Dance lecturer chosen as UK head judge for Eurovision

LIPA Dance lecturer Carl Parris says it was an honour to be chosen as the UK’s head judge for Eurovision 2025. 

Carl was part of a panel of five industry experts that included musician, presenter and member of Atomic Kitten Liz McClarnon; Blossoms singer/guitarist Tom Ogden; composer, producer and DJ Afrodeutsche and record company CEO Mark Lippmann. 

Carl says the invitation to be part of the panel was a shock. “I got a random email from the BBC, and my first question was ‘why me?’  

“They said they’d researched me and were impressed with the mixture of my performance work, the films that I have appeared in, and my commitment to education with the work I do at LIPA. After a few emails I agreed to do it and soon after that they made me head judge.” 

Image: Carl Parris. Photographer Brian Roberts

The judging of the semi-final and grand final took place the day before the televised events and were based on live screenings of the final rehearsals at Media City in Salford. 

The panel was tasked with scoring each song and ranking them from best to worst. No consultation between judges was permitted and they were not allowed to share their results with each other. Carl says there was a real feeling of camaraderie between the panel members. “Being a judge is a serious business and there’s a lot of responsibility. We all felt nervous, a bit like we were back at school because there were so many rules.  

“But the BBC also made sure it was still a celebratory occasion, and the panel was a great group of people to meet and spend time with.” 

The judging criteria included the quality and creativity of the song, vocal performance and for Carl, most importantly, how the song made you feel. “I think that emotional reaction is what matters most. It can be an amazing performance, but did it connect with me on an emotional level, did it touch my soul?”  

At the end of the performances Carl collated the results and they were then forwarded to Eurovision producers in Basel in time for the live show the following evening.  

Each participating country has a panel of judges, and the winner is determined by a combination of panel votes and a live public vote.   

The makeup of the judging panel is kept secret until just before the final. Carl says reaction to his involvement has been amazing. “The moment Graham Norton announced my name on BBC One my phone just lit up with messages from people who I haven’t heard from in years saying, ‘is that you?’ And I didn’t realise how many of our students watched it until I came to work on Monday and they started asking the same question!” 

The eventual winners of Eurovision 2025 were Austria with the song Wasted Love, performed by JJ and written by JJ along with Teodora Špirić and Thomas Thurner. 

Carl says being part of the event was a great experience. “I feel so honoured to have been part of such a huge event and incredibly grateful that I was asked. To be honest it still hasn’t really sunk in yet.” 

Carl’s role as a judge is just the latest of LIPA’s many links to Eurovision, with graduates, students and staff having been part of the competition over the last 22 years. In 2023 when the contest was staged in Liverpool over 150 students and graduates played a part in delivering the live TV finals and the city-wide Eurovision festival and celebrations. Last year graduate Lasse Midtsian co-wrote and co-produced Switzerland’s winning entry, The Code.

Top image: UK judging panel left-to-right, Afrodeutsche, Mark Lippmann, Carl, Tom Ogden and Liz McClarnon

LIPA grad co-writes and co-produces 2024 Eurovision winner

LIPA students and grads work on Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool

Carl Parris performs in Wicked