as last minute preparations are made for the final of the eurovision song contest. the uk will be the last of the 26 acts to perform. now on bbc news, the travel show. this week, it s time to party. eurovision rolls into liverpool, so we ask are scousers really the greatest showmen? i m proud to be a scouser. the greatest showmen? i m proud to come from liverpool. a little taste of ukraine in the heart of merseyside. very nice indeed. ..and the midlife handbrake turn that saw one woman choose life on the road. i wanted to go and explore life and see if there was another way of living. hi and welcome to liverpool, where a wild extravaganza otherwise known as the 67th eurovision song contest is taking place this weekend after last year s winners ukraine were unable to host the competition because of the ongoing war. last year s event was watched by 160 million people and this year, the city that knows how to celebrate is pulling out all the stops to make sure that the competiti
night, but you did it. 0h, absolutely. you re killing it. are you going to come back? oh, yeah. i ve not been in liverpool long but i think i know why scousers are such great showmen. the musical heritage, the love of being among a crowd and the shared history have given the city a distinctive personality, and it s one that provides a perfect backdrop to the eurovision song contest. thank you, will. now, if football, bingo and bit of a jig aren t enough for you, there are still a phenomenal amount of other things to see and do here in liverpool. and here is our travel show guide to just some of them. around 600,000 beatles fans come every year, looking to tread in the footsteps of their musical heroes. the beatles story on the royal albert dock is a good place to start. it claims to be the world s largest collection of its kind. there s also the two hour
but first, will s been to find out why, out of the 20 cities that applied to host, liverpool was chosen and it might be something to do with their reputation for showmanship. all: we love liverpool! in the 19th century, the port of liverpool was considered the busiest on the planet. at one time, an estimated 40% of global trade passed through these waters, exporting the fruits of the industrial revolution and importing commerce, culture and people from everywhere to england s north west coast. these days, liverpool is known for a lot more than that music, entertainment and this year, the eurovision song contest. it s thought the event could end up attracting an extra 100,000 people to come and see england s only unesco city of music. so, i ve got one question why are scousers such good entertainers?
you ve just won a henry hoover! of course, this isn t just a bingo night. jonny s taken a british institution that s normally associated with older players. £300! ..and given it a uniquely scouse twist. and the reason that eurovision has come to liverpool? cos it s the best city in the world! eurovision, bongo s bingo they re also quite similar events. eurovision is all about having fun and just letting loose and it s just such a colourful event. and when it first got announced, i almost felt like it s going to have to be liverpool. there s no better city. jonny, thank you for tonight. that was incredible. yes. do you feel it? oh, i feel it all over. the energy. headache, leg ache. but the passion. i told you, strap yourself in. it was going to be a wild
is one way of expressing solidarity here in liverpool. but to really appreciate the disruption and devastation of war, you ve got to get how it affects everyday life, like having to have sandbags to protect statues from being destroyed. artwork reflecting the war in ukraine can be seen throughout liverpool and one particularly poignant reminder of why eurovision is being held in liverpool can be seen in the city s iconic cathedral, where the public is invited to share the horrors of escaping war through an immersive video experience. is there one particular bit of the journey that has a really strong emotion for you? yeah, it is the very beginning. so, it s the most painful part. yeah. we can see the trip from the east part of ukraine to the west part, for escaping