The 6 entries which have been shortlisted to compete upcoming British national final, Eurovision: You Decide, will be premiered for the first time on the 22 February.
Following yesterday’s announcement that the United Kingdom will select their entry for the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest via a national final, the BBC has since revealed that the shortlisted entries will be premiered for the first time on Monday 22 February. The announcement was made earlier today on BBC Radio 2 during The Ken Bruce Show, the same show which will premiere the 6 competing national final entries next month.
This coming Friday on the 22 January, the special guests invited to perform at the British national final will be revealed during The Ken Bruce Show on BBC Radio 2. Tickets for the national final will also go on sale on the same day from 10:00 local time (11:00 CET).
Eurovision: You Decide will take place on Friday 26 February from the O2 Forum in Kentish Town and will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc. This is the first time in six years where the British public will be able to vote for who they want to see representing the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest.
The last time the BBC hosted a national selection was in 2010 when Josh Dubovie was chosen to represent this country with the internally selected entry, That sounds good to me. The United Kingdom received a total of 10 points at the grand final, ending in last position.
The national final will be broadcast on BBC Four and will run for 90 minutes. Following the closure of the BBC Three television channel, the semi-finals of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest will also be broadcast on BBC Four on the 10 and 12 May, with the final of the contest airing on BBC One on the 14 May.