BBC 'had Sophie on Eurovision standby as they feared Dr Who star would pull out over Israel'
BBC bosses had Sophie Ellis-Bextor lined up as standby to reveal the UK's Eurovision jury results 'for some time' as they believed Ncuti Gatwa could 'change his mind', it has been claimed.
The allegation comes amid growing speculation over the Doctor Who star's abrupt withdrawal from his presenting duties on Thursday – around the same time that Israel 's Yuval Raphael qualified for the final in Switzerland.
Sources have told The Mail on Sunday that executives were left 'cross' and 'exasperated' by the actor's last minute decision, and that producers were 'given no reason' for it.
There have been suggestions that Gatwa's withdrawal was linked to Ms Raphael – who survived Hamas 's October 7 Nova massacre by hiding under the bodies of other festival goers – reaching the final.
A statement issued by the BBC on Thursday night said: 'Due to unforeseen circumstances, unfortunately Ncuti Gatwa is no longer able to participate as spokesperson during the Grand Final.'
Gatwa, 32, has been vocal in his support for Palestine, sharing photographs of 'Free Palestine' graffiti on Instagram and links to fundraisers for Palestinian causes.
After it was revealed that he would be delivering the UK's scores at the song contest in Basel this year, he was inundated with negative feedback on social media from fans.
One told Gatwa to 'read the room', although another said: 'I would usually be excited but I'm boycotting until Israel is given the same treatment as Russia.'
Ahead of the final last night, a source admitted that BBC producers had 'suspected he could change his mind about the role', and Ms Ellis-Bextor, 46, had been 'in place for some time' as his stand-in.
Executives have attempted to play down any link between Gatwa's decision to quit his role in the coverage of the contest and his pro-Palestinian views.
They claimed the announcement of his withdrawal was made on Radio 2 three minutes before Ms Raphael's place in the final was confirmed.
This was followed by a social media post five minutes later, which the BBC said was 'coincidentally' just after Israel had qualified.
Gatwa is yet to deny that his political views were behind his decision to pull out. Neither his agent or publicist responded to questions over his reasons.
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