Newcastle has thrown its hat into the ring to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.
Cities across the country have been putting their names forward to stage the annual music extravaganza since organisers revealed last month that they were in talks with the BBC to “potentially” bring the event to the UK.
Next year’s contest would have normally taken place in Ukraine after band Kalush Orchestra won the 2022 competition in Turin, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has ruled that the war-torn nation cannot act as host following Russia’s invasion. Because Sam Ryder finished as runner-up to Ukraine, the UK is in line to stage the contest.
