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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Martin Belam

Will New Zealand join? What links the Beatles to peace in Ukraine? It’s the fiendish Eurovision 2023 quiz!

(From left) Cliff Richard; the UK’s entry for 2023; and Kalush Orchestra
(From left) Cliff Richard; the UK’s entry for 2023; and Kalush Orchestra. Composite: Getty/EPA

This weekend, for the first time since 1998, the UK is hosting Eurovision (on behalf of last year’s champions, Ukraine). The contest and its semi-finals are being held in Liverpool. But how much do you know about this year’s artists, the connections between Eurovision and Liverpool, and the UK’s history in the competition? Take our quiz to find out.

The Guardian’s Eurovision 2023 quiz

  1. Here are Terry Wogan, Bucks Fizz and Bardo at the 1982 competition, which was held in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. How many times has the UK hosted the Eurovision song contest before?

    1. Four

    2. Six

    3. Eight

  2. Which of these Liverpool-based acts has represented the UK?

    1. Atomic Kitten

    2. Sonia

    3. Cilla Black

  3. The contest was first held in 1956. But when did the UK make its debut?

    1. 1957

    2. 1962

    3. 1965

  4. Neither the Beatles nor their waxworks will be appearing this week. But which legendary 80s Liverpool band have reunited to be part of this year's celebrations?

    1. Frankie Goes to Hollywood

    2. The Teardrop Explodes

    3. The La's

  5. Talking of the Fab Four, a monument to peace in Ukraine has been erected in which Liverpool location famously mentioned by the Beatles?

    1. Lime Street, mentioned in Maggie Mae

    2. Strawberry Field, mentioned in Strawberry Fields Forever

    3. Penny Lane, mentioned in Penny Lane

  6. In which year did Scooch represent the UK as a cabin crew with Flying the Flag (For You)?

    1. 2001

    2. 2005

    3. 2007

  7. Which is the only city in the UK outside of England to have hosted the Eurovision song contest?

    1. Edinburgh, in 1972

    2. Belfast, in 1974

    3. Cardiff, in 1977

  8. There are 20 spots up for grabs in the grand final. How many countries will be competing in the semi-finals?

    1. 28

    2. 31

    3. 34

  9. As part of the "big five", the UK is guaranteed a spot in the grand final. Which other countries enjoy this privilege?

    1. France, Germany, Italy and Spain

    2. France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden

    3. France, Germany, Norway and Switzerland

  10. In which year did Australia start competing in Eurovision?

    1. 2015

    2. 2017

    3. 2019

  11. Cliff Richard twice represented the UK in Eurovision. In 1968, he came second with Congratulations. In 1973, he came third – with which song?

    1. Power to All Our Friends

    2. Jack in the Box

    3. Let Me Be the One

  12. Who is the UK's entry for this year's Eurovision?

    1. Lucie Jones

    2. SuRie

    3. Mae Muller

  13. And who will represent Ukraine?

    1. Tvorchi

    2. Go_A

    3. Mélovin

  14. Finally, what was the name of Ukraine's winning song in 2022?

    1. Katerina

    2. Stefania

    3. Nikolina

Solutions

1:C - This year is the ninth time the UK has hosted, while Liverpool is the sixth town or city. But more on that later ..., 2:B - Sonia came second in 1993 with Better the Devil You Know., 3:A - Seven countries competed in the inaugural contest. The UK joined Austria and Denmark as debutants in 1957., 4:A - The classic lineup of Holly Johnson, Brian Nash, Paul Rutherford, Mark O’Toole and Peter Gill reunited for their first performance in 36 years, having split acrimoniously after their second LP., 5:B - The 5-metre-tall statue, depicting a man holding a book, a dove and a Ukrainian flag, will be kept in the gardens of the visitor attraction where John Lennon played as a boy, before being moved to Ukraine to become a permanent monument., 6:C - Natalie Powers, Caroline Barnes, David Ducasse and Russ Spencer had enjoyed four Top 30 singles in the UK before taking on the challenge of Eurovision. Flying the Flag (For You) reached No 5 in the singles chart, but Scooch finished joint 22nd out of 24 entries at Eurovision., 7:A - The UK hosted the contest in each of these years, but in 1974 it was in Brighton and in 1977 it was in London., 8:B - There are 15 countries in the first semi-final and 16 in the second. Fourteen of those will join the six automatic qualifiers., 9:A, 10:A - The show had been broadcast in Australia since 1983. Australia first appeared with Tonight Again, performed by Guy Sebastian. It was billed as a one-off, but Australia has entered every year since. Now, there is chat of New Zealand joining. The more the merrier!, 11:A - Power to All Our Friends won a postal vote after Cliff had sung six options on a BBC show fronted by Cilla Black. It reached No 4 in the UK singles chart. , 12:C - Her track, I Wrote a Song, will be the last entry performed in the grand final., 13:A - Jeffrey Kenny and Andrii Hutsuliak will emulate last year's win by Kalush Orchestra., 14:B - The song charted in 22 countries.

Scores

  1. 0 and above.

    We hope you had fun! Don't forget to follow our Eurovision live blog on Saturday night

If you think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please email martin.belam@theguardian.com – but remember that the quizmaster’s word is final and he is probably busy revising in order to liveblog the final.

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