Graham Norton To Replace Terry Wogan As Eurovision Host

Graham Norton is to replace Sir Terry Wogan as the BBC's commentator on the Eurovision Song Contest.

Sir Terry, who is stepping down after 35 years in the hot seat, had hinted at his departure following this year's competition, which was tarnished by bloc voting.

But despite his dissatisfaction, he said he was "sad to leave it all behind", adding: "From my first, in a small musichall in Dublin, to my last, in the huge arena in Belgrade, it has been nothing but laughter and fun.”

Norton, one of the BBC's leading figures, will begin his tenure at the 2009 song contest in Moscow, Russia.

He said Sir Terry was “an impossible act to follow” but “I just couldn't say no.”

Sir Terry's reputation as a no holds barred commentator and his many off the cuff remarks at singers won him huge support with the public.

He said he would remember “the silly songs, the spectacle, the grandiose foolishness of it all.”