Sam Ryder’s manager David May is to head up the UK’s search for its next Eurovision contestant, the BBC has confirmed.
May oversaw Ryder’s 2022 Eurovision success, which saw the singer finish as runner-up in Turin, Italy, and also helped him to achieve a UK number one album, two UK number two singles, and Brit and Emmy Award nominations.
The music manager will be joined by Andrew Cartmell, executive producer for BBC Studios North, in the search which has already been under way for several months with BBC Music and BBC Introducing playing a part to find a contestant for the 2025 event in Basel, Switzerland.
Speaking about his new role, May said: “I’m excited to be working with BBC Studios and the BBC on this journey.
“We’re seeking talent and a song that embodies the essence of UK music.
“We want to collaborate with an authentic act who has a genuine, heartfelt story to tell, and an unmatched vocal tonality and range. Ultimately we’re looking for a powerful three-minute performance that resonates with and moves audiences across Europe and beyond.”
It comes after disappointing results for the UK in 2023 and 2024, with Mae Muller and former Years And Years singer Olly Alexander finishing bottom and 18th respectively.
Following Muller’s performance, the BBC announced it was parting ways with TaP Music, which had selected her and Ryder, with Alexander’s place in the 2024 contest announced by the corporation during the Grand Final of Strictly Come Dancing.
Speaking about May’s appointment, Cartmell, who is also head of the UK’s Eurovision delegation, said: “David played a major part in Sam Ryder’s success in 2022, and I’m thrilled that we are working together again.
“David has huge industry expertise, a real understanding of how Eurovision works and a determination, along with the BBC and BBC Studios to achieve a high placing in May next year.”
The act and song representing the United Kingdom will be publicly announced by the BBC before the European Broadcasting Union’s deadline in March 2025.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC added: “David knows exactly what it is like to be at the business end of the leaderboard at Eurovision, so this experience combined with his in-depth knowledge of the UK music scene ensures that he is perfectly placed to collaborate with us in the search for our artist and song for 2025.”
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in St Jakobshalle on Saturday, May 17 with the semi-finals taking place on Tuesday May 13 and Thursday May 15. Both will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer as well as BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
The show is one of the most popular entertainment programmes on the BBC, with the most recent broadcast reaching one of the biggest audiences so far this year with an average audience of 7.9 million and a peak of 8.5 million.
