Hi there, and welcome once again to Douze Points. I’m Steven Perkins, and I’m your host for this still-fairly-new podcast that celebrates the sometimes weird but generally pretty wonderful world of the Eurovision Song Contest. We are here every Monday, taking a look at the latest headlines as well as regular dives into the history and lore of the contest.

Let’s get the housekeeping out of the way first: if you aren’t doing so already, I would heartily recommend following us at Bingewatch underscore Pod on Twitter - that way you can not only get in touch if there’s anything you’d like to share with us, but you can also keep on top of the latest updates both from me here at Douze Points, and from my good pals Ian and Hannah over on the original recipe Bingewatch podcast.

This week, we’re bringing you a short but sweet look at the top stories surrounding the contest - so what’s been in the news?

First of all, there’s good news for anyone whose diary or bank balance won’t let them attend the main event in Liverpool this year, as the BBC is planning events in cities all across the UK. Well, mostly in England and Wales so far, but there are apparently more cities yet to be announced, so let’s hope our pals in Scotland and Northern Ireland won’t be forgotten. Anyway, there will be official screenings of the Grand Final held in Birmingham, Brighton, Cardiff, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. Remember, that isn’t an exhaustive list, so if none of these locations are local to you, there are still more cities yet to be announced. Each city will have its own unique programme of events, which will be confirmed in due course, and they’ll have access to the mobile elements of the Liverpool culture programme too, so there’s plenty of chances to be a part of the Eurovision experience..

If you live within earshot of the Liverpool Arena and you’ve been hearing a lot of banging and crashing lately, that’s because work on the stage for this year’s contest is officially underway. This year’s stage was designed by Julio Himede, and the design was revealed by the BBC earlier this year - now it’s just a case of getting it all constructed. It’s set to include 220 metres of independently moving video screens and 1500 metres of LED lights. Let’s hope everything goes smoothly, and we don’t end up with a repeat of the malfunctioning kinetic sun from Turin last year.

https://eurovoix.com/2023/04/04/eurovision-1961-dario-campeotto-has-died-aged-84/

Tributes are being paid to Danish singer and actor Dario Campeotto, who died on 1 April at the age of 84. Dario represented Denmark in the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest in Cannes, with his song ‘Angelique’, where he finished a very respectable fifth out of a field of 16. Dario went on to have a long career in film and music, but retired in 2022 due to ill health. We here at Douze Points would like to offer our condolences to Dario’s friends and family.

And finally, following Lissandro’s victory with ‘Oh Maman!’ in last year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest - which was France’s second win in three years - France Télévisions have confirmed that this year’s event will be held in Nice at the Palais Nikaïa. The 21st edition of Junior Eurovision - which is open to contestants aged between 9 and 14 years of age - will take place this year on Sunday 26 November. The Executive Supervisor of Junior Eurovision, Martin Österdahl, said in a statement, “we are delighted to return to France for the 21st Junior Eurovision Song Contest, just two years after a spectacular hosting in Paris. The team at France Télévisions have the experience, vision and passion to create something truly magical in Nice this November, and we look forward to working with them in the coming months on another exciting show.”

That’s it for this week. I’ll be back next Monday where we’ll be taking a look at Sweden -with Loreen the favourite to triumph at this year’s contest, which would see Sweden tying Ireland’s record of seven wins, we’ll be taking a look back at her previous victory in 2012, wondering if anyone can stop her from doing the double, and trying to put our finger on what it is that makes Sweden one of the most successful Eurovision nations of all time.

Don’t forget to hit subscribe on your podcast platform to make sure you don’t miss an episode, and until next time - good night Europe, and good morning Australia.