Graham Norton has spoken about the decision to stop Ukraine from hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said it cannot be held there because of the Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian entry, Kalush Orchestra, won the competition in Turin, Italy, this year, and it is traditional that the winning country hosts the event the following year.
Speaking at the launch of Paramount+ in the UK, Norton, 59, said how difficult the decision must have been for the EBU and suggested there is a strong chance the event could be held in the UK next year.
He said: "I think everyone is sad about it in one sense because that must have been a really terrible decision for the EBU.
"They didn’t want to give that news to Ukraine and nobody wanted that to happen.
"Now that it’s happened, I know the BBC are looking at it really seriously, but will it happen? I don’t know. You know as much as I do."
Last week the EBU said that following a "full assessment and feasibility study" it had concluded the "security and operational guarantees" required to host the event cannot be fulfilled by Ukraine’s public broadcaster UA:PBC.
If the UK does host the contest in 2023, it would be the ninth time it has taken place there – more than any other country.
The organiser of the Eurovision Song Contest has said it is in talks with the BBC to host the 2023 event.
Source: Press Association
