David Batra is SVT’s Christmas host in 2023

Who will turn on the light in the TV box on Christmas Eve?
On Tuesday morning, SVT presents who will be this year’s Christmas host – and the one who keeps us company is David Batra.
– It feels very good, a bit edgy and exciting, says the comedian.

Last year, it was Babben Larsson who shouldered the task of lighting the candle and advertising Donald Duck during Christmas Eve. The year before that, it was Tareq Taylor who did the job. On Tuesday morning, SVT now presents who will take over the baton this year.

According to the betting companies’ odds, names such as Kristian Luuk, Niklas Strömstedt, Carina Bergfeldt, Farah Abadi, Mark Levengood, Linnea Henriksson and Pernilla Wahlgren have been high on the lists. But among the names there has been no obvious odds favourite.

The comedian will be this year’s Christmas host

But now the wait is over – and none of the names that were high on the odds lists will be. Joining us in the box on Christmas Eve will be the comedian and actor David Batra.

– It feels very good! A bit edgy and exciting, but full of joy to be able to step in and be part of the Swedish people’s living room and celebrate Christmas, says David Batra in SVT.

Christmas hosts have a long tradition in SVT. The first to shoulder the task of Christmas host in 1959 was Bengt Feldreich and we saw him in the box for the next 12 years, before Arne Weise took over the helm until 2002.

Christmas hosts for the past 20 years

2003: Lotta Bromé

2004: Ernst Kirchsteiger

2005: Blossom Tainton

2006: Ingvar Oldsberg

2007: Anne Lundberg

2008: Lasse Kronér

2009: Lisbeth Åkerman

2010: André Pops

2011: Kalle Moraeus

2012: Sarah Dawn Finer

2013: Petra Mede

2014: Henrik Dorsin

2015: Gina Dirawi

2016: Sanna Nielsen

2017: Lotta Lundgren and Erik Haag

2018: Kattis Ahlström

2019: Marianne Mörck

2020: Lars Lerin

2021: Tareq Taylor

2022: Babben Larsson

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