Recommendations of the Editorial team
The final of the ESC 2026 had barely begun when Thorsten Schorn was sure to have the first laughs – and the first annoyed comments – from the German audience. The German commentator welcomed the viewers to the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 in Vienna with a “Great!”which apparently wasn’t well received everywhere. The entry was immediately commented on on social networks: For some it was a harmless attempt to get closer to the Austrian host country. For others it sounded more like an attempted dialect gag at prime time.
Many ESC fans mourn Peter Urban
The fact that Schorn is polarizing is not new. He has been commentating on the ESC for ARD since 2024 and is the successor to Peter Urban, who shaped the competition for the German audience for decades. In 2025, however, the verdict was much friendlier. He had also received many expressions of sympathy online, including for his “relaxed and calm” manner and his pleasant voice.
The comparison with Urban wasn’t devastating either: many missed the commentator legend, but thought Schorn was doing a pretty good job. The closed season may now be over. Reactions from ESC fans are piling up on social media who find him annoying and criticize his jokes.
Schorn has to hold on
Schorn has a problem that any Urban successor would have had: he should inform, classify, entertain and, if possible, not disturb. For ESC fans, the commentary is part of the ritual, but also a hot topic. Peter Urban was allowed to be dry and make jokes because that’s how it’s always been. Schorn still has to earn his joke privilege. In 2025 he seemed to have succeeded. 2026 will show: At the ESC, a commentator can fail again very quickly – sometimes with just a single “Greeeeeeeeeeeeee”.
