Following the reveal of the participating countries at this year’s Junior Eurovision Song Contest, it was officially confirmed that the U.K. will be participating in this year’s contest in Nice.
The search for Freya’s successor is on!
After the official confirmation, the BBC has revealed that the process to select the country’s act and entry is underway, and is being led by the BBC Studios Entertainment and Music with CBBC.
Speaking about the UK’s participation, Patricia Hidalgo, Director BBC Children’s and Education had the following to say:
Following on from the fabulous spectacle of the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year in Liverpool, we are so proud to once again bring Junior Eurovision to the BBC and to give children and their families the opportunity to enjoy this incredible show together.
It was also revealed that BBC Children will also look back at Freya Skye’s journey with a special My Life documentary to be broadcast on CBBC and BBC iPlayer, with another documentary following the UK’s 2023 representative to also air ahead of the competition in Nice.
The United Kingdom’s Junior Eurovision Journey
The United Kingdom was one of the first countries to take part in the first edition of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in 2003. Represented by Tom Morley and his song “My Song for the World”, the UK finished in 3rd place in Copenhagen. At the close of voting, Morley earned 118 points, only behind Spain and Croatia. The UK would compete a further two times, with their most successful attempt coming in 2004. In Lillehammer, Cory Spedding finished in second place with her song “The Best is Yet to Come”.
In 2022 the country returned to the Junior Eurovision Song Contest after a 17 year absence. the United Kingdom was represented by Freya Skye with her song “Lose My Head”. In Yerevan Freya scored 146 points, placing her 5th. Freya recieved 66 points from the professional juries, and 80 from the online voting – which was the most a country received in 2022 from online voters.
Are you excited for the UK’s participation in Nice? Who do you think the U.K. should send to Junior Eurovision 2023? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram,Twitterand TikTok for more information about Junior Eurovision!
News Source: BBC
Photo Credit: Corinne Cumming/EBU
