Rylan Clark and Scott Mills will present BBC Radio 2's coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest final, it has been announced. The two presenters and Eurovision superfans will bring "insightful and colourful commentary" to coverage of the 2023 event, the BBC said.
It will be the first time since 1988 that Ken Bruce has not covered the event for the station, following his move to Greatest Hits Radio earlier this year. The competition will take place in Liverpool after the UK was chosen to host the competition on behalf of war-torn Ukraine. Semi-finals will take place on Tuesday, May 9, and Thursday, May 11, with the grand final at the Liverpool Arena on May 13.
Radio 2 will also be broadcasting the two Eurovision semi-finals for the first time, with shows hosted by Paddy O'Connell. Following the announcement, Clark said he was "absolutely buzzing" to be hosting the BBC Radio 2 grand final coverage.
"Eurovision is my favourite time of the year, I cannot wait," he said. "I'm so excited and absolutely buzzing to be hosting the Eurovision Grand Final on Radio 2, the biggest and best music event in the world, with my partner-in-crime. We can't wait to bring listeners closer to the action than ever before, with all the fun, excitement and backstage gossip from what promises to be an unforgettable night."
Mills added: "I've had the great pleasure of being involved with Eurovision in various ways over the years, from commentating alongside Graham Norton to singing karaoke with the contestants, but presenting from the grand final in Liverpool is the ultimate childhood dream come true. Rylan and I will be going all out."
The coverage on May 13 will be the culmination of a week spent in the city for Clark and Mills, who are providing television commentary for the semi-finals. The first semi-final on May 9 will see 15 countries taking part, while Thursday's will see 16 battle it out.
Head of BBC Radio 2 Helen Thomas said: "The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be a very special event and who better to host Radio 2's coverage of the grand final than our very own Scott and Rylan. And I'm delighted that for the first time, Radio 2 will be bringing our listeners all the drama and fun from the semi-finals, hosted by Paddy O'Connell. With years of Eurovision experience under his belt, Paddy is the perfect guide for fans and also those who may be discovering Eurovision for the first time."
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O'Connell said: "I'm walking on sunshine to join Radio 2 live in Liverpool hosting the Eurovision semi-finals. Sam Ryder broke the UK Eurovision spell last year and I hope it's magic for (UK entrant) Mae (Muller) in 2023."
It was previously confirmed that British Eurovision star Ryder and 2022 winners Kalush Orchestra would perform along with the competing acts during the grand final. Eurovision will be broadcast live on the BBC and will be hosted by singer and Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, as well as returning favourite, comedian and talk show host Graham Norton.
