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.