passion and creativity from our colleagues at AMPTV and we can’t wait to see a spectacular show in December.”

Armenia will host the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022 after Maléna’s win with the song “Qami Qami”:

Stay tuned in Eurovisionfun for everything new regarding the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2022!

Source:

Eurovision 2023: New Information revealed about the Host City bid race!

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We have already reported that the decision about the Host City Eurovision 2023 will be announced in the Fall. What we didn’t know is how lengthy and elaborative BBC’s process really is. A recent discussion, however, between Liverpool Echo and Cllr Harry Doyle (a Liverpool city official) has shed some light into the procedure and give us a full picture of the BBC’s roadmap.

According to Liverpool Echo, the seven shortlisted cities must now provide BBC with their complete bids until September the 8th.

After an initial examination of the submitted bids, BBC will pay a visit to all the aspirant host cities (during September), in order to inspect the arenas and cities’ infrastructure.

Following the local inspection, BBC will once again deliberate, together with EBU, having this time all the necessary information to make the best choice. As a Liverpool city official maintains the final decision concerning the Eurovision 2023 Host City will be made public in late September or early October.

Stay tuned for all the updates regarding Eurovision 2023 and the Host City bid race!

Eurovision 2023: Glasgow is bookies’ heavy favourite to host the Contest!

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Following the BBC’s announcement of the shortlist of cities on 12th August, one aspirant organising city has become bookies’ absolute favourite to host ESC. Glasgow, albeit being ahead of competition from the very beginning, has now managed to crystallise its position, according to the betting odds, securing an overwhelming 52% chance of holding the event!

Interestingly, Glasgow has more than doubled its chances to host ESC since August the 11th, a day before the official announcement of the shortlisted cities. Birmingham and Manchester are the bookies’ second and third favourite, with 17% and 11% chance of hosting ESC respectively, having no considerable fluctuations in the betting odds over the last three weeks.

However, the Host City bid race is far from over. The seven shortlisted cities have now entered the first stage of the two stage bidding process. In the second stage, the cities will be narrowed down to two, and one will prevail and take over hosting duties from Turin, ESC 2022 Host City.

Have the bookies correctly predicted the Eurovision 2023 Host City? Which other city could possibly intercept Glasgow’s victorious course?