Birmingham among cities shortlisted to host Eurovision

Birmingham has made the shortlist to host next year 's Eurovision song contest.

The shortlist was revealed this morning to listeners of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show - with Birmingham joined by Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

The Resorts World Arena - part of the NEC Group - previously revealed it had cleared the dates from its diary and would be ready to step in to act as host.

The venue could benefit from being near to Birmingham Airport.

According to the BBC - which broadcasts the contest in the UK and will make the selection alongside the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) - the winner will be chosen in a two-stage process against requirements that assess the city's capacity and capability.

The UK is hosting the contest for the ninth time, with 2022 winners Ukraine unable to stage the event.

Birmingham hosted Eurovision in 1998 at the National Indoor Arena, when Israel came out on top with the song 'Diva ', performed by Dana International.