🎤 Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton to host Eurovision 2023

Today on the BBC2 Zoe Ball Breakfast show, the hosts of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 have been revealed! Alesha Dixon, Julia Sanina, Hannah Waddingham and Graham Norton will helm the Liverpool stage in May this year.

Some familiar faces in the line-up

Alesha Dixon is a singer with a host of television experience. Her big break came as a member of RnB group Mis-Teeq, and she found a new audience as a winner and then judge on Strictly Come Dancing. In recent years, she has been behind the judging table in the Got Talent franchise in the UK and abroad, and moved into presenting for music award shows and dance competitions.

Julia Sanina is a Ukranian performer, best known as lead singer of The Hardkiss (who famously lost a tie break in Vidbir 2016 to Jamala). She also has experience as a reality TV judge, having been in the jury for Vidbir and appearing as a panel member on The X Factor Ukraine. Her music has won multiple awards; most recently her duet with Tina Karol, “Free”, won the YUNA award for Best Song for a Movie and Best Duet. She is one of 36 Ukrainian women whose image has been used to create a special line of Barbie dolls.

Hannah Waddingham is an actress and singer, with appearances across both stage and screen. While she is most recognisable to audiences as Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, she has also appeared in major roles in Game of Thrones, Sex Education, and as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. She has had success in both the West End and Broadway as a performer, including playing The Witch in Into The Woods and the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot.

Graham Norton is the UK’s “voice of Eurovision”, and will be joining the hosting team for the grand final only. He is an Irish presenter with a decades-long presence on UK television. He has been the UK’s Eurovision commentator for the grand final since 2009, and has hosted much of the UK’s extra-Eurovision content, including the Greatest Hits show alongside Petra Mede. He hosts a regular self-titled chat show, and is a regular judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.

That’s not all!

Ukrainian presenter and commentator Timur Miroshnychenko will be the Eurovision Correspondent in Liverpool, appearing in VT inserts throughout the live shows, as well as giving live insights from the Ukrainian commentary box.

Former England footballer and presenter Sam Quek will host the opening ceremony live stream on YouTube.

Graham Norton will, like Terry Wogan in 1998, alternate between the Eurovision stage and commentary box on the night of the grand final. He will be joined in the UK commentary box by actress and comedian Mel Giedroyc, who returns to the role after providing semi-final commentary between 2015-2017. Scott Mills and Rylan will provide commentary on the semi-finals.

Actress and singer Claire Sweeney will provide a special Liverpudlian commentary on BBC Radio Merseyside, alongside the winner of The Voice of Eurovision talent search.

What we know about Eurovision 2023

Although Ukraine won the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin, due to the ongoing Russian invasion they are unable to host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Instead, the United Kingdom stepped in, as 2022’s runner-up; Liverpool will host the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May 2023. The contest will take place at the M&S Arena, with 37 countries taking part. The full production team behind the 2023 contest can be found here. The contest is a co-production between host broadcaster the BBC and last year’s winning broadcaster, Suspilne.

The semi-final allocation draw took place on the 31st January, and the distribution of each semi-final can be found here!

Are you excited about Eurovision 2023? What do you think of the hosting choices? As always, let us know what you think by commenting below. Also, be sure to follow “That Eurovision Site” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok as we prepare for Eurovision 2023!

News Source: BBC & EBU

Photo Credit: BBC