The hosts of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place in Liverpool, have been revealed – with TV and music stars presenting alongside representatives for Ukraine.
Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham, Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina, and TV star and singer Alesha Dixon will host the grand final on 13 May alongside veteran presenter Graham Norton, and Timur Miroshnychenko will be the Ukrainian commentator.
Waddingham, Sanina and Dixon will also present the two Eurovision semi-finals.
Image: Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and reality judge and singer Alesha Dixon (below) are on the hosting team. Pic: Jae C Hong
Image: Pic: ITV/ Syco/ Thames
The UK’s act for the contest is yet to be revealed.
Dixon, who rose to fame in the early 2000s as a member of the girl group Mis-Teeq, before going on to appear as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing and then Britain’s Got Talent, said she was excited to be a big part of the event this year.
“I’ve performed all over the world and there is just something about the buzz and anticipation of a live show that can’t be rivalled,” she said. “I remember watching the Eurovision Song Contest on the TV when I was small, so to be there bringing the grand final and semi-finals to people watching across the world is huge.”
The last time the UK hosted the event was in 1998, when the ceremony was presented by Terry Wogan and Ulrika Jonsson.
While Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestrawere crowned Eurovision winners in 2022, meaning the country would usually be preparing to host the event this year, organisers the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) ruled it would be unsafedue to the Russian invasion.
As the UK’s Sam Ryder came in second place, the contest is being held here, with Liverpool winning the bid.
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Image: Graham Norton has been a Eurovision commentator for several years. Pic: Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP
British actress Waddingham, who is known for her Emmy-winning performance in the hit comedy Ted Lasso, as well as for roles in Game Of Thrones and Sex Education, said hosting the event on behalf of Ukraine makes this year’s show even more special.
“There’s something really special about Eurovision, which is why I’ve been an avid fan for years – from the camaraderie of all the acts backstage, to the epic scale of the show,” she said.
“It’s one of the world’s greatest music festivals, but this year, perhaps more than ever, it is such a great honour to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, a country which has carried itself with such strength and unity.”
Image: Julia Sanina. Pic: Aleksandr Gusev/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock
Sanina, who fronts Ukrainian alternative rock band The Hardkiss, was a Dancing With The Stars finalist and judge on X-Factor in the country. “I’m so excited to showcase Ukrainian culture and creativity, and to help put on a show to make my country proud,” she said. “I can’t wait to get to Liverpool and meet the fans and the rest of the Eurovision family.”
Norton, who has been a Eurovision commentator for the UK for several years, said he feels a “big responsibility to make our Ukrainian colleagues proud”.
A total of 37 countries are set to take part in Eurovision this year, with Ukraine automatically qualifying as 2022 winners, along with the so-called “big five” – the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – because of their financial contributions to the event.
Ireland, Serbia, Latvia, Norway, Portugal, Croatia, Malta, Sweden, Moldova, Switzerland, Israel, the Netherlands, Finland, Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic will perform in the first semi-final on 9 May.
Armenia, Cyprus, Romania, Denmark, Belgium, Iceland, Greece, Estonia, Albania, Australia, Austria, Lithuania, San Marino, Slovenia, Georgia and Poland will go head-to-head in the second semi-final on 11 May.
The Eurovision Song Contest takes place at Liverpool Arena, also called M&S Bank Arena, on 13 May.
Social media star “Big John” Fisher has said he is being deported from Australia after he was detained over visa issues.
Fisher, known for reviewing fast food online, arrived in Australia on Tuesday for appearances in Perth and Sydney.
In posts on his Instagram, he said he was questioned by border officials for four hours in the city of Perth.
He said he was due to head home on Wednesday, his birthday, at 6.30pm local time.
“My visa was legal coming in but they are not happy with what I am doing here so they are sending me home,” he said. “To be truthful, I just want to go home now.
“When common sense goes out the window you lose a bit of hope with human beings.
“Well even though I am under lock and key it’s my birthday, I’m still smiling and I still love Australia.
“Just can’t wait to get home to my family and good old England.”
It is understood Fisher was travelling on an incorrect visa.
An Australian Border Force spokesperson said it did not comment on individual passengers.
Fisher, who has more than 680,000 followers on Instagram, went viral for his love of Chinese takeaway and is best known for his use of the catchphrase “bosh”.
