Angela Scanlon joins BBC Eurovision 2026 semi-finals lineup
angela scanlon will commentate live for the alongside Rylan Clark for the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 semi-finals on Tuesday 12 May and Thursday 14 May. The addition gives the broadcaster a broader presenting bench for a contest that is being staged in its 70th year and carried across television, radio and digital platforms.
Scanlon and Clark on One
Scanlon’s role slots into the ’s live coverage on One, iPlayer, Radio 2 and Sounds, with the semi-finals set for two nights in May. The pairing with Rylan Clark is the clearest change for viewers who follow the semi-final broadcasts closely, and it keeps the ’s commentary team anchored by a presenter who already has Eurovision experience.
“It feels like joining the greatest party on earth – equal parts thrilling and terrifying!” she said. She added: “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.”
Graham Norton, Sara Cox, Tia Kofi
The wider line-up also includes Graham Norton and Sara Cox, with Cox returning to the airwaves for the semi-finals and grand final on Radio 2. Norton will return to the commentator box for the grand final, while Rylan joins Cox for the final on Saturday 16 May, giving the broadcaster a split structure across television and radio for the closing night.
Tia Kofi will provide backstage and digital coverage for the, extending the contest beyond the main broadcast. “It’s such an honour to be back as the Eurovision Digital Presenter for the 70th year of the contest,” she said, adding that she is looking forward to celebrating “the music, the unity and this special anniversary year with everyone!”
Vienna and 25 countries
The said the contest will be held in Vienna, with the remaining 25 countries, including the UK’s entry, competing for the win. Austria last won in 2014 with Conchita Wurst, and that 11-year gap gives the 2026 event a clean competitive frame: a host city with history, a broadcaster spreading coverage across four platforms, and a presenting team built to carry the semi-finals, the final and the digital feed without overlap.
For viewers, the practical change is simple: Scanlon turns the semi-finals into a two-presenter job on coverage that now stretches from One to Sounds, while the rest of the team stays in place for the grand final. The has used its 70th year to widen the bench rather than narrow it, and Scanlon’s arrival is the most visible sign of that shift.
