The BBC and BBC Studios have revealed that U.K. television coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest will be produced and broadcast from their broadcast center at Salford, Greater Manchester.
From this year the points awarded by the U.K. professional jury will be announced by the spokesperson from dock10 studios at Media City, a North West of England location, for the first time ever. This result will be beamed live to the Eurovision 2022 Grand Final hosts in Turin, Italy and to a global audience of 180 million.
With an audience in excess of 180 million viewers, Eurovision is the world’s biggest and most watched song competition. The U.K. has participated in the contest 63 times but in recent years has an abysmal record, finishing last in 2021. Along with France, Germany, Spain and Italy, the U.K. is one of the so-called ‘Big Five’ countries that automatically qualify for the finals every year.
Salford will be the permanent production base for the U.K. leg of the contest. Programs produced in Salford include “A Question of Sport,” “North West Tonight,” “Dragons’ Den,” “BBC Radio 5 Live,” “Football Focus,” “Match of the Day,” “BBC Radio Manchester,” “BBC Breakfast and Blue Peter.”
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Rachel Ashdown, commissioning editor at the BBC said: “The North West of England is famously renowned for its unrivalled musical heritage not just in the U.K. but across the globe, so it is fitting that from now on the region will be part of the biggest music contest on the planet.”
Suzy Lamb, MD BBC Studios Entertainment said: “We are so thrilled to continue building the expertise and skillset of our production hub in the North. It will be so exciting to welcome the global Eurovision audience to the North West with ‘Good Evening From Salford in Greater Manchester.’”
The BBC’s Eurovision coverage is a BBC Studios Entertainment production, commissioned by Kate Phillips, director of entertainment. The executive producer and head Of delegation is Andrew Cartmell, and the series producer and assistant head of delegation is Lee Smithurst. Suzy Lamb is the MD for BBC Studios Entertainment.
Following Måneskin’s victory in the 2021 contest with “Zitti e buoni,” the contest will be held in Italy for the first time in 31 years.
