Sweden's Loreen wins Eurovision for the second time
With Daniel Rosney in the arena, Andre Rhoden-Paul and Gem O'Reilly at the Eurovision Village fan zone, and Helen Bushby, Emma Saunders and Mark Savage watching live in Liverpool
With Daniel Rosney in the arena, Andre Rhoden-Paul and Gem O'Reilly at the Eurovision Village fan zone, and Helen Bushby, Emma Saunders and Mark Savage watching live in Liverpool
Live Reporting
Edited by Marita Moloney and Jasmine Taylor-Coleman
All times stated are UK
'Ukrainians criticise, praise, argue and vote'
Diana Kuryshko
BBC News Ukrainian, reporting from Liverpool
Despite the war and all the dangers, Ukrainians are going to watch the Eurovision 2023 final.
At least that's what I hear from my friends from Kyiv.
Eurovision is gaining momentum, passions are heating up and people are increasingly interested:
"So who are the Croats singing about in the song about a small and evil psychopath, is it about Putin?", "What did the Czech group Vesna mean by singing about the friendship of the Slavic sisters?", "Why did the Australian bring a car to the stage?", “Is it enough Ukrainian in the show?”.
Ukrainians discuss Ukrainian songs on the show, and their opinions are radically divided - some really liked them, and others did not.
They thank Monika Linkite from Lithuania for her position and support for Ukraine. They criticise and praise, argue and vote.
Here’s how voting works
Here's a recap on how the voting works:
Unicorns out in force for Israel
Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from outside the arena
There are some unicorns in the queue at the arena, and they’re practising their dance moves for Israel.
Adi, Jurij, Aviv and Coral are four friends from Tel Aviv.
Aviv says of their outfit choice: “We wanted to support Israel by wearing a unicorn outfit and make an extra effort to enjoy the celebrations”.
Jurij adds: “We think our song is phenomenal. We love the dance.”
I ask them about what they think of Israel’s chances. Jurij says: “We are being realistic but Noa Kirel stands a chance. The battle will be between Sweden, Finland and Israel.”
Scott Mills and Rylan give their verdict on Liverpool
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
After commentating on the semi-finals on BBC One, Scott Mills and Rylan Clark will hop over to Radio 2 to host tonight’s grand final.
As dyed-in-the-wool Eurovision fans, they’ve been having a blast all week.
“I’ve never seen a city embrace it as much as this,” says Scott. "Liverpool is buzzing.”
With coverage of the semi-finals moving to BBC One this year, the duo feel the contest is starting to win over the sceptics.
“Most people didn't even know there were semi-finals because we're never in them,” says Scott.
“But the audience figures were three and a half million on Tuesday. So that shows you there’s a renewed energy for Eurovision."
“The campaign starts here,” adds Rylan.
“Keep it on BBC One. Keep it there. Wherever we end up next year, let's keep that momentum going and get the UK back into Eurovision.”
Party atmosphere in the Eurovision Village
Andre Rhoden-Paul
Reporting from the Eurovision Village
I'm here at the Eurovision Village at Pier Head, near the Royal Albert Docks, and it's jam-packed with revellers wearing shimmering sequins, Eurovision inspired costumes and flags from across all of Europe.
The Village is the fenced off area, behind the landmark Liver and Port of Liverpool buildings.
Only the public with tickets can get in today, and many will be watching the final here on massive screens.
There is a big stage attracting a crowd, where dance classics and Eurovision blasts from the past are performing like Sandie Shaw, the first Briton to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967 with Puppet On A String.
There is also a Discover Ukraine section, where revellers can go to an interactive exhibition about Ukraine and buy from Ukrainian vendors.
It's electric right now!
Finnish fans fish out the hockey tops for Käärijä
Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from outside the arena
I’m at the M&S Arena, next to the fans queuing to get in for tonight.
My eyes are drawn to three people wearing hockey jerseys. Pätsi, Kari, Pasi are from Helsinki in Finland and Käärijä, the country’s entry, is their good friend.
The men say it’s their first live Eurovision performance and they’ve come to support their friend.
Kari says: “We are friends of Käärijä, we had to come there was no option to miss it”.
Pasi adds: “We feel really proud. It feel’s unbelievable, like a dream. The hype around it is amazing, not even Loreen gets this hype.”
I ask them why they’re wearing hockey shirts and Pasi explains: “Käärijä is an ice hockey fan and this is a mighty ducks shirt from the 90s, it’s his favourite, so we made four shirts, three for us, one for him."
Graham Norton on a ‘golden age of Eurovision’
Ian Youngs
Entertainment and Arts Reporter
The BBC’s Mr Eurovision will be both co-hosting the ceremony and co-commentating for UK viewers on BBC One tonight.
Graham Norton told reporters yesterday that we’ve enjoyed a “golden age of Eurovision” in recent years.
“There was always a kind of nostalgic thing, and a kitschy thing, and a campy thing,” he said.
"There’s a little bit of that left, but actually now it's just a bunch of great pop songs. And it's creating stars like Maneskin, and you see what happened with Sam Ryder, and Duncan Laurence was on that stage.
Eurovision fan's 'huge disappointment' at missing final because of rail strikes
A man has told of his disappointment after his travel plans to Liverpool for the Eurovision Grand Final were thrown into disarray because of rail strikes in England today.
Bob Young, who uses a wheelchair, planned to go to the final from Norwich with friends and their carers before the strikes were announced.
He said the disruption has caused "huge disappointment" and the group has lost money on hotel rooms and the staff they paid to go with them.
"Personally I think train drivers are being greedy, they’re on a pretty good wage," he told the BBC.
