Eurovision Song Contest presenter Graham Norton: There’s a lot of national pride at stake
FILLING Sir Terry Wogan’s shoes as the voice of the BBC’s Eurovision Song Contest programme was never going to be easy, but Graham Norton’s eccentric humour and gregarious personality have made him a natural successor.
And six years after taking over, Graham, 52, admits he is still having a ball. “I really do like Eurovision and I always have. It feels like it has been going on forever. If someone said Eurovision was 150 years old rather than 60, I would believe them!”
Picking out Austria’s entry by The Makemakes as a contender for this year’s title, he thinks the UK’s entry by Electro Velvet will provide an alternative to the many ballads.
“Whatever you may think about the song this year, you can’t deny it is very catchy,” says Graham. “And it really stands out.”
Whatever you may think about the song this year, you can’t deny it is very catchy
Very much insisting voting is not political, Graham thinks Eurovision is a lot of people’s secret guilty pleasure.
“It’s so under the radar,” he chuckles. “People will say, ‘Oh, it’s nonsense,’ but then on the night there is outrage if we don’t get the votes. There is a lot of national pride out there. We think it’s political but it’s not.”
Immersing himself in the competition in the weeks leading up to tonight by listening to the entries in his car, Graham says he can’t believe how Eurovision takes over the host country.
“Before I started commentating, I didn’t understand the scale,” he reveals. “People think it’s just a big concert but it’s so much more. The whole thing has become vast.
Bursting out laughing, Graham admits that out of all the past Eurovision contestants he’d like to swap places with for 24 hours, he’d love to have a glimpse of what life is like for Russian star Dima Bilan.
“I wouldn’t mind looking like him,” he says, still giggling. “But I don’t want to swap places with Conchita Wurst. I think her life would be hard. It would take a long time to get ready!”
As for the maddest thing he gets asked by Eurovision fans in the street, Graham reveals it’s for his view on the voting.
“Then they are very sorry when they ask!” he adds. “I drone on about how it is not political for hours!
“But I love commentating on Eurovision so much. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
