McCartney to play first UK tour dates since 2018

Sir Paul's last show in the UK was at the Glastonbury Festival in 2022

Sir Paul McCartney has announced his first UK tour dates since 2018, with shows in Manchester and London this December.

They will be the first British shows of his long-running Got Back Tour, which sees the star playing hits from across his career - from the Beatles' debut single Love Me Do, to Wings' Band On The Run, and solo hits like Coming Up and Dance Tonight.

The tour kicked off in April 2022 and has so far made more than $200m (£158m) at the box office.

Sir Paul said he was "excited to be ending my year" back at home.

"It's always such a special feeling to play shows on our home soil," he said in a statement. "Let's get set to party. I can't wait to see you."

The 81-year-old will play at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena on 14 and 15 December, and at London's O2 Arena on 18 and 19 December.

Sir Paul simultaneously announced dates in Paris and Madrid.

The UK dates will be his first since headlining Glastonbury in 2022, when he was joined on stage by Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl.

During an emotional three-hour set, he brought new life to the classic hits that established him as the planet's most successful and influential living songwriter.

He also sang a virtual duet with John Lennon, played Something on George Harrison's own ukulele, and blew the fireworks budget for a thrilling Live And Let Die.

Watched by 100,000 fans at Worthy Farm and 2.7 million people on BBC One, the show was hailed as "one of the greatest gigs of all time" by the Times and "about as thrilling as pop music gets" by the Guardian.