Bovvered? Tate is delighted to announce UK Eurovision vote
CATHERINE TATE will announce the Eurovision scores for the UK on Saturday, the BBC has said.
The comedian and actress will deliver the results of the UK national jury from the Liverpool Arena at the end of the televoting window during the grand final.
“It’s very exciting to be announcing the iconic ‘douze points’ at Eurovision,” said Tate, jokingly adding: “It’s just a foot in the door really as next year I hope to be the UK entrant.”
It will be the first time that a UK spokesman announces the results from the same arena where the contest is taking place. Previous UK announcers have included Richard Osman, the author and presenter, Nigella Lawson, the chef, and broadcaster Alex Jones.
Tate, 53, is best known for playing characters including Lauren, the sulking teenager who regularly asks: “Am I bovvered [sic]?” and Nan in The Catherine Tate Show. She also appears as Donna in Doctor Who, where she is returning to screens later this year as part of the 60th anniversary.
On Tuesday, Nordic nations celebrated their success during the early stages of the contest. Acts from Sweden, Norway and Finland were delighted to qualify for the grand final.
Alessandra, 20, the Norwegian entrant and one of the favourites to win, said she was “super excited” to have been voted through after performing in the contest’s first semi-final of the week.
The 10 countries who made it through are Croatia, Moldova, Switzerland, Finland, Czechia, Israel, Portugal, Sweden, Serbia and Norway.
Meanwhile, Ireland, which has taken part in Eurovision more than 50 times with a record seven wins, failed to qualify for the grand final.
The second semi-final takes place tonight. The main programme will be presented by Graham Norton, Julia Sanina, the Ukrainian singer, actress Hannah Waddingham and singer Alesha Dixon. The show airs on Saturday from 8pm on BBC One and iplayer.