The BBC has revealed its Eurovision 2026 coverage team as Scott Mills is officially replaced after being axed from the broadcaster last month.
Mills, 53, was fired by the BBC for a historical allegation of serious sexual offences.
It was discovered he had been the subject of allegations of ‘serious sexual offences’ against a teenage boy under 16.
The allegations he faced are said to have happened between 1997 and 2000, police said, while Mills was in his mid-20s.
As well as losing his BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, Mills was also removed from his other work commitments, including Eurovision.
Mills first started anchoring the BBC’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest since 2011.
The BBC has revealed its Eurovision 2026 coverage team as Scott Mills is officially replaced after being axed from the broadcaster last month
Left to right: Angela Scanlon, Rylan, Graham Norton, Sara Cox, and Tia Kofi will all form this year’s coverage lineup for the contest
Now it has been revealed Sara Cox will front coverage of the semi-finals for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
Sara, 51, was also recently announced as the new host of the breakfast show.
Rylan Clark will be on regular hosting duties for television and iPlayer, joined this year by Angela Scanlon.
Graham Norton will be on BBC One for the live finale on Saturday, May 16, where the UK’s entry LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, will perform with his song Eins, Zwei, Drei.
Speaking about this year’s contestant, Graham said: ‘It feels really special to be back, gently guiding viewers through the Grand Final in this very momentous 70th anniversary year.’
While Rylan commented: ‘It’s the 70th Eurovision Song Contest and the biggest show on the planet.
‘Being part of anything this big is something younger me could never have imagined.’
Angela added: ‘It feels like joining the greatest party on earth – equal parts thrilling and terrifying! I grew up watching the Eurovision Song Contest with my three sisters, making very serious (and wildly biased) scorecards from the couch, so to now be part of it – especially in its 70th year – is genuinely surreal.’
Former Drag Race UK winner Tia Kofi will present the BBC’s digital coverage.
Mills was questioned under caution by police in 2018 but the case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 due to a lack of evidence. The BBC admitted that it knew about the allegations as far back as 2017.
Sources close to the star branded him the ‘nicest man in showbiz’ to the Daily Mail and said friends are ‘very worried for his mental health’ as they admitted they ‘don’t know how he will get through this’.
Another said that his husband Sam, whom he met in 2016 and married in 2024, has been ‘a great source of support’ and is the ‘one thing that is keeping Scott going’.
Announcing his sacking from the corporation, Lorna Clarke, Director of Music, told BBC staff in an email last month: ‘I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC.
‘I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock.
‘Not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV.
‘I felt it was important to share this news with you at the earliest opportunity.
‘Of course, it will also come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too.
‘I will update everyone with more information on plans for the show when I’m able to.
‘While I appreciate many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I am not going to be saying anything.’
Graham Norton will be on BBC One for the live finale on Saturday, May 16, where the UK’s entry LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER, will perform with his song Eins, Zwei, Drei
In an extraordinary statement to the Daily Mail, Scott broke his silence, insisting he ‘fully cooperated and responded’ at the time of the police probe. But he did not address the allegations.
His full statement read: ‘The recent announcement that I am no longer contracted to the BBC has led to the publication of rumour and speculation. In response to this the Metropolitan Police has made a statement, which I confirm relates to me.
‘An allegation was made against me in 2016 of a historic sexual offence which was the subject of a police investigation in which I fully cooperated and responded to in 2018.
‘As the police have stated, a file of evidence was submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service, which determined that the evidential threshold had not been met to bring charges.
‘Since the investigation related to an allegation that dates back nearly 30 years and the police investigation was closed seven years ago, I hope that the public and the media will understand and respect my wish not to make any further public comment on this matter.
‘I wish to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who have reached out to me with kindness, my former colleagues and my beloved listeners, who I greatly miss.’