Eurovision 2023: Who are the stars hosting this year’s…

Eurovision 2023: Who are the stars hosting this year’s contest in Liverpool?

Eurovision 2023 has finally announced its presenters for this year’s song contest. Hannah Waddingham, Alesha Dixon and Julia Sanina will no doubt don some dazzling and luxury gowns for the all-female presenting gig in May.

The trio will become the faces of the semi-finals on May 9 and 11 and the grand final on May 13. Eurovision veteran Graham Norton will also be joining them periodically throughout the final.

Helping Graham in the commentary box by sharing the duties will be Mel Giedroyc. Along the hall, Ukrainian broadcaster Timur Miroshnychenko will be joined by Sam Quek to live stream the opening ceremony.

Graham Norton

Graham Norton is a Eurovision veteran known for his quick quips and hilarious commentary. The Irish actor, author, comedian, commentator and presenter has been in the Eurovision box since taking over from Sir Terry Wogan in 2008.

As a commentator, he has been praised for his comedic comments and witty jokes. He has also been noted for highlighting current affairs issues such as the arrest of gay rights protesters in Moscow.

Alesha Dixon

Alesha rose to fame as a member of garage and R&B group Mis-Teeq in the early 2000s. Since the band’s split, Alesha went on to enjoy a successful solo career as well as fronting many TV shows and joining the judging panel of Britain’s Got Talent.

Hannah Waddingham

Actress Hannah Waddingham is perhaps most recognisable from her role as Rebecca in the comedy series Ted Lasso, for which she won an Emmy award. She also played Septa Unella in Game of Thrones, the devoted follower responsible for shouting “Shame” at Cersei Lannister in one of the show’s most famous scenes.

Julia Sanina

Julia is a Ukrainian singer and the frontwoman of The Hardkiss, an alternative rock band, which has won several music awards in Ukraine. She joined the judging panel of The X Factor Ukraine for one series where she mentored an all-male vocal group called Detach. The band reached the final and finished in second place.

Speaking of her selection as host, Julia said: "I'm so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud. I can't wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family."

Sam Quek

Liverpudlian Sam Quek is a former field hockey player, who won gold as part of the British team at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Following her retirement from the sport, she joined the campmates in the I’m A Celebrity jungle in 2016 and has enjoyed a successful career as a TV presenter.

Sam will be joined by Ukrainian presenter Timur Miroshnychenko in commentating on the opening ceremony, which will be streamed online.

Timur Miroshnychenko

For Ukrainian fans of Euriovision, Timur will be a familiar face, having co-presented the main contest in 2017 and appearing in the commentary box every year since 2007. Many will recognise the commentator from last year’s contest, where he broadcast from a bomb shelter in an undisclosed location, further highlighting the impact of the war with Russia to wider European audiences.

Mel Giedroyc

Comedian and actress Mel will be on hand to help Graham Norton in the green room commentary box as the pair plan to share duties while Graham hosts. Funnywoman Mel has been a popular face on British screens for years alongside Sue Perkins and promises to bring her no-nonsense humour to the Eurovision commentary.

Rylan Clark and Scott Mills

For the first time in the UK’s Eurovision history, the semi-finals will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer and who better to offer commentary for these events than Eurovision experts Scott Mills and Rylan? The successful radio broadcaster and the TV personality have often been seen dishing out the points for the UK in previous years and fans will be delighted to hear their takes during the semi-finals.

Claire Sweeney

To make sure that there’s a special link with Liverpool, performer, TV presenter and actress Claire Sweeney will lead a special commentary team on BBC Radio Merseyside. She’ll be broadcasting alongside the winner of The Voice of Eurovision talent search, which is currently underway to discover new Scouse talent.

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