It’s fine you can be called Jim if you don’t like that.
On the result; I’m not mad Ukraine won really. I don’t think in other years the song would have won though.
In my heart I’m happy Ukraine won; my head says the UK really won (second place was always going to be the “winner” in other years).
I hope we put in an effort to host. I cannot imagine Ukraine being ready to host and have that many tourists by next year.
No I agree although I think it would’ve been top 5, obviously people showing solidarity was what made it get the biggest televote in history.
There were a lot of very boring ballads this year, Ukraine did stand out. I wonder what would have happened if their song was totally rubbish.
Anyway, like you I’m glad they won, it’s more than just the music this year
Oof. Powerful stuff.
I don’t begrudge Ukraine their win at all, it’s a decent song and probably would’ve performed well even without everything else going on.
What towns do we have that are twinned with, say, Mariupol, Kyiv or Kharkov?
The BBC had already suggested Glasgow as their preferred location.
Edinburgh is twinned with Kyiv though
Did a little research.
Lviv is twinned with Rochdale. Odessa with Liverpool. And Yalta with Margate.
No UK twin for Mariupol, which is where I think Ukraine said they wanted to hold the contest.
from what I’ve heard from friends at the Beeb, they’ve been prepping like they won from the morning after Turin, and the Hydro has a provisional booking already penciled in
Considering they used the Hydro in Glasgow for the Netflix movie, it’d be perfect to host it up here given that Ukraine won’t be able to.
Official.
I’d hope that it can still be a Ukrainian event, organised by Ukrainians, but held in UK.
Thr BBC are the ones that seem to be financing it the most so id expect they would get considerable say.
I think it should have a significant Ukrainian feel but still have some connections to the UK. It would feel wrong to essentially ignore the fact it is in the UK.
It will be impossible to ignore the fact that’s in the UK, but at every point it should be clear that it is really Ukraine’s Eurovision, and that we are only hosting it because of the terrible circumstances. The main focus should be on Ukraine. There must be skilled refugees in the country who could be involved to make it more Ukrainian, I wonder if the BBC can make that happen.
Any mention of the UK should I think be apologetic, almost. It would feel crass to big up the UK in a ‘rah-rah’ way, given the circumstances.
“He [BBC Director General] said the broadcaster would make the event “a true reflection of Ukrainian culture alongside showcasing the diversity of British music and creativity”.”
Eurovision: UK to host next year’s Song Contest - BBC News
Which I think is the best way to do it. I think the “any mention of the UK being apologetic” would kinda just go against what Eurovision is all about. You can be sorry for the circumstances without having the mention it all the time.
Sam here seems to say what I was trying to say in perhaps a far better way than I managed to:
I don’t find that true really. There are so many options in London that you can find a cheap place. Manchester, on the other hand, can be insanely expensive.
I’ve been preliminarily booking in the cities for dates I think it might be and by far the most expensive was Glasgow and Newcastle (Newcastle on some dates was fully booked in a lot of hotel chains).
I’ve stayed in Moxy properties in London for around £60 a night, or Hampton by Hilton for a similar price. That’s not even looking at cheaper hotel chains too.
London can certainly be expensive but there is the sheer scale to consider.
European wise; Scandinavian countries are very expensive. Rome is also very expensive along with Athens (though it is also cheaper once you’re there so there is the off set there).
I’m not entirely sure where you live, but at a random date in the future, Google Flights is showing under £50 return on easyjet from Inverness to Gatwick. Obviously I’m not going to ask exactly where you live, and I might be way off with the ease of getting to Inverness for you.
I guess I don’t know where you’re coming from but you might (sorry) be in the minority generally, since if you book enough in advance most internal travel can be reasonably priced. Especially if you’re looking ahead as far as May 2023!
But appreciate sometimes some smaller places are more expensive.
It will be a lot less reasonably priced for that weekend once the winner is announced
I’ve booked hotels for 4 dates in each 6 cities hoping one is right 
Exactly my thought. All are flexible so are higher than usual but already some of the dates in Glasgow have got to £500 a night!