Graham Norton "very upset" over Eurovision axe

By Neil Wilkes, Editor-in-chief | 18d

Eurovision commentator Graham Norton admits that he was "very upset" when this year's contest was scrapped.

Graham Norton has admitted that he was "very upset" when the cancellation of this year's Eurovision Song Contest was confirmed.

The annual music competition was due to take place this Saturday in Rotterdam but was called off due to the spread of coronavirus, which has killed more than 155,000 people across Europe to date.

In its place, Norton will be hosting a 90-minute special, Eurovision: Come Together, before providing commentary for Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light, a 'celebratory' programme produced by the Eurovision team.

"I was very upset [when it was cancelled], we all were, but people's safety has to come first of course," said Norton. "I always enjoy arriving in the host city and getting the chance to fully immerse myself in the excitement of the competition, there's always a Eurovision fever that has taken over.

"No matter how many rehearsals I might have watched, there's nothing quite like the atmosphere on the night. Something special happens when it all kicks off and that winning spot is anyone's for the taking.

"I'm disappointed for the artists too and the teams that work behind them. They all work for so long to make this wonderful night of TV happen so it's sad that the songwriters will also miss out on their time to showcase their songs to the audience."

The BBC's night of Eurovision programming begins at 6.30pm this Saturday on BBC One.