United Kingdom | Eurovision You Decide Format Revealed

Eurovision: You Decide has been the United Kingdom's selection process and National Final for the past three years and this morning the BBC has revealed more details about the Eurovision: You Decide 2019 including changes to the location and format! However - not to worry - winner of Eurovision 2015 Måns Zelmerlöw will be back to co-host the show with Mel Giedroyc once again!

The first of the changes is the location. It was already speculated over the past few months that the contest would be held in Salford - and today the BBC have confirmed that Eurovision: You Decide will be coming to the North of England for the first time to be hosted in MediaCity UK, Salford. The BBC press release also confirms that our new Head of Delegation is Andrew Cartmell - who previously held the role in 2012 when Englebert Humperdinck finished 25th out of 26 with 'Love Will Set You Free'.

However perhaps the biggest of change comes with the format. In the past three years, six different songs would be performed by a respective different performer. For 2019, there will only be three songs performed however six singers in total - meaning each song will be sung twice in two 'musically different' ways. Speaking of the changes, Creative Director for Entertainment at BBC Studios Mel Balac said, "This year the three songs presented to the United Kingdom have been selected with the help of an international jury. Our exciting “euro-version” format will give fans the chance to compare and contrast these fantastic songs in a fresh, new way and deliver the United Kingdom the artist it deserves to fly the flag out in Tel Aviv in May."

In addition, Kate Phillips (Controller of Entertainment Commissioning) kept hopes of the UK aiming to win Eurovision sometime soon alive with her comment, “Forget about a sing-off, next year it’s all about the song-off as we once again try to marry a great singer with a great song, one which could finally get us on the left hand side of the leader board. We may be leaving the EU but we are still determined to win Eurovision again one day!”

No date has been set as of yet, however the BBC confirmed that the guest acts will be announced soon and that the show will take place in February 2019 and will be broadcast on BBC Two.

Since it's creation in 2016, the United Kingdom has continued to have a slump in their results - finishing 24th in both 2016 and 2018, whilst Lucie Jones in 2017 took the UK up the scoreboard to 15th. Without the results to support Eurovision: You Decide with it's old format - there is hope that a change to the format will bring positivity to Eurovision fans across the nation and maybe reach the left hand side of the scoreboard for the first time since 2011!

Do you think the BBC made the right decision to make these changes? Let us know in the comments below and make sure to connect with us on social media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube - for the latest Eurovision news, updates and exclusive video content.