EBU have revealed today who will be responsible for leading all three shows of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017. For the first time, three boys will host the live competition which will take place on May 9, 11 and 13 in Kyiv’s International Exhibition Centre.
The three hosts are familiar faces on Ukrainian television and own a vast experience: Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk and Timur Miroshnychenko.
Oleksandr Skichko
Oleksandr Skichko has become a household name in Ukraine through his hosting of popular TV shows such as Wake Up, Star Way and Sing Like A Star. He began his career in entertainment aged 15, and also went on to appear as a semi-finalist on Ukraine’s Got Talent where he won the hearts of millions of Ukrainians with his parody act.
Volodymyr Ostapchuk
Volodymyr Ostapchuk has enjoyed extensive experience of live shows through his involvement in the entertainment programme Morning with Ukraine, as well as presenting Shopping Goddess and Style Icon. He has had roles as a professional voice artist, including voicing the character of Hans in the Ukrainian version of Disney’s animation Frozen.
Timur Miroshnychenko
Timur Miroshnychenko is a life long fan of the Eurovision Song Contest and has hosted numerous Ukrainian national selections, and both editions of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest that have taken place in Kyiv (2009, 2013). He has also provided Ukrainian commentary for the Eurovision Song Contest, Junior Eurovision Song Contest, Eurovision Dance Contest, and Eurovision Young Musicians. More recently Timur hosted the Semi-Final Allocation Draw which took place in January in Kyiv. In total he has worked on 30 Eurovision projects in his twelve years of working in television. Outside of Eurovision, Timur has presented the live youth talk show Studio 5, as well as the educational programme How Is It Made?
Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor of Eurovision, stated: “We are thrilled at the prospect of having three hosts for this year’s contest. This will be the first time that Eurovision has had three male hosts in its sixty-two year history, and Olexandr, Volodymyr, and Timur have a proven track record of combining humour, improvisation, and professionalism in their routines. I’m confident that they will provide much entertainment for viewers in May”.
Stuart Barlow, Show Producer of the Eurovision 2017, explained: “We did not set out looking for three young men but after being so impressed by them in the castings, we started to develop the idea of having these amazing young guys working together. They have a great chemistry, and its great because it has not been done before at Eurovision”.
Pavlo Hrytsak, Deputy of General Director of the UA: PBC added: “Ukraine is the first country to have three male hosts. Timur doesn’t need an introduction. Both the Ukrainian and European public know him well. Oleksandr Skichko and Volodymyr Ostapchuk are professional hosts who have conducted thousands of live shows and events. So I am totally sure that the Eurovision shows are going to be unexpected, interesting and memorable”.
What do you think about this year’s Eurovision hosts? Let us know in comments!