Eurovision 2023: Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, Julia Sanina and Alesha Dixon will co-host song contest

The hosts for this year's Eurovision Song Contest has been announced. The competition will be held this May in Liverpool on behalf of the 2022 winners, Ukraine.

Presenting the Grand Final to a global audience of 160 million will be Eurovision legend Graham Norton, Ukrainian singer, composer and frontwoman of The HARDKISS alternative band Julia Sanina, Ted Lasso's Hannah Waddingham, and singer-songwriter Alesha Dixon.

Bringing the Contest closer to audiences in Merseyside will be a special commentary team on BBC Radio Merseyside, including Claire Sweeney and the winner of The Voice of Eurovision talent search, currently underway to discover new Scouse talent.

Chosen for its warmth, vibrancy and rich musical heritage, the city of Liverpool beat off competition from Glasgow to be selected to be the host city for the 67th Contest by the BBC and event organisers, the European Broadcasting Union.

Glaswegian musician Midge Ure gave his consensus on the host city. Midge said, "Do you know, if you're going to hold a Eurovision, Liverpool is the place to hold it. You hold it in the home of music. The home of popular music that we all know that still resonates today. The home of the Mersey sound, the Beatles, Gerry & The Pacemakers, all of the stuff that I used to hear coming out of my radio when I was a kid that inspired me to pick up a guitar. It's a fantastic thing for Liverpool."

Here, in Liverpool, local partners are gearing up to welcome Eurovision fans to the city. This includes EuroFest – a two-week culture festival.

Chief Executive of Liverpool BID Company, Bill Addy, said, "It's such an exciting time for the city for us to be on that world stage. 160 million people will tune in on that one night of the show, but it's not just one night. There are nine shows in the arena, and there's also a festival village. We also reflect the fact that we're also here to remember, represents, and to support Ukraine."