Newcastle has been dealt a massive blow in its bid to host the Eurovision Song Contest, after the shortlist on who will stage it next year was narrowed to two.
Some experts shot down Newcastle's chances of even making the shortlist, before the leading contenders were revealed last month, with the city being on odds as distant as 44/1 before the announcement was made. And, sadly while Newcastle was given a glowing appraisal in a post on the official Eurovision Facebook page, its hopes of staging the world famous event have now been crushed, with the news that only Glasgow and Liverpool are now in the running.
After BBC Breakfast's Sally Nugent strongly hinted that a big announcement was due from the broadcaster, news was broken just after 2.30pm that the shortlist has been cut to just Glasgow and Liverpool, the two locations that have been frontrunners with bookies and fans for a while now.
The BBC said the two remaining cities, which both have riverside arena venues, had "the strongest overall offer," rubbing salt into the wounds of the Newcastle bid, given that a new state of the art venue is currently being built on the banks of the River Tyne next to Sage Gateshead. Other cities missing out include Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield.
FUK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said when the shortlist was unveiled in August that that the country was "determined to deliver a competition which reflects Ukraine's rich culture and creativity," adding: "No matter which one is chosen it will be a fantastic event to make both the UK and Ukraine proud".
The BBC's director of unscripted content Kate Phillips added: "We are committed to delivering a truly unique Song Contest that celebrates wonderful Ukraine and champions British music and creativity in all its diversity."
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