Speculation was rife tonight after Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa withdrew from Eurovision hosting duties with the BBC announcement being made just two minutes after Israel qualified for tomorrow night’s final.
The pro-Palestinian actor, 32, had been due to announce the British jury’s points for each participating country’s song during the Grand Final.
But the BBC issued a statement late on Thursday evening replacing him with singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor triggering speculation it was a protest at the result.
The statement read: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as Spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend.
‘However, we are delighted to confirm that BBC Radio 2’s very own Friday night Kitchen Disco Diva Sophie Ellis-Bextor will be presenting the Jury result live from the UK.’
The announcement was made moments after Israel’s Yuval Raphael – a survivor of the Hamas massacre at Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks – qualified at Thursday’s semi-final with her song New Day Will Rise.
Gatwa has previously been vocal in his support for Palestine, sharing photographs of Free Palestine graffiti in Italy on his Instagram and posting links to fundraisers for Palestinian causes.
The reason for Gatwa’s last minute withdrawal from his hosting duties was not made clear, aside from the BBC’s initial ‘unforeseen circumstances’ message, but fans speculated Israel’s qualification was the cause.
+6
View gallery
Speculation was rife after Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa withdrew from Eurovision hosting duties – with the BBC announcement being made just two minutes after Israel qualified
+6
View gallery
The announcement was made moments after Israel’s Yuval Raphael – a survivor of the Hamas massacre at Nova music festival during the October 7 attacks – qualified with her song New Day Will Rise
+6
View gallery
The BBC confirmed in an Instagram statement on Thursday: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as Spokesperson during the Grand Final this weekend’
One pro Palestinian social media commentator said: ‘Israel qualified to the Eurovision final at 22:16 last night. Then at 22:18, just two minutes later, the BBC announced Ncuti Gatwa cancelling his appearance on Eurovision for “unforseen circumstances”. We see you Ncuti; we see you and we like you a lot.’
Another said: ‘THAT’s backing up your morals. #FreePalestine.’
The sudden withdrawal came after Israel’s semi-final performance in Basel, Switzerland, was interrupted by six pro-Palestinian demonstrators carrying large flags. Under the arena rules, all flags are allowed but there are limits on size, and so the audience members were quickly ejected from the St Jakobshalle arena.
Later on, footage from the TV broadcast semi-final shows the Israeli entry being booed once again by some sections of the audience.
The jeers are even more audible on social media footage of the performance – but Ms Raphael was still one of the ten acts to succeed in the public vote and make it through to the grand final.
This year’s contest has been frequently targeted by pro-Palestine activists over Israel’s participation.
Ms Ellis-Bextor, 46, has stepped in for Gatwa, telling fans: ‘I love Eurovision and it’s a privilege to be part of 2025’s Grand Final. What an honour it is to announce the UK’s jury score on such a special show which always puts music front and centre.
+6
View gallery
Sophie Ellis-Bextor will now replace Ncuti as the British jury’s points for each participating country’s song on Saturday
+6
View gallery
The Doctor Who star was previously confirmed as the UK’s spokesperson for the song contest (pictured in 2024)
‘I am very much looking forward to delivering the iconic douze points from the United Kingdom!’
Previously, Joanna Lumley, Fearne Cotton, Nigella Lawson and Catherine Tate have taken on the spokesperson role.
Gatwa will appear tomorrow night in a Eurovision-inspired episode of the Doctor Who, titled The Interstellar Song Contest, starring Graham Norton and Rylan Clark.
The BBC said it had ‘nothing more to add’ on its original statement. Gatwa was approached for comment.
News
The wolf wouldn’t let his family near the coffin. A minute later, an incredible thing happened!
The wolf stood between the living and the dead, and no one in the room was brave enough to move him. Outside, the Altai mountains had gone white under an early snow. Wind pressed against the shutters of Mikhail Sokolov’s…
The cub grinned and did not let go of the bag. The old man opened it and couldn’t believe his eyes!
The wolf cub bared his teeth over an old canvas bag, and all at once the men with shovels forgot how to move. He was no longer small, not truly. The villagers still called him “the cub” because they remembered…
The old man found a crying bundle in the forest, and when he opened it, he screamed in horror!
Beyond his gate, the track narrowed into two frozen ruts, then disappeared between black spruce and birch trunks, swallowed by the Siberian taiga. In summer, the place smelled of resin, nettles, river mud, and warm dust. In winter, it…
The wounded wolf led the old man to an abandoned hut. The secret inside shocked everyone!
The wolf came to Yegor Timofeevich’s door during the kind of storm that makes even old houses doubt themselves. All evening the wind had thrown snow against the walls of the cordon, rattling the shutters, shoving at the roof beams,…
The Dog Who Refused the Grave
Its ceilings arched high enough to humble grief. Its walls swallowed small sounds and returned them softened, merciful, distant. People entered Saint Jude’s Funeral Chapel already speaking in lowered voices, as though the room itself had issued instructions before…
The Mare Who Returned from the D.ead
Chapter 1: The Pen at the Edge of the Market Sergey Pavlovich Rudnev had not gone to the village market to buy a horse. He had gone for salt, kerosene, a sack of seed potatoes if the price was kind,…
End of content
No more pages to load
