This year’s final will take place in Liverpool on Saturday 13 May, following semi-final events on 9 and 11 May. The host city was chosen after the usual rigmarole of places and venues trying to flaunt why they should be selected, with more than 160 million people across the world expected to watch the event.
This year’s event will be held in the UK on behalf of war-torn Ukraine after it was deemed that last year’s winners were unable to host due to their ongoing conflict with Russia. Sam Ryder’s second-placed finish last year therefore led to the UK playing host.
As a result, Eurovision 2023 will pay homage to Ukraine, with elements of the country’s culture set to be a prominent feature of the show. This is reflected in the latest announcement, with Ukrainian singer and frontwoman of the band The HARDKISS set to host alongside fellow singer and Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, as well as actress Hannah Waddingham, a star of Game of Thrones, Sex Education and Ted Lasso, to name a few.
Say hello and привіт to our #Eurovision2023 family! 🤩
Graham Norton, Julia Sanina, Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham, Rylan, Scott Mills, Mel Giedroyc, Timur Miroshnychenko and Sam Quek ✨
Read more here: https://t.co/NyBgKL7TLd pic.twitter.com/sIELbSuVvn
— BBC Eurovision (@bbceurovision) February 22, 2023
Waddingham has described it as “a great privilege” to take part this year, citing Eurovision as “one of the world’s greatest music festivals.”
“But this year, perhaps more than ever,” she added, “it is such a great honour to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country which has carried itself with such strength and unity.”
“I’m so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud,” Sanina has added, meanwhile. “I can’t wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family.”
The all-female trio will host the semi-finals before going on to join long-time and much-loved host Graham Norton for the final.
Liverpool will be the host city for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
Also sharing commentary duties for the evening will be actress and comedian Mel Giedroyc, BBC 2 presenters Scott Mills and Rylan Clark, and Ukrainian broadcaster Timur Miroshnychenko, who hosted Eurovision in Ukraine in 2017.
The BBC has said that further information around tickets is expected to arrive “in the coming weeks”, with all 37 nations taking part in this year’s event – which this year excludes Montenegro and North Macedonia due to the cost of entry – having approximately a month left to decide the act that will represent them. Electro-pop duo Tvorchi will pick up the reins from last year’s winners, Kalush Orchestra, for Ukraine.
