The BBC have announced the jury panel for Eurovision: You Decide, which will take place this coming Friday. The jury will consist of three members: Mollie King, Marvin Humes and, making a return after last year’s appearance, Rylan Clark-Neal.
Bigger task than last year
Last year, the expert jury panel only provided feedback to help the British public choose the best act. Rochelle Humes, Tom Fletcher and Rylan Clark-Neal were in the jury that time. This year, the new panel will get a whole new task.
Instead of just advising the public what they could vote for, they’ll actively decide what the public will be able to pick. The expert jury with King, Humes and Clark-Neal will determine the winner of each battle. The winners of the three battles will then go into a public voting round.
Rylan’s return
Eurovision fan Rylan Clark-Neal had a great 2018 when it comes to his Eurovision involvement. After being on the panel at Eurovision: You Decide, he was invited to become part of the official hosting team for the BBC, which meant he provided commentary during the semifinals. About his return to the show, he said:
I’m so excited to be back on the judging panel for Eurovision: You Decide and back in the Eurovision family! I’ve been a life-long fan and take it very seriously so it’s a real honour to help the public decide who we choose to send to the main contest in May.
Rylan Clark-Neal
Mollie King is the second judge. The former member of girl group The Saturdays is a girl of many talents. Besides selling over five million records in her singing career, she also took part in Strictly Come Dancing, where she finished fifth. Lately, she’s taken up a role on BBC Radio 1, hosting the breakfast show there.
The final jury member is also a singer of a former group and a DJ. Marvin Humes rose to fame as part of JLS on X Factor and has since gone on to make name as a DJ. He hosts his own radio show, but has also hosted on TV, presenting The Voice. Speaking about his own experiences, he says:
I know what it feels like to perform live for the public and a judging panel so hopefully I can bring that experience on the night!
Marvin Humes
The six hopefuls
Six acts will battle it out this Friday, 8th February. Of those, three will make it through to a televoting round. Each song is sung by two different acts in two different versions, with the expert jury deciding which of the two has the edge.
The BBC revealed the songs a while ago. One of them is going to represent the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest, hoping to become their first top ten act since Jade Ewen back in 2009. You can find the six acts right here.
