The BBC has confirmed that former Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Scanlon will join Rylan Clark in Vienna as the new BBC Eurovision 2026 commentator for the semi-finals, following the departure of Scott Mills earlier this year
The BBC has announced the presenter who will take over from Scott Mills at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Mills had been a central figure in the UK’s commentary team alongside Rylan Clark, but the broadcaster has now confirmed that former Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Scanlon will be filling the role this year.
She will join Rylan at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to guide viewers through the competition’s semi-finals. The announcement follows Scott’s dismissal by the BBC earlier this year amid historical allegations concerning his personal behaviour.
Angela said: “It feels like joining the greatest party on earth – equal parts thrilling and terrifying!” For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
She continued: “I grew up watching the Eurovision Song Contest with my three sisters, making very serious (and wildly biased) scorecards from the couch, so to now be part of it – especially in its 70th year – is genuinely surreal.
“It’s one of those shows that’s always been there, evolving but never losing its magic or madness.
“I’ve been lucky enough to dip my toe into the Eurovision world before, so it feels great to be doing it again, just with higher heels and a few more sequins!”
Rylan added: “It’s the 70th Eurovision Song Contest and the biggest show on the planet. Being part of anything this big is something younger me could never have imagined.”
Meanwhile, Scott’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast replacement, Sara Cox, will be covering the competition on the radio. She’ll be commentating on the semi finals, and will be joined by Rylan Clark to cover the grand final.
The competition begins with the opening semi-final on May 12. Each semi-final, presented by Austrian hosts Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski, will showcase performances from the pre-qualified ‘Big Four’ nations, alongside various interval acts.
The UK is amongst the Big Four, together with Germany, France and Italy, and therefore has an automatic Grand Final spot.
Throughout both semi-finals, 10 acts will be knocked out of the competition – leaving 25 performers for the Grand Final on May 16.
This year, the UK representative is electronic artist Look Mum No Computer, whose real name is Sam Battle. He will be performing his song Eins, Zwei, Drei at the competition.
You can watch the Eurovision Song Contest live from Vienna on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday, May 16 from 8pm.
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