The first Eurovision Song Contest semi-final kicks off in Vienna tonight, and it will also be the first to not feature Scott Mills, who had previously been at the helm of the show. Mills' replacement has been unveiled as former Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Scanlon, who will join Rylan Clark and Graham Norton in hosting duties.
Scott Mills' Dismissal
Mills had been at the helm of Eurovision and never shied away from sharing his love for the contest, which brings countries across the world together through the power of music. However, earlier this year, the broadcaster was dismissed from all duties at the BBC after the Mirror revealed that Scott had been sacked with immediate effect by bosses after not disclosing the age of a teenager to the BBC at the time the scandal was first investigated by the police. Current management at the BBC became aware in recent weeks, although the corporation had known in 2017 of a historic police investigation into Mills. Scott said in a statement via his lawyers that he 'fully cooperated and responded' to the investigation at the time. The Crown Prosecution Service didn't issue charges against Mills due to insufficient evidence.
New Hosts for the Semi-Finals
Tonight, Angela Scanlon will be stepping up to the mark, alongside Rylan Clark. The pair will be live at the Wiener Stadthalle arena in Vienna to guide viewers through the semi-finals of the competition. Speaking about landing the job, Angela said: 'It feels like joining the greatest party on earth – equal parts thrilling and terrifying! 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. It's one of those shows that's always been there, evolving but never losing its magic or madness. I've been lucky enough to dip my toe into the Eurovision world before, so it feels great to be doing it again, just with higher heels and a few more sequins!'
Meanwhile, Rylan commented: 'It's the 70th Eurovision Song Contest and the biggest show on the planet. Being part of anything this big is something younger me could never have imagined.'
Controversy and Boycotts
Fifteen entrants, including Israel, are set to take part in the first Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals tonight as five countries boycott the competition. In 2025, it was announced that five countries, including Ireland, would boycott Eurovision in protest of Israel's participation. Israel's participation has sparked controversy since its government launched extensive military operations in Gaza in October 2023.
The acts performing in the semi-finals, held tonight and on Thursday, will be competing for a place in Saturday's grand final of the 70th edition of the contest. The UK, France, Germany, Italy and last year's winner, Austria, automatically qualify for the final but will still perform during the semi-finals.
RTÉ's Alternative Programming
After deciding to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest last year, Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ has decided to show the 20-year-old Eurovision-themed episode of Father Ted instead of the contest. With the 70th contest taking place in Vienna this week, with a finale culminating on Saturday, it has been announced that, as a further boycott of the show, RTÉ will show the Eurovision-themed episode of Father Ted titled 'A Song For Europe', which sees Ted and Dougal perform 'My Lovely Horse' at Eurovision.
How to Watch
The semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest will air on Tuesday May 12 and Thursday May 14 at 8pm on BBC iPlayer and BBC One.
