In 2020 the French delegation decided to ditch the national selection “Destination Eurovision” to internally select Tom Leeb. After the contest was cancelled and it was announced that Leeb would not be selected for 2021, France 2 announced there are plans to return to a national selection show.
Rather than using the same format as Destination Eurovision, France 2 has unveiled a new show format which once again gives the public a say in their Eurovision act. The show may also come earlier than we would expect – as the submission window opened up on June 29th, making it the first country to open their submission window (the second would be Slovenia, who opened the submission window on Monday, July 13th).
Based off what we know, the show will be called Eurovision France, C’est vous qui décidez – loosely translated to Eurovision France, It’s up to you. When asked why they are planning to return to a national final, Head of Delegation Alexandra Redde-Amiel said, “You have to look at in in context. Tom Leeb was selected internally. COVID-19 came along and Eurovision was cancelled. Eurovision is one of our strongest brands. We can’t let the public go another year without it. We spoke with Tom and we decided to let the public get behind Eurovision once more by creating Eurovision France, C’est vous qui décidez.”
France was careful not to reveal any specific details, as it appears many details have not been decided as of today. What was revealed is that the show will be organized and produced internally by France Télévisions, rather than using an external company like in 2018 and 2019. The finale of the selection will take place in a regional city arena and Redde-Amie confirmed that the public will have the power of choice. Stephane Bern, the current French commentator for Eurovision will serve as the show’s host.
There may be a jury of some kind, similar to the jury used in Destination Eurovision, however when asked Redde-Amiel simply said “everything is still open now.
What do #YOU think about the return to a French national selection? Will #YOU be watching? Let us know in the comments, on social media, and on our forum!
