Everything you need to know about Eurovision 2022 - including UK entry

The Eurovision Song Contest is the biggest music competition in the world and it is about to return to UK screens again in 2022.

Attention is turning to Ukraine this year, with it already proving to be a bookies and fan favourite to win amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

There are 40 countries involved in the show overall, with the UK once again guaranteed a place in the final due to being in the "Big Five". These are the countries that contribute most to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Britain hasn’t fared well in the show in recent years, but its new entry comes with a lot of high hopes, as their song is already hitting the charts.

Here is everything you need to know about 2022’s Eurovision Song Contest.

When is Eurovision?

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will be held from May 10 – 14.

The first semi-finals will take place on Tuesday May 10 at 8pm while the second semi-finals will run on May 12, also at 8pm.

The grand finale is set for Saturday May 14 at 8pm when the new victor will be crowned and next year’s location will be decided.

How to watch Eurovision

All of the semi-finals will be available to watch in the UK on BBC Three for the first time since 2015.

Scott Mills and Rylan Clark will be on narration duties and overseeing the shows for UK audiences.

The BBC is yet to confirm where the final will be screened, but it will likely be on BBC One as with previous years.

Who is the UK entry?

Sam Ryder will be representing the UK this year with the song SPACE MAN.

Ryder rose to fame during the Covid-19 lockdown when he decided to upload various covers that quickly gained the attention of major stars.

Alicia Keys and Sia were some of the biggest names supporting the singer, with even Elton John sharing the love.

By the end of 2020, he rose to 10 million followers on social media and was crowned as TikTok’s most popular UK artist account for two years running.

Who will host Eurovision?

This year the competition will be held at Turin in Italy after last year’s winner Måneskin took home the prize with the song Zitti E Buoni.

Specifically, the show will be run at the Palaolimpico Arena, also known as the Pala Alpitour – the largest indoor arena in the country.

It was originally built for the 2006 Winter Olympics for ice hockey and is capable of holding 15,500 people.

Italy marks the 66th edition of the competition and the third time the country has hosted the show. It is the first time Turin has hosted the event.

Has the UK ever won Eurovision before?

Each year it may seem hopeless for the UK to take home the ultimate prize.

Britain is lucky if it makes it higher than the bottom five, though it is always guaranteed a place in the final due to being one of the biggest financial contributors to the competition along with Italy, France, Germany and Spain.

However, there was a time when the UK was regularly getting a much higher place in the charts.

The UK has won the competition five times and has come in second place a record number of 15 times.

It also holds the record for the longest-running string of top five placings.

The last time the UK won was in 1997 with Katrina and the Waves and their song Love Shine a Light. The first ever winner was Sandie Shaw in 1967 with Puppet on a String.

Lulu won in 1969 with the song Boom Bang-a-Bang, though she tied with Spain, The Netherlands and Spain.

The rules were changed to ensure this never happened again after.

In 1979, Brotherhood of Man took first place with Save Your Kisses For Me and finally Bucks Fizz won in 1981 with Making Up Your Mind.

Will Ukraine attend this year’s Eurovision?

Ukraine is attending this year’s competition and their song is already the focus of the event.

Kalush Orchestra with the song Stefania is the favourite to win with year, with the bookies getting behind them.

However, they will not be attending in person, and will instead be pre-recording their performance from a 'safe space'.

The group shared: "Despite the fighting, the Kalush Orchestra will record their performance in a safe place, which will be sent to the organisers of the song contest, and in case of our victory over the occupiers by May, our delegation will go to Italy and sing live all over Europe!"

Originally Ukraine chose Alina Pash to take part in the show, but in early 2022 she was dropped due to a reported 2015 visit to Russia-occupied Crimea.

Eurovision Song Contest

Source: Read Full Article