Alumna Emily Busvine hosts the Eurovision Green Room!

A familiar face graced our screens this month, as alumna Emily Busvine joined presenters Victoria Swarovski and Michael Ostrowski to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2026!

Emily was the host of the Artists’ Green Room for both televised semi-finals and the Grand Final on Saturday 16 May. Her role involved interviewing acts after they had performed and throughout the nerve-wracking results ceremonies. 

Whilst we often consider how intimidating it must be for the contestants to perform live for a global audience of millions, we rarely hear about the pressure on Eurovision’s hosts. Speaking before the show, Emily shared:

“I’m trying not to think about it too much, honestly. It’s one thing to stand in a radio studio with a microphone and to know, in an abstract sense, that people are listening to you, but to be on live TV is a wholly different endeavor.” 

Unlike the on-stage presenters, Emily was able to interact directly with the performers. When asked about her interview strategy, Emily’s response was simple:

“I just want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable and has a good time.” 

The Green Room Host faces unique challenges, as they must navigate artists’ emotions during the score announcements and overcome language barriers to ensure acts have the opportunity to express themselves fully. 

Cross-cultural communication comes naturally to Emily, who split her childhood between Berlin, Warsaw and Moscow and later studied political science and social anthropology at Cambridge. Her academic training, which helps her to look for patterns and common ground among different communities, was a crucial transferable skill when taking on the role of Eurovision host.

Emily works as a radio presenter for FM4, ORF’s youth radio station based in Vienna, and joins a long line of broadcasting legends who got their start at Murray Edwards College. From comedians and presenters like Sue Perkins and Claudia Winkleman, to actress Tilda Swinton and writer Sarah Phelps, our alumnae demonstrate a particular aptitude for success in this industry. 

We asked some current students why they think Murray Edwards prepares students to thrive in broadcasting careers. Mia said: 

“I think Murray Edwards has taught me to have a unique kind of confidence – the strength to always advocate for myself and my ideas no matter who is in the room.”

Another student added:

“Studying English, I feel my experience at Medwards has been different to my friends’ at other colleges. We are encouraged to be interested the person, the story, and the angle that no-one has talked about before, we don’t just make space for traditional voices.”