Eurovision 2023; Hannah Waddingham confirmed as a host of Eurovision ahead of Ted Lasso S3 premiere

It’s looking to be a marquee year in 2023 for actress Hannah Waddingham after it was announced this morning that she would be one of the hosts when the finals of Eurovision 2023 take place in Liverpool later this year. Her involvement in the singing competition doesn’t come as a big surprise however, given before her starring role in Ted Lasso she was a prominent actress on the West End with a series of musicals.

The Eurovision 2023 announcement was made this morning on Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, with Waddingham announced alongside award-winning Ukrainian singer Julia Sanina (of The HARDKISS) and singer-songwriter, pop star and TV presenter Alesha Dixon. Graham Norton is set to return also with his irreverent take on the proceedings as he has done since taking over the spot from Terry Wogan alongside some additional hosting responsibilities.

Waddingham, a three-time Olivier Award nominee and Emmy Award winner, is set to see her face everywhere in the early half of the year - with the critically acclaimed AppleTV+ series Ted Lasso also set to return to television screens in March. Waddingham plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton, who (spoilers ahead) in the first season looked to destroy the football team her ex-husband loved “more than he loved me” until her redemption arc saw her warm to her life as the owner of the team.

It also allowed Waddingham at times to showcase her singing talents, with one of the show’s most memorable moments when her character sang “Let It Go” from the Frozen soundtrack to the football players in a karaoke bar in Liverpool after a victory over Everton. Theatre aficionados will tell you also about Waddingham’s performances in Spamalot, Kiss Me Kate and A Little Night Music - the three roles that saw her earn Olivier Award nominations for Best Actress.

It was the small screen however that led to Hannah Waddingham picking up her first awards; as Ted Lasso swept the Emmy Awards in 2021, Waddingham was the recipient of the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, earning a repeat nomination in 2022 but lost to Sheryl Lee Ralph for her role in Abbott Elementary.

The grand finals of Eurovision 2023 take place in Liverpool on May 13 2023 and will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Season three of Ted Lasso returns to AppleTV+ much sooner on March 15 2023.