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| On 8 September 2022, the BBC confirmed that, for 2023, it had once again opted for an internal selection process that would not involve any public participation. It confirmed that, it would collaborate with TaP Music - as it had for the 2022 Contest - to select and produce the 2023 United Kingdom entry. The 2022 collaboration had resulted in Sam Ryder and his song Space Man being selected as the United Kingdom entry. Space Man finished in 2nd place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, the United Kingdom’s best result since 1998. The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 was won by Ukraine but, on 25 July 2022, the European Broadcasting Union and the BBC formally confirmed that the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 would be held in the United Kingdom on behalf of Ukraine’s public service broadcaster - UA:PBC. It had been agreed that the event "could not be held in Ukraine for safety and security reasons" following the country's invasion by Russian Federation forces. On 7 October 2022, after a detailed bidding process, it was announced that Liverpool would act as host city for the Contest. The Grand Final will take place in the Liverpool Arena on Saturday 13 May 2023 with Semi-Finals on Tuesday 9 May 2023 and Thursday 11 May 2023. |