"We’re all disabled in wheelchairs, we’ve been trying for days to find another way of getting there."
But unfortunately, Bill and his friends are instead watching tonight's show in the communal lounge where they live.
"It’s going to be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow, I don’t think I’ll be going on a train for a long time," he added.
Follow live as the excitement builds in Liverpool
The countdown is on! We're just 90 minutes away from the Eurovision Grand Final.
We've got a special stream that will give you a glimpse into what's happening on the ground in Liverpool . You can watch by clicking the Play button at the top of this page.
Here are your hosts
Helen Bushby
Watching at the venue
If you’ve been following us and watching this week’s two semi-finals, you’ll already be familiar with Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Alesha Dixon, who have hosted both.
All three are joined tonight by broadcaster and writer Graham Norton, who has presented BBC One’s Eurovision commentary since 2009.
Ukrainian singer Sanina, who opened the first semi-final performing with her band The Hardkiss, is hosting, along with Ted Lasso star and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham.
She successfully hosted London’s Olivier Awards in March, and has appeared on the West End and Broadway, as well as TV’s Game of Thrones and Sex Education.
They’re joined by Britain’s Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, who was also on the judges’ panel for Strictly Come Dancing, having won the show in 2007. She started her career as a singer in girl group Mis-Teeq.
WATCH: Judi Dench wishes UK's Mae Muller good luck
Dame Judi Dench, one of Britain's most renowned actors, has sent a message to the UK's performer Mae Muller ahead of tonight's Grand Final.
The star shared the video with the BBC's Eurovisioncast team alongside her grandson, Sam, and said she hoped "many douze points" were on the way for the singer.
Video content
Why Eurovision 2023 is taking place in the UK
Despite Ukraine winning Eurovision in 2022, the country is not hosting the competition this year.
Traditionally the winning country hosts the following contest, but in July last year, Eurovision organisers the European Broadcasting Union said this was not possible due to safety reasons amid the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Instead, the UK as runner up was invited to host the competition on Ukraine’s behalf.
The BBC, who is holding the contest in the UK, is organising the event in consultation with Ukraine’s public broadcaster.
It will be the ninth time the UK has hosted the competition, and the fifth time it has done so on behalf of another country.
Staging the event is expected to cost the BBC between £8m and £17m.
The UK government has pledged £10m towards operational costs, while local authorities in Liverpool have committed £4m.
Who won Eurovision last year?
Last year, Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra took the Eurovision crown in Turin, Italy.
Favourites to win going into the competition, the group’s track Stefania proved to be a hit during the final.
The song combined traditional Ukrainian music with rap and hip hop, and became an anthem for the country’s struggle against Russia.
Due to their fighting age, the band had been given special permission to represent their country by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The band later sold their trophy for $900,000 (£712,000) to raise money for the Ukrainian war effort.
Fans start arriving at the Eurovision Village
Gem O'Reilly
Reporting from the Eurovision Village
The sun is shining and so are Heather Black and Jenny Smith, sisters who have come from Cardiff and Southampton.
The pair have specially designed their outfits for the occasion and have arrived at the Eurovision Village, after previously attending yesterday's rehearsals.
“We think Finland and Belgium have a good shot," they tell me. "We love Mae Muller, the song is so catchy, it’s girl power.”
When asked what they think of the Eurovision Village, Jenny says: “I think Liverpool has done it so tastefully with the Ukrainian influence, it’s amazing.”
Heather adds: “They’ve all been so welcoming, the whole city has come to life.”
Flying the flag for the UK - Mae Muller
Mark Savage
Watching at the venue
The north Londoner is performing last tonight so hopefully her upbeat, catchy track I Wrote A Song will end the party on a high.
Muller follows hot on the heels of Sam Ryder, who came second in Turin last year - giving the UK its best result in more than two decades.
Like him, she's been in the music business for a while, releasing her debut single Close in 2018; and scoring a minor hit in 2021 with Better Days.
Hailed as "the relatable queen of sass" and a "pop sensation in the making", she's already been nominated for an MTV Award, and worked with stars including Little Mix and Marshmello.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to performing on the big stage, having supported both Little Mix and Liam Payne. She’s also sung alongside Aitch in BBC Radio One’s Live Lounge.
Find out more about Mae here.
The countdown is on
The biggest night in Europop kicks off from Liverpool at 20:00 BST.
Graham Norton will be multi-tasking tonight as presenter as well as commentator, and will be leading the television coverage on BBC One and online on BBC iPlayer.
You can also listen to the final with Rylan and Scott Mills on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
And of course, you can follow along with us here, too. We'll be bringing you a live build-up ahead of the final, and you can watch this at the top of the page from 18:30.
Which countries are taking part?
Following the two semi-finals which took place earlier in the week, we now have the running order for the 26 finalists:
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Hello, this is Liverpool calling!
Marita Moloney
Live reporter
The biggest night of the Eurovision calendar is finally here! Who is going to win tonight’s Grand Final? Stay with us as we find out together.
We’re going to bring you all the latest from our correspondents in Liverpool, both at the arena and in the city, as well as from the all-important fans in Ukraine, which of course won last year’s contest.
You will also hear from our Eurovision superfans, who live and breathe this colourful contest all year round and we'll be sharing their thoughts an already buzzing WhatsApp group.
I’m here in the somewhat less glitzy surroundings of New Broadcasting House in London with my colleagues Jasmine Taylor-Coleman, Aoife Walsh and Antoinette Radford. We’ll be bringing you the latest from the show, along with our team on the ground.
A night of Europop, sequins and glitter awaits, and we’re ready to join in with the dancing as we watch along with you.