The Eurovision Song Contest has officially announced its UK host city for 2023.
The nation's king of Eurovision snark, Graham Norton, dropped by The One Show on Friday night (October 7) to officially share the exciting news that Eurovision is coming to Liverpool.
The multi-day event will take place at Liverpool's M&S Bank Arena, with the semi-finals occurring May 9 and May 11, 2023, followed by the final on May 13, 2023.
This will be the first time that the Eurovision Song Contest has been held in the UK since it was hosted by Birmingham back in 1998.
Related: Eurovision 2023 confirmed to take place in UK
The UK was selected as a stand-in for last year's winners, Ukraine, likely in part because our entry Sam Ryder finished in second-place.
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In the run-up to Friday's big announcement, the field had been narrowed down to Liverpool and Glasgow as potential host cities for the event.
Graham Norton shared his thoughts on The One Show that the UK may have a chance to bring home the top prize once again, thanks to Sam Ryder rehabbing our reputation.
Related: Strictly Come Dancing star reveals hopes to host Eurovision
"He really has taken the curse off Eurovision," Graham told host Alex Jones. "He made it cool again, and I think it'll be interesting to see the people who come forward, wanting to represent the UK now."
While Graham might seem like the most natural choice to host Eurovision, he has already ruled himself out so he can continue his TV commentary.
"I don't want to give up the commentating," Norton explained on This Morning. "If I stop the commentating, someone else will do it and they might be better than me and then I'll lose that job.
"Well, I might wander on and wave, and then run back to my rabbit hutch and put my ear things on."
The BBC will air coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest from Liverpool on Saturday, May 13, 2023, with the semi-finals taking place on Tuesday, May 9 and Thursday, May 11
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
