Are you excited about Eurovision coming to Liverpool yet? We certainly are the Eurovision hosts have officially been announced!
Of course, the Eurovision hosts for 2023 were always going to be big names. It is an international competition, after all, and this year hosts will include the beloved Graham Norton and Hannah Waddingham who starred in Ted Lasso.
Graham Norton won’t appear until the grand finale, so until then, the competition will be hosted by Hannah Waddington, joined by Alesha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina. What a cracking lineup!
They will be presenting the semi-finals on May 9 and 11, then the grand finale on May 13. Liverpool is going to be packed with famous people the whole time. Imagine how busy the city centre’s going to be on finale night!
Of course, the UK was chosen to host Eurovision 2023 because of the war in Ukraine, the country that won the competition the last time around. So, you can expect Liverpool to honour Ukrainian culture throughout the competition as a tribute to the country and its people. BBC Radio 2 presenters Scott Mills and Rylan comment on the semi-finals for the BBC so we can expect to hear plenty of familiar voices.
It’s estimated that more than 160 million people across the world will watch the competition this year and Hannah Waddingham said that it was a ‘great privilege’ to be hosting the competition. She described it as ‘one of the world’s greatest music festivals […] but this year, perhaps more than ever, 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.’
Graham Norton, who will be commentating alongside Mel Giedroyc is happy to return to the role, saying ‘this year is even more special and I personally feel a big responsibility to make our Ukrainian colleagues proud.’
Julia Sanina shared the sentiment, saying: ‘I’m so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud […] I can’t wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family.
We can’t wait to have you here either, Julia! We’re sure that the friendly people of Liverpool will be perfect hosts for those who come to the city for Eurovision 2023. Soon more details should emerge about the competition and we can’t wait!