He makes regular appearances at restaurants, clubs and major events around the world.
His son, British heavyweight boxer Johnny Fisher, wrote on Instagram: “The Aussies have detained Big John and are sending him home- rumour has it they are frightened of his express pace bowling ahead of the Ashes.”
They’re getting through 70kg of rice a day and the wholesaler has run out of noodles. Yes, Sumo returns to London on Wednesday.
It’s just the second time a Grand Tournament has been held outside of Japan – and this is a sport that has records going back more than 1,500 years.
It’s 34 years since the Royal Albert Hall hosted the only previous such event on foreign soil – and the appetite for tickets meant all five days sold out immediately.
Much of the focus is on the two grand champions or yokozuna, the 74th and 75th men to attain the rank.
They’re the Mongolian Hoshoryu Tomokatsu, plus Japan’s Onosato Daiki – who this year became the quickest wrestler to achieve the rank in the modern era.
“I’m happy that Sumo is back after so many years,” Onosato said. “I hope I can show the UK fans how fantastic Sumo is.”
“Being a yokozuna has a lot of responsibility,” Hoshoryu told Sky Sports. “We have to show everyone an example of what a yokozuna is – and that’s very difficult.
“My uncle was a yokozuna – and I’m happy to follow in his footsteps. But I came here to London as a yokozuna which he didn’t, so I’m even happier.”
The two are already great rivals.
Image: Onosato Daiki became the quickest ever to achieve yokozuna rank. Pic: AP
At the recent Aki Basho – the most prestigious tournament on the sumo calendar – the pair finished with identical records after 15 days of bouts.
It all came down to a final play-off between the two yokozuna – the first time that had happened in 16 years. It was Onosato who came out on top on that occasion.
Hoshoryu says he is a big fan of basketball and football. He follows Chelsea, although his favourite players are going back a bit: “Didier Drogba and Petr Cech. He’s the ‘keeper. I like this guy!”
Early starts and a hearty stew: The life of a rikishi
The wrestlers – or rikishi – have a rigorous training regime.
They live in communal blocks called stables and practice starts early. Perhaps surprisingly, everyone skips breakfast. After training and practice – and for the younger rikishi, chores – the wrestlers all eat together.
The staple of their diet is chankonabe, a hearty stew packed with meat and vegetables. The feeding of the 40 rikishi who have come over for the five-day tournament is a challenge in itself.
Donagh Collins, the CEO of co-organisers Askonas Holt, said: “We are going through 70 kilos of rice a day. Somebody told me that the wholesaler for the noodles has run out of noodles. We’re really pushing the system here.”
The ring – or dohyo – is just 4.55m in diameter and quite small when two giant wrestlers leap at each other.
The aim of the fights is to either get your opponent onto the floor – or, more spectacularly, shove or hurl them out of the dohyo, so spectators in the ringside seats may be getting extremely up-close to the wrestlers.
The last time the tournament was in Britain, the massive Konishiki, known as the Dump Truck, took centre stage.
The giant Hawaiian was the heaviest-ever rikishi coming in at 287kg – or 45 stone. That’s a lot of wrestler to dodge if he comes falling out of the ring towards you.
The Royal Albert Hall may be firstly a concert venue, but it has hosted the likes of John McEnroe, Lennox Lewis and even Muhammad Ali.
And for the next five days, the cream of the world of sumo will be thrilling the crowds – provided a new noodle supplier is found.
What is a yokozuna?
Yokozuna is the highest rank in sumo, with its name meaning “horizontal rope” and refers to the rope worn around a competitor’s waist as they enter the ring.
Grammy-award winning R&B and soul singer D’Angelo has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer, his family has said.
He died on Tuesday, leaving behind a “legacy of extraordinarily moving music” following a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,” his family said in a statement.
The prominent musician, born Michael D’Angelo Archer, was 51 years old.
A family statement said: “We are saddened that he can only leave dear memories with his family, but we are eternally grateful for the legacy of extraordinarily moving music he leaves behind.
“We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time, but invite you all join us in mourning his passing while also celebrating the gift of song that he has left for the world.”
The singer rose to prominence in the 1990s with his first album, Brown Sugar.
The track “Lady” from that album reached No. 10 in March 1996 and remained on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 20 weeks.