[Newshound47]

I’m surprised there has never been as much notice paid to the fact the subtitles translate lyrics that are not in English.

[Jon]

I’m surprised there has never been as much notice paid to the fact the subtitles translate lyrics that are not in English.

That was a massive thing when it was introduced probably in the late 90s via 888 on Ceefax. Although I remember trying it last year (not via Ceefax of course) and it didn’t seem to work and the lyrics came up in their native language. So perhaps they stopped going to the effort sometime before this years contest where they went all out.

[fanoftv]

Indeed, I remember the Ceefax subtitles doing it back in the day but they haven’t got a few years, it was a surprise to see that it returned this year and helped us to have an understanding of what they were singing. The translated lyrics of Cha Cha Cha seemed to rhyme in English, maybe planned, maybe a coincidence.

[Brekkie]

As the Eurovision lights fade on Liverpool I’d just like to thank the BBC, EBU, Liverpool Council and all those involved in creating such an amazing event.

On screen the stage design and surrounding sets were beautiful and worked well together for the performances and presenters. Hannah, Alesha and Julia have been amazing throughout the week. Graham was good on Saturday, but part of me feels that he wasn’t necessarily needed as the others had more than capably managed the semis; I find it a little odd that he only did the final.
The branding was the winner for me, both visual and audio it worked incredibly well; the vibrant, bold design was completely different to 2022’s muted tones, but it captured the energy of the contest. The city centre of Liverpool was adorned with the branding at every turn, making it the focal point for every citizen and visitor.

Well done everybody involved in production, presentation and design, it worked very well and showcased the UK, especially Liverpool whilst celebrating Ukraine.

Agree 100% with your praise for production and presentation. As for Graham - I did find it odd he didn't do the semi finals and the official line was ge uses them to prep for his final commentary but he could have just top and tailed the show again and sat out for the performance part.

That said I thought the split worked well with Graham coming in for the finals results and Julia getting the chance to do the semi final results.

What I hate though is the commentators repeatedly talking over the hosts - it comes across very arrogant to always do it when they speak another language (they at least didn't talk over the Ukrainian last night!) and as always over zealous when it comes to voting terms and conditions and speaking over the hosts saying pretty much the same thing with the commentator basically taking three minutes to say "you can't vote by text".    That said I do think the overall production do need to put a few seconds into the running order around the voting packages to allow the local commentators to say what they need to say without either talking over the hosts or the recap.

One of the most poignant parts of the show was Julia in the audience with the Ukrainian fans speaking in her mother tongue hyping up the crowd and Mel not interrupting once. Mel was also complementary about Julia when she did her final link with the main presenters in Ukrainian.

Yes, that was a relief after Scott and Rylan talked over her Ukrainian parts in the semi final, forgetting there would be a significant Ukrainian audience watching in Britain.

I’m surprised there has never been as much notice paid to the fact the subtitles translate lyrics that are not in English.

Absolutely. They used to do them on screen on the red button too. I did use them a bit but sometimes it reads better not to know what the actual lyrics are.

[gottago]

Hosting wise I feel like it was faultless, but as in genuinely faultless. Haven't had a chance to watch back the semis on TV but have watched the grand final in full last night and I honestly don't think I saw a single error throughout the whole thing! I'm racking my brains for even the smallest of fudges but can't remember seeing anything go wrong. Please do correct though! Certainly a step up from Italy's broadcast of the legs of a chair and a faulty stage last year!

The voting was another thriller thanks to the current voting system. I have to say though, while I didn't mind Mel's commentary during the acts, she truly offered nothing of any value whatsoever during the voting. Hearing her basically say very slight variations of "ooh look at that", "wow" and "there they go up the board" 37 times was extremely poor. I actually think they could have got away with no commentary for the entirety of the voting period as Graham and Hannah were so entertaining.

What was interesting is the BBC seemed to made a conscious decision to have the presenters say basically nothing as Loreen was making her long walk to the stage. Normally you get a lot of rambling and filler from the hosts and I think the BBC decided to scrap that all together and leave the commentators to it, which makes sense as there's probably a lot more for them to say in the closing moments: reviewing the night for their own act, discussing who their country voted for, saying their thank yous, commenting on the winner etc.

Liverpool was quite an extraordinary host city. I've never been to Eurovision before this year but it felt like the buzz was probably on a whole other scale to what you normally get. Every inch of the city was covered in Eurovision in some way, there were live performances round every corner, really poignant art and information related to Ukraine, the sun beaming down, branding on every pole and bus stop, EU flags everywhere, it was a sensational week and one I'll never forget.

[JMT1985]

Many have pointed out that the UK have done what Ireland did in 1995, after Ireland hosted the contest for three years in a row, come 1995 they wanted a rest, and so put in a very mediocre song, which of course they lost out to Norway. UK maybe feel they spent a fortune on hosting for Ukraine, maybe they felt a lacklustre song would be useful.

[Brekkie]

Liverpool really stepped up - made it a festival rather than a night out.

My only critique is I think the interval acts across the week could have been stronger, especially the British element. The first semi final was probably the strongest in that regard.

[Alessi]

I think my only criticism is I would have expected a bit more humour (yes, I know Mel did the milking thing), akin to what we get when Sweden hosts, however I think this was probably curtailed due to us hosting on behalf of Ukraine. It was pretty flawless technically, and creatively it was safe and professional.

[Brekkie]

Loving all the videos emerging today of the stage transformations during the postcards.

twitter.com 

[JamieD]

Hosting wise I feel like it was faultless, but as in genuinely faultless. Haven't had a chance to watch back the semis on TV but have watched the grand final in full last night and I honestly don't think I saw a single error throughout the whole thing! I'm racking my brains for even the smallest of fudges but can't remember seeing anything go wrong. Please do correct though! Certainly a step up from Italy's broadcast of the legs of a chair and a faulty stage last year!

Nope, I didn't spot a single error throughout the whole show, which is very impressive. I suppose there were a few instances where you could see the jib or steadicam op in shot but only very briefly. Well done, BBC! 


I also agree about the point around the interval acts. There was a lot of a hype about the interval act in the Grand Final beforehand – talk of closed sets, surprises and special guests, which may have meant I had too high an expectation and was consequently a bit disappointed. (I also found it a bit presumptuous the host saying 'this will go down in history as one of the best X, Y, Z etc. ever' before it's even been performed!

Still, SVT are on a whole other level with these productions, so I'm looking forward to 2024 in Sweden!