WATCH: Eurovision in Liverpool - Euro Trip Podcast host tells us everything you need to know

If you haven’t already heard – Eurovison is coming to Liverpool!

Liverpool was named hosts of Eurovision 2023 by Graham Norton on Friday night after being chosen from an initial 20 bidding cities, before being selected as one of the final seven and beating Glasgow in the final stage of this epic competition.

The city has been celebrating since the news came in and the work starts now to put Liverpool centre stage, putting on one of the most famous music competitions and, most importantly of all, paying homage to this year’s winners, Ukraine.

Rob Lilley is a host of one of the world’s leading Eurovision platforms, The Euro Trip Podcast, so of course we had to get him on to find out everything we need to know about the contest coming to Liverpool in 2023.

He tells us why we should be excited, what the next phases of planning will be, how the contest works and how it’s so much more than just one big final in May.

Liverpool was chosen to host the 2023 contest on behalf of this year’s winners Ukraine and now has until May 13 to prepare for the grand final, which will be held at the 11,000-capacity M&S Bank Arena on Liverpool’s waterfront.

Claire McColgan, director of Culture Liverpool, said she was “shattered but delighted” on Saturday after the city was announced as the host on BBC’s The One Show on Friday night.

Asked what people could expect to see in the city when the contest is held, she said: “Glitter! There’ll be sparkles.

“It will be covered in sequins and glitter.”

She said as well as the shows in the arena, the contest would see a programme of events for communities across the city linked to Ukraine, which is unable to host because of the Russian invasion.