Eurovision season is fastly approaching, and now we know who will host this year’s spectacle event.
Europe’s hottest annual competition is set to occur later this year in England, and the country is already excited about the action-packed feat that we all know and love. The 2023 installment of everyone’s favorite singing contest comes after Ukraine’s success last year. Still, the UK has taken on hosting duties due to the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the winner, with Liverpool being the chosen city to host the Eurovision Song Contest.
Last week we were introduced to the powerhouse team of celebrities that will be taking to the stage to present the show and its participants, with some very familiar faces included in the line-up. Three of the UK’s finest talents are set to don their best outfits and walk onto the Liverpool Arena stage. One Ukrainian star who is well-known in her home country and will proudly represent the successes of last year’s winning entry, Kalush Orchestra.
Who Are The 2023 Hosts?
Graham Norton will be reprising his much-loved commentator role, staying in our ears for the whole evening and acting as a host at some points throughout the show. The Northern Irish star, best known for his chat show The Graham Norton Show, has been part of the British Eurovision team for 14 years, having first begun as a commentator for the contest in 2009. Unsurprisingly, he’ll feature in this year’s show on UK ground, and we can’t wait to experience his usual quick-witted remarks all night.
Ukraine’s own Julia Sanina will journey to the UK to host and stand as the only host for last year’s winner. The singer and frontwoman of the alternative rock band The Hardkiss is a widely successful musician and has won numerous awards in the industry. Despite much social media outrage about the fact that only one Ukrainian celebrity will feature in this year’s show, the star has expressed that she “can’t wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family”.
Fellow singer and musician Alesha Dixon will be Britain’s music representative on-stage host. No stranger to live TV, Alesha has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent for over ten years, joining the panel in 2012 after a brief stint on Strictly Come Dancing. Shooting to fame in girl group Mis-Teeq, some of her hit singles include ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ and ‘Scandalous’, with her presenting skills now keeping her in the public eye.
Finishing the all-female trio is Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham, potentially the most surprising star to be announced as part of the hosting line-up. The 48-year-old London native has featured in various highly-acclaimed TV shows and movies, including Game Of Thrones, Benidorm, and even the Hocus Pocus 2022 sequel. She can now add Eurovision Song Contest host to her list of achievements after seeing it on her tiny screen on May 13th.
Who Has Hosted Eurovision Previously?
We’ve seen many celebrities worldwide take on the hosting role at Eurovision, including some very famous faces. Every year, a range of stars from last year’s winning country stand on home soil and present the show, with musicians, actors, comedians, and more known to undertake the job.
Last year’s competition was held in Italy, with Lebanese-British pop star Mika popping up as one of the country’s chosen presenters. Despite having no Italian roots, he had previously judged on the Italian version of The X Factor, offering a possible explanation as to why he was picked. It shows that you don’t have to be a local to represent the host country.
It’s also not uncommon for previous winners to host. Sweden’s Måns Zelmerlöw might be best remembered as winning the 2015 edition of the contest with his bop Heroes. He later went on to host the show the year after when it returned to his home country alongside Petra Mede. Similarly, drag queen Conchita Wurst won in 2014 and presented the show the following year. Dreams really can come true!
