Liverpool and Glasgow remain in competition to be the UK host city for Eurovision 2023
The BBC has provided an update on the bidding process for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest, and confirmed that two cities, Glasgow and Liverpool, remain in competition to be the 2023 Host City.
We’re confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge.
In August it was announced that seven cities - Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield had been shortlisted as candidate host cities. Following a detailed assessment process these seven cities have been reduced to two.
Further discussions will now take place with officials from Glasgow and Liverpool and a final decision will be made within weeks.
Martin Österdahl, executive supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest, thanked the competing cities, saying, "The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) would like to warmly thank all the 7 British cities that put so much effort and enthusiasm into their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine. We very much appreciate their cooperation and the quality and creativity of all the bids received.
"The Eurovision Song Contest is the most complex TV production in the world with very specific logistical requirements to accommodate around 40 delegations and thousands of crew, volunteers, press and fans.
"We’re confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge and look forward to continuing our discussions to choose the one which will stage the world’s largest music event next May."
Liverpool's Eurovision history
Liverpool already has a unique connection with Eurovision, from Wirral sisters Kate and Jane Robbins who represented the UK in the group Prima Donna (1980) to Jemini, the first UK act to be given the dreaded “nul points” in 2003.
Sonia actually came very close to winning Eurovision in 1993 but the flame haired Scouse songstress was pipped to the post by Ireland. If Sonia won, Liverpool would have hosted.
The UK’s 2006 entry, Daz Sampson, is from St Helens. Liz McClarnon was up for representing the UK in 2007 but got beaten by Scooch in the Song for Europe. Katrina and the Waves won Eurovision for the UK in 1997 - the band also has a song called Going down to Liverpool.
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Read again: Seven reasons why Liverpool should host Eurovision 2023
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