Graham Norton, Scott Mills and Rylan Clark to return for BBC’s Eurovision show
Olly Alexander will represent the UK in the international song competition with his dance-infused track Dizzy.
Graham Norton, Scott Mills and Rylan Clark are all set to return to helm BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision final, the broadcaster has confirmed.
Irish TV star Norton will commentate on the song contest for BBC One and iPlayer while radio DJs Mills and Clark will oversee coverage on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds when the acts take to the stage at Malmo Arena in Sweden on May 11.
Years & Years singer Olly Alexander is to represent the UK in the international song competition with his dance-infused track Dizzy.
Sweden is hosting the 68th edition of the competition after its entry last year, Loreen, won in Liverpool with her track Tattoo.
This year’s event coincides with the 50-year anniversary of Swedish group Abba winning the competition in 1974 with Waterloo.
The competition will see 37 countries compete to be crowned the winners, starting with two semi-finals that will be broadcast live on Tuesday May 7 and Thursday May 9.
The 15 countries competing in the first semi-final are Cyprus, Serbia, Lithuania, Ireland, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia, Iceland, Slovenia, Finland, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Australia, Portugal and Luxembourg.
The 16 countries in the second semi-final are Malta, Albania, Greece, Switzerland, Czechia, Austria, Denmark, Armenia, Latvia, San Marino, Georgia, Belgium, Estonia, Israel, Norway and Netherlands.
Mills and Clark will provide the commentary on BBC One and BBC iPlayer for the semi-final shows, while broadcaster Richie Anderson will be leading the commentary for the first time on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
Alexander will perform Dizzy during the first semi-final but he is already through to the last battle in the competition along with others in the “big five” – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – as well as last year’s winner Sweden.
This is the first time the “big five” countries and the host country will perform their songs in full during the semi-finals, but the acts will not compete for votes.
During the final, viewers across Europe and professional juries in each country will vote and their combined scores will decide the winner.
For the second year running, there will be a “rest of the world” viewer vote which will be incorporated into the total points of the viewers’ vote.
The BBC’s director of entertainment, Kate Phillips, said: “Following a thrilling contest in Liverpool last year after hosting on behalf for Ukraine, the BBC proudly continues to be the home of Eurovision in the UK.
“We’re delighted to broadcast both the semi-finals and the grand final on BBC One and iPlayer, plus BBC Radio 2 continues to be the home of Eurovision on the airwaves and will broadcast all three live shows, as well as wall-to-wall Eurovision content on the day of the grand final.”
The broadcaster has created a documentary film which follows Alexander preparing to represent the UK at the song contest.
Olly Alexander’s Road To Eurovision ‘24 will air on BBC One on the evening of the first semi-final.
He is also set to surprise the residents of Albert Square when he makes a guest appearance on BBC soap EastEnders.
The singer, 33, will stop at the Queen Vic pub to reconnect with old friend Johnny Carter, played by actor Charlie Suff, in scenes due to air in early May.
In honour of Abba’s 50th anniversary, the BBC has created a number of programmes following their story from Eurovision victory to becoming one of the biggest bands in the world.
