The Eurovision Song Content 2023 was the most watched grand final in the competition’s history. For the first time, four songs from the contest have entered the UK’s Top 10 at once.
As the crew arrives back in London, hear from the senior production team that bought the live Semi-Finals and Grand Final to the world stage in such spectacular fashion.
Kate Phillips (Director of Unscripted, and Eurovision Lead for the BBC) will be joined by BBC Studios Entertainment & Music’s Lee Smithurst (Head of Show), Caroline Lloyd (Event Line Producer) and Nikki Parsons (Lead Director) to discuss the creative, technical and logistical feat behind delivering the world’s biggest music event to a global audience of over 160 million.
Quizzing panellists on how they united to celebrate Ukraine’s victory as well as UK creativity will be Eurovision Turquoise Carpet Opening Ceremony presenter and proud Liverpudlian, Sam Quek.
Panellists
- Kate Phillips, Director of Unscripted (BBC): Kate is responsible for the overall commissioning strategy and delivery of the BBC’s full range of unscripted content, including Entertainment, Factual, Daytime, Events and of course Eurovision! A lifelong fan of the contest, here she represents the BBC’s core Eurovision team which includes Martin Green (Managing Director) and Rachel Ashdown (Lead Commissioner).
- Lee Smithurst, Head of Show (BBC Studios): Lee takes creative lead on editorial for the three live shows, having worked on five Eurovision contests to date. In recent years, Lee has played an instrumental role in bringing the UK delegation from ‘nil point’ to centre stage. Lee’s wider credits include I Can See Your Voice, Kylie Minogue’s Secret Night and Soccer Aid.
- Caroline Lloyd, Event Line Producer (BBC Studios): Caroline was one of a team of Line Producers who worked across the ESC. Her role was to oversee the delivery of the event including all of the staging, lighting, screens and content, as well as taking the lead on Sustainability. Caroline has vast experience of live events including most recently the Platinum Party in the Palace and The Earthshot Prize.
- Nikki Parsons, Lead Director (BBC Studios): Multi-award winning Director Nikki Parsons is lead director for the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final and Semi Finals. Nikki has been Series Director of Strictly Come Dancing since 2006 and most recently was one of the directors on Queen Elizabeth II’s and the Duke of Edinburgh’s funerals.
Chair: Sam Quek
Sam presented the Eurovision Turquoise Carpet Opening Ceremony and is a key member of the BBC Studios presenting family, the first female Captain on A Question of Sport and now a full-time presenter on Morning Live.
Booking Details:
Tickets for RTS members are free but must be booked in advance (please input your membership number when booking). If you do not know your membership number, please email membership@rts.org.uk.
Tickets for non-members are £15.
Tickets are non-refundable.
