The hosts for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 have been announced today as Oleksandr Skichko, Volodymyr Ostapchuk, and Timur Miroshnychenko. The appointment marks the first time in the history of the contest that the event will be hosted by three men; all of whom are familiar faces on Ukrainian television and come with a wealth of experience.
Oleksandr and Volodymyr will take the role of stage hosts and will welcome the international audience to each of the three shows in May. They will also introduce upcoming acts, guide viewers through the show, and take on the important role of revealing the results. Timur will oversee proceedings from the Green Room, where the artists sit after their performances and await the exiting results of the competition. From here he will capture the emotion and tension of this situation for the viewers.
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 has enjoyed extensive experience of live shows through his involvement in 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 ‘Hans’ in the Ukrainian version of Disney’s animation “Frozen”.
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 commentary of 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 2017 in Kyiv, meaning he has worked on 30 Eurovision projects in his twelve years of television experience. Outside of Eurovision, Timur has presented the live youth talk show “Studio 5”, as well as the educational programme “How Is It Made?”.
Stuart Barlow, the Show Producer of Eurovision Song Contest 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”.
Jon Ola Sand, Executive Supervisor Eurovision Song Contest, said: “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 into their routines. I’m confident that they will provide much entertainment for viewers in May.”
The Eurovision Song Contest has had 3 hosts previously (2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 1999) but this is the first time all three hosts have been men.
The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest will take place on 9, 11, and 13 May in Kyiv, Ukraine.