Eurovision is set to take place this Saturday as the contest celebrates its 70th anniversary. Scott Mills has been a prominent component of the contest for years, but won’t be taking part this year. Here’s everything you need to know.
The Eurovision final is just around the corner, with the 70th anniversary of the legendary song contest taking place in Vienna, Austria on Saturday night. The highly anticipated yearly event will see 25 countries compete to be crowned the Eurovision 2026 champion.
Austrian broadcaster ORF, heading up the competition, has handed this year’s presenting duties to TV personality Victoria Swarovski and actor Michael Ostrowski.
The BBC has announced a bumper line-up of British broadcasting talent across TV, radio and online to commentate on the event, including Rylan, Graham Norton and former One Show host Angela Scanlon.
Radio presenter Scott Mills has previously commentated on the event for years and has openly expressed his love for the contest – but was removed from the job and is said to be boycotting this year’s Eurovision. Here’s everything you need to know.
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Why is Scott Mills not hosting Eurovision 2026?
Scott Mills, who was a prominent BBC Radio 2 presenter for years, was dismissed from his role earlier this year after it emerged the Metropolitan Police had investigated allegations made against him in 2016.
The claims involved alleged serious sexual offences concerning a boy under 16 and were said to relate to incidents taking place between 1997 and 2000.
At the time of his dismissal, the 53-year-old said: “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.”
In his statement, Scott didn’t disclose the substance of the allegations, provide any further detail about them or offer a denial of the matter. He also has never gone into detail about what happened at the BBC and the reason he was sacked from his position.
What has he said about boycotting Eurovision?
Scott is reportedly planning to avoid Eurovision altogether this year, with sources claiming the situation remains “just too raw” for him to deal with emotionally.
According to reports, he is struggling with the prospect of the contest going ahead without him this year after a longstanding association with the competition.
Having fronted Eurovision programming in the UK for years and openly declaring his enthusiasm for it, the former broadcaster is said to be devastated and “heartbroken” after being replaced by Angela Scanlon this year.
Speaking to The Sun, a source said: “Scott will not be watching a single moment of Eurovision – it is still far too raw. He absolutely cherished that gig and never for a moment took it for granted.”
What has Scott Mills been doing since leaving the BBC?
Scott and husband Sam Vaughan completely stepped away from the limelight after the scandal came to light.
While he has been silent since his initial statement, speculation has grown that Scott may eventually speak publicly in regards to his shock dismissal.
According to the same source, Scott believes the truth will come out eventually and has taken great comfort in the fact a majority of his friendships have survived unscathed.
They also claim he is eager to address the situation publicly but has been seeking extensive legal advice on what he is able to and unable to say.
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