The last time the Eurovision Song Contest was held in the United Kingdom was in 1998 when Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson hosted the event. Now that the 2023 hosts have been announced, what about this year’s UK representative?
The hosts of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held in Liverpool, have been revealed.
The grand final will be hosted on May 13 by Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian vocalist Julia Sanina. And TV star and singer Alesha Dixon, along with veteran host Graham Norton. Timur Miroshnychenko will be the Ukrainian commentator.
Waddingham, Sanina, and Dixon will also present the two Eurovision semi-finals.
The UK’s performer for the contest has not yet been revealed.
Dixon, who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the girl group Mis-Teeq before appearing as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and then Britain’s Got Talent, said she was excited to be a major part of the event this year.
“I’ve performed all over the globe. And there is just something about the excitement and anticipation of a live show that cannot be matched,” she said. “I recall watching the Eurovision Song Contest on television when I was a child. So to be there broadcasting the grand final and semi-finals to people around the world is a tremendous honor.”
The last time the UK held was in 1998, when Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson hosted.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2022, so it should host this year. However, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) deemed it unsafe due to the Russian incursion.
Liverpool was chosen to host the competition because Sam Ryder of the UK came second.
Waddingham, a British actress best known for her Emmy-winning performance in the hit comedy Ted Lasso as well as her roles in Game Of Thrones and Sex Education, said that hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine makes this year’s program all the more special.
“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,” she said.
It is a tremendous honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country that has carried itself with such strength and unity, at one of the world’s greatest music festivals this year, perhaps more than ever before.
Sanina, lead singer of Ukrainian alternative rock band The Hardkiss, was a Dancing With The Stars finalist and X-Factor judge. “I’m so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity and to help put on a show that will make my nation proud,” she said. “I can’t wait to arrive in Liverpool and meet the supporters and the rest of the Eurovision family.”
Norton, a UK Eurovision commentator for several years, feels a “huge obligation to make our Ukrainian colleagues proud.”
This year, 37 countries will participate in Eurovision, with Ukraine and the “big five” – the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain – automatically qualifying as victors for 2022 due to their financial contributions to the event.
The first semifinal will feature performances by Ireland, Serbia, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Sweden, Moldova, Switzerland, Israel, the Netherlands, Finland, Azerbaijan, and the Czech Republic on May 9.
On May 11, the second semifinal will feature matches between Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Denmark, Belgium, Iceland. Greece, Estonia, Albania, Australia, Austria, Lithuania, San Marino, Slovenia, Georgia, and Poland.
On May 13, Liverpool Arena, also known as M&S Bank Arena, will host the Eurovision Song Contest.
