Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has pulled out of announcing Britain’s votes at the Eurovision song contest.
Each year a different celebrity gets the honour of popping up and announcing which songs got their top votes in the competition. Catherine Tate, Joanna Lumley and Nigella Lawson are among the previous presenters at the awards.
“Unforeseen circumstances” is the reason that’s been given for Gatwa’s withdrawal. His appearance tied in with today’s episode of Doctor Who which sees the Doctor and Belinda Chandra discover an interstellar version of the competition, complete with Graham Norton doing commentary and Rylan Clarke hosting.
Instead the UK’s jury voters will be read out by pop singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
The UK did really badly in last year’s competition when Ollie Alexander was their singer, and the previous year’s artist Mae Muller didn’t score highly either.
The UK has won five times with Sandie Shaw in 1967 with Puppet on a String, in 1969 Lulu was part of a four-way tie with her tune Boom Bang-a-Bang, they rose to the top again in 1976 with Brotherhood of Man’s Save Your Kisses for Me and again in 1981 with Buck’s Fizz and Making Your Mind Up?
The last time the UK won was back in 1997 when Katrina and the Waves sang Love Shine a Light.
This year’s contestant Remember Monday is expected to better with their song What the Hell Just Happened? but of the votes don’t come the UK’s way, maybe ask Sophie Ellis-Bextor is she’s free next year.
