Graham Norton Inherits the BBC Eurovision Chair

MAY 15 2009 · 12:05

Graham Norton (BBC commentary) · "N/A" · United Kingdom · 2009 Language: N/A · Venue: Olimpiysky · Host: Moscow, Russia · Type: deep cut · Broadcast: digital hd Moscow 2009. Graham Norton, Irish comedian, BBC chat show host, takes over BBC Eurovision commentary from Terry Wogan. His style is different: more effusive, more openly camp, more generous about non-UK songs. Alexander Rybak wins with 'Fairytale', beating the UK's Jade Ewen. Norton's commentary is immediately well-received; his playful approach reframes Eurovision for a generation of British viewers without Wogan's generational bitterness. Context Norton had been a BBC chat-show anchor since 2007. His Irish accent, open queerness, and pop-culture fluency made him an explicit generational contrast to Wogan. The Moscow venue (Olimpiysky) was at the time the largest indoor arena in Europe, a scale Russia had engineered specifically to host. Legacy Norton has commentated 16 Eurovision contests for BBC as of 2026, half of Wogan's total but quickly approaching record contender status. His commentary style is now frequently cited in UK culture-writing as modeling a more inclusive Eurovision relationship. His best-of-Eurovision compilations are broadcast annually on BBC over Christmas.