Eurovision 2025: The most popular Eurovision presenters from the 70s, 80s and 90s, including legendary duo

• The Eurovision Song Contest has had some memorable presenters over the years
• We’re looking back at the best of the bunch from the 70s, 80s and 90s
• They include the contest’s youngest ever host, a TV star and agony aunt who was born in a royal palace, and a singer who made history before studying law and becoming a judge.
• How many of these Eurovision presenters do you remember and which is your favourite?

When Hazel Brugger, Michelle Hunziker and Sandra Studer take to the stage to present the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 in Basel, Switzerland, they will have a lot to live up to.

The event has had some amazing hosts over the years, who have brought charm, charisma and a little order to the chaos.

They are often the ones responsible for the show’s most memorable moments, albeit occasionally for the wrong reasons.

Below we look at some of the best-loved Eurovision presenters from the 1970s, 80s and 90s, how they rose to fame, why they made such an impression on the night and what they went on to do.

Ballet star brought ‘elegance and class’ to show

Eurovision has never been short on entertainment but it’s not always been known for its elegance and class.

Yet those were the two qualities which Moira Shearer, an acclaimed ballet dancer who famously starred in the classic 1948 film The Red Shoes, brought to the role as presenter.

She was chosen to host the 1972 edition in Edinburgh, and Terry Hughes, director of that year’s contest, told how he pushed for her to win the role although she took some persuading.

“I remember going to see her, and she was kind of reluctant at first, as she had never done anything like it before,” he said.

“But she was a lovely lady and brought an elegance and class to it, and she could speak enough French.”

The history-maker who became a lawyer

Cornelia Maria ‘Corry’ Brokken represented the Netherlands in the first three Eurovision Song Contests, winning the event at her second attempt in 1957 with the song Net als toen (Just like then) before finishing joint last in 1958.

She holds the curious honour of being the only singer to have placed both first and last at Eurovision.

In 1976, she became the first former Eurovision winner to host the show, beginning a tradition which continues to this day.

By then she was no longer singing professionally, having quit music to study law and become a lawyer, eventually being installed as a judge.

Brokken, who returned to music in the 1990s, recording a new album, died in May 2016, aged 83.

Record-holder with royal heritage

Katie Boyle holds the record for presenting the most Eurovisions, having done so in 1960, 63, 68 and 74 - one time more than Petra Mede.

She was born in a royal palace in Florence, Italy to an Italian marquis and his English wife, and she came to the UK in 1946 and started out as a model.

She went on to appear in numerous films and after beginning her small screen career as a continuity announcer for the BBC in the 1950s she became a popular television personality.

She also worked as an agony aunt for the TV Times.

‘Laid the groundwork for modern Eurovision host’

Lill Lindfors was born in Helsinki, Finland, but represented Sweden in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest, performing a duet with Svante Thuresson and finishing second.

In 1985, she was chosen to host the event at Gothenburg's Scandinavium arena and she made a huge impression.

After opening the show by singing My Joy is Building Bricks of Music, she delighted viewers with her relaxed and humorous style.

Many years later, Eurovision fans voted her their favourite presenter of the 1980s.

Memorable moments included the deliberate wardrobe malfunction, when her dress was ripped off as she entered the stage ahead of voting, and telling that year’s winner Bobbysocks: “Norway has been last on so many times that you really deserve it!”

One fan claimed that she ‘laid the groundwork for the modern Eurovision host’, while another called her ‘funny’ and ‘charismatic’, praising her ad-libbing and her ‘fantastic Ziggy Stardust-esque haircut’.

Multi-talented host remembered for giant earrings

Viktor Lazlo hosted the 1987 Eurovision Song Contest in Brussels and it was her massive earrings as much as her engaging presenting style which viewers remember her for nearly 40 years later.

The French-born writer, singer and comedian is best known in Belgium and had her biggest hit, Breathless, in the year she hosted Eurovision.

Her talents know no bounds. She studied art history, worked as a model and has published six novels and a number of short stories. She is also a polyglot, singing and acting in French, English, Spanish and German.

Youngest ever

Luxembourg’s Désirée Nosbusch became the youngest ever presenter of the Eurovision Song Contest when she hosted the 1984 event, yet despite her tender age viewers were impressed by her maturity and her laid-back approach.

The actress, director, television presenter and singer began her broadcasting career aged just 12, when she started working at Radio Luxembourg.

Best of the 90s

For many people in the UK, Terry Wogan was the voice of Eurovision and will always be remembered for his witty commentary on the contest.

When the UK staged the event in 1998, the much-loved TV and radio presenter teamed up with the Swedish-born former weather presenter Ulrika Jonsson to host the event in Birmingham.

They certainly made their mark, with fans voting the pair their favourite Eurovision presenters of the 90s.

Jonsson provided one of most awkward comical moments in Eurovision history that night, when taking the Netherlands’ scores from Conny van den Bos.

The Dutch spokesperson told how her heart went out to the performers as she had once been in their position, adding that this was ‘long ago’.

The noise in the arena meant the audience missed the last part of her remark, making Jonsson’s response ‘a long time ago, was it?’ wrongly appear remarkably rude.

Despite that minor hiccup, one fan commented: “Terry and Ulrika proved that you can host a contest without resorting to gimmicks and shouting as all the presenters have done since then.”

‘Fun’ duo who overcame language barrier

Take On Me by A-ha was one of the biggest hits of the 80s. The following decade, the band’s lead singer Morten Harket teamed up with the Norwegian TV presenter Ingvild Bryn to host the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo.

The duo were praised for their ‘fun’ presenting style and narrowly missed out in a vote to find the contest’s best-loved presenters of the 90s.

Bryn revealed how she nearly turned down the opportunity to host the show, having been particularly concerned about having to speak French.

Having learned some basic phrases in French and how to count to 12, the day before the show she called the representatives from all the French-speaking countries to ensure nobody asked her any questions on air.

‘Dazzling’ presenter’s spectacular entrance

The Irish television personality Mary Kennedy presented the 1995 Eurovision Song Contest in Dublin and was praised for her ‘dazzling’ performance.

She appeared at the top of a flight of darkened stairs covered in black silk which fell away to reveal the lights beneath as she made her descent, but it was a nerve-wracking experience.

“The trick was to descend without looking down and counting the steps in my head. And not to trip!” she recalled.

“I was taken aback by the tumultuous applause of the studio audience. It was so encouraging and uplifting. A wonderful moment in a wonderful evening.”

Two years earlier, Fionnuala Sweeney was responsible for another memorable moment when hosting for Ireland.

She wrongly declared that the Netherlands had awarded Ireland the maximum 12 points, rather than 10, and when corrected she replied, smiling, ‘excuse me, I got carried away’.

For everything you need to know about Eurovision 2025, including how voting works, read our in-depth guide here.

Do you have retro pictures or nostalgic memories to share with us? Send them online via YourWorld at www.yourworld.net/submit. It's free to use and, once checked, your story or picture will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.