Conchita Wurst to star in BBC1's Eurovision 60th anniversary special

Austrian drag artist Conchita Wurst will be returning to the limelight in a BBC One show to mark the 60th anniversary of Eurovision.

Conchita, who won the competition last year, is the first act confirmed for a concert which will feature the 'very best songs' from the competition.

Excited to be in London on 31 March for the @bbceurovision #Eurovision Greatest Hits Concert! http://t.co/gFtdndc6Vf #theunstoppables

— Conchita Wurst (@ConchitaWurst) February 3, 2015

Graham Norton will co-host Eurovision’s Greatest Hits – which will be broadcast across Europe – with Swedish comedienne Petra Mede.

Conchita (Yui Mok/PA)

Further names are to be announced for the Easter event, but Conchita will perform Rise Like a Phoenix, last year’s winning song.

The concert comes after the UK’s lack of success at the Eurovision Song Contest, with former shop assistant Molly Smitten-Downes only placing 17th and Bonnie Tyler and Engelbert Humperdinck also doing badly in previous years.

Graham Norton presents Eurovision (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Other performers include Swedish pop group Herreys, who clinched victory in 1984 with Diggi-Loo Diggi-Ley and Natasha St-Pier, who represented France in 2001 and will once again sing Je n’ai que mon ame.

Graham said: “I love Eurovision and am honoured to be co-hosting this special show. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate 60 years of the greatest song contest in the world.”

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