Graham Norton has confirmed the Eurovision Song Contest will go ahead this year, despite ongoing concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
The popular event was cancelled last March, before the contest was set to take place in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Speaking on Sirius XM radio, the BBC commentator said organisers are “ready for any eventuality”.
The 57-year-old said: “There’s definitely going to be a Eurovision this year, the competition element is going to happen.”
“I think they’re ready for any eventuality. If some countries can’t travel, they can Zoom in a performance. I doubt we’ll be in a stadium full of 20,000 people.”
“I feel like the minute we can [get back to normal], people will leave their houses in droves. And Eurovision, it’s a joyous thing.”
Irish singer Lesley Roy is set to represent Ireland at the Eurovision this year.
The Balbriggan native was Ireland’s entry for 2020 with her song Story Of My Life, but the 34-year-old has since penned a brand new track.
Speaking to RTÉ last month, Lesley said: “It was a real shame we didn’t get to showcase Story of My Life on the Eurovision stage, but had the show not been cancelled, then this new song would never have emerged.”
“I’ve been working on new material 24/7 and this song was clearly the strongest out of all of the demos. I believe that it is even bigger than Story of My Life, and will reach an even wider audience.”
“I am just so excited to finally get my shot on the Eurovision stage after months and months of work and can’t wait to reveal more information about our song in the New Year.”
