LIVERPOOL has made the shortlist of potential host cities for the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 to be held in the UK.

Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield are the other cities with DJ Scott Mills joining Zoe Ball on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show to announce the news.

The BBC will now analyse the detail of the bids from each city and a final decision on who will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is expected in the autumn.

After the Eurovision shortlist was announced, Kate Phillips, the BBC's director of unscripted content, said: "We would like to thank all of the cities and regions that submitted bids to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest. We have seven fantastic cities who we are taking through to the next round.

"Congratulations to Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - it's exciting to see such a breadth of bids going through from across the UK.

"We are committed to delivering a truly unique Song Contest that celebrates wonderful Ukraine and champions British music and creativity in all its diversity."

Reacting to the news today, Mayor of Liverpool Joanne Anderson said: “Eurovision is made for this city and I’m so pleased Liverpool has been shortlisted.

“When we heard the sad announcement that Ukraine would be unable to host, Liverpool stepped forward and offered to stage the event in solidarity with, and in tribute to, this amazing country and its people.

“A huge amount of work is already going on behind the scenes to make Liverpool’s vision and ambition a reality. There are a number of complexities in staging a show of this scale, but we have one of the best event teams in the world, and one of the best cities in the world to act as a backdrop to Eurovision 2023 – let’s do this Liverpool!”

Claire McColgan CBE, Director of Culture Liverpool, said: “We are so excited to be shortlisted and now we have the chance to fully demonstrate this city’s culture credentials, our enviable creativity and our passion and expertise in staging large-scale, major events.

“As a city our award-winning events team opened up the nation’s first music events as we emerged out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This is our moment to show everyone what we can deliver. We are a city of music and a champion for social justice, so in this unique situation for Eurovision we feel like there is nowhere better than Liverpool to host Eurovision 2023.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: "The Liverpool City Region is the UK's cultural capital - home to a flourishing music scene that has been entertaining and inspiring the world for decades. It is a massive part of our identity, and we are a proud UNESCO City of Music. It's safe to say that Liverpool wouldn't be Liverpool without music - and music wouldn't be music without Liverpool.

"No region in the UK has had more number one hits - and nowhere can throw a party quite like us. I can think of nowhere more qualified, more experienced or more fitting to host the Eurovision than the Liverpool City Region."