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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Christopher Megrath

BBC announces full line up of Eurovision Song Contest programming

The BBC has announced its full lineup of Eurovision Song Contest programming over the celebration period.

The broadcaster has wrangled some of its top stars and talent to ensure the Liverpool contest is one for the books and won't soon be forgotten. Eurovision regulars including Rylan and Scott Mills take the reigns but they're joined by fresh new faces and fan favourites ready to make this year unforgettable.

Alongside the previously announced specials, events around the city including the Turquoise Carpet and National Lottery Party will be delivered on to a range of platforms including BBC One, Player and YouTube.

READ MORE: EuroFestival line-up in full announced as Liverpool set to host Eurovision Song Contest

Get Your Eurovision On!

Scott Mills is joined by EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy for a celebration of banging tunes that make Eurovision. Between them, Scott and Natalie will celebrate some of the biggest Eurovision moments of the past 20 years while looking forward to this year’s competition in Liverpool.

They will delve into some of the most iconic performances and look back at incredible staging, memorable moments and of course costumes.

Get Your Eurovision On! will be available on BBC iPlayer.

Eurovision Song Contest’s Turquoise Carpet - May 7

The Turquoise Carpet Opening Ceremony is a highly anticipated event in the lead-up to the Eurovision Song Contest, and this year's promises to be no exception.

Hosted at Liverpool's historic St George's Hall, the event will see Liverpool's own Sam Quek and Ukrainian Eurovision legend Timur Miroshnychenko welcome all 37 acts to the city. Exclusive coverage is available on EBU YouTube on Sunday 7 May, and highlights will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer the following evening, Monday, May 8.

Sam and Timur will be on hand to get to know the performers and share the latest backstage gossip, making this a must-watch event for Eurovision fans around the world.

Eurovision Song Contest’s Turquoise Carpet will be available on the EBU YouTube channel.

Eurovision Welcomes The World - May 8

Rylan and Liverpool-born actress Sunetra Sarker will kick off the week of the Eurovision Song Contest in style.

The pair have an access all areas pass to the Turquoise Carpet Opening Ceremony plus they will bring audiences highlights of The National Lottery’s Big Eurovision Welcome – a one-of-a-kind outdoor event to mark the start of Liverpool’s big Eurovision week taking place on Sunday, May 7.

Over this hour-long show there will be a chance for audiences to get to know the acts competing to follow in 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra’s footsteps, plus there will be music and jaw-dropping performances as the city kicks off the Eurovision celebrations with the specially curated outdoor spectacular.

Eurovision Welcomes The World will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide - May 8

Jason Manford and Chelcee Grimes join forces to deliver Eurovision Calling: Jason and Chelcee’s Ultimate Guide. The programme will showcase 20 compelling reasons why the Eurovision Song Contest is the greatest show on Earth.

Using a mix of fascinating archive footage and revealing interviews, viewers will delve into the story of how the contest became one of the biggest and most celebrated events in the world.

Chelcee will take audiences to Liverpool to meet the team getting the arena ready for Eurovision 2023 and visit Sweden to find out just how popular the Contest is there. Plus Jason meets a family from Newcastle who tell them just what the contest means to them and a group of LGBTQI fans from Manchester who talk about the impact the contest has had on them.

Sam Ryder and Katrina Leskanich from Katrina and the Waves will also make an appearance to share their own experiences of the contest.

Eurovision Calling: Jasin and Chelcee's Ultimate Guide will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Eurovision: Everyone’s A Winner - May 12

Musician Fleur East will present a show of her own: Eurovision: Everyone’s A Winner. This one-off special is a chart rundown of the twenty most successful Eurovision songs that didn’t quite win the official song contest. It will chronicle the triumphs of past Eurovision Song Contest entrants who may not have scored enough points to win the iconic competition but have gone on to score great success in the music industry.

Featuring sultry pop divas from Cyprus and Spain, a tender tearjerker from Germany, a dancing ape from Italy and a surprise Number 1, it's the show where, thanks to the amazing power of Eurovision, everyone's a winner.

Eurovision: Everyone’s A Winner will be available on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Across the UK

As well as the raft of programming set to be delivered by the BBC, a number of UK cities will also join the Eurovision Song Contest party by staging their own live events.

Offering a fantastic opportunity for thousands of people to come together and be United by Music each city will host large-scale official screenings of the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final 2023.

Those confirmed so far to hold official screenings are: Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. More are set to be confirmed over the coming weeks.

In addition to the live city events, the Grand Final is also set to be shown live in over 500 cinema screens across the UK.

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