Graham Norton and Hannah Waddingham to host Eurovision

This year's Eurovision Song Contest will be hosted by Graham Norton and Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, it has been announced today.

The actors will moderate the show alongside Alseha Dixon and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina. Waddingham, who has also appeared in Game of Thrones, will host the two semi-finals on May 9th and 11th, alongside Dixon and Sanina. Irish presenter Graham Norton will later join them for the grand final on Saturday 13th May.

On her BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, broadcaster Zoe Ball said: "On the TV hosting the Eurovision Song Contest final in Liverpool will be Alesha Dixon, the Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, award-winning actress from Ted Lasso and Games Of Thrones Hannah Waddingham and someone you may well know, Mr Graham Norton."

 

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The international music competition is usually held in the country of the previous year's winner. Since Ukraine, who won the contest in 2022, is unable to host the event due to the Russian invasion, the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in the UK.

Since 2009, Cork native Graham Norton has been in the UK commentating booth for the Eurovision Song Contest. Norton is well known for his BAFTA award-winning BBC show The Graham Norton Show where he talks to a range of artists and musicians.

For her role in Ted Lasso, UK actress Hannah Waddingham won several awards, including an Emmy. She also received three Olivier Award nominations and starred in West End and various Broadway musicals.

Sanina was a finalist on Dancing with the Stars in Ukraine and was a judge on X-Factor Ukraine. Her band The HARDKISS took part in the 2016 national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest and placed second overall.

"There's something really special about Eurovision which is why I’ve been an avid fan for years – from the camaraderie of all the acts backstage, to the epic scale of the show," Sanina said.

"It’s one of the world’s greatest music festivals, but this year, perhaps more than ever, it is such a great honour to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country which has carried itself with such strength and unity."

Dixon is best known as a former member of the chart-topping band Mis-Teeq, but has also enjoyed great success as a solo artist. Her television appearances include Comic Relief, The Greatest Dancer, Strictly Come Dancing and Britain's Got Talent.

Dixon said: "I've performed all over the world and there is just something about the buzz and anticipation of a live show that can’t be rivalled. Eurovision delivers that excitement, creativity and talent, but on a vast, global scale.

"I remember watching the Eurovision Song Contest on the TV when I was small, so to be there bringing the Grand Final and Semi Finals to people watching across the world is HUGE."