Sam Ryder thrills shoppers with surprise Norwich gig

Eurovision star Sam Ryder has surprised city centre shoppers with an impromptu gig, because he "had a day off".

The singer, from Maldon in Essex, teased fans he would be in Norwich with an Instagram post at lunchtime and asked them where he should sing.

He later performed to a delighted crowd outside The Forum and St Peter Mancroft church.

The 33-year-old jokingly thanked Norwich City Council for not "moving him on" during his busking.

Ryder came second behind Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra in the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest. His success with pop song Space Man gave the UK its best result in more than 20 years.

Sam Ryder surprised visitors in the centre of Norwich

The singer announced he would be in the city centre via Instagram

"That experience, just now, singing with strangers on the street, getting to chat to people, it's absolutely what music is all about," he told BBC Look East.

"Trying to fill that space between you and a stranger with some kind of common ground.

"Find what brings us together rather than what pulls us apart and it was a privilege to share a bit of time with everyone down there."

He also said he was looking forward to finally relaxing at Christmas and talking to his grandfather about riding in a Spitfire.

The singer said he received a missed call during the Spitfire experience from Foo Fighters' frontman Dave Grohl and drummer Roger Taylor, asking him to perform with Queen - which he did for the Taylor Hawkins tribute concert.

Ryder found fame covering hits on TikTok during the coronavirus lockdowns and gained more than 12 million followers, catching the attention of global stars including Justin Bieber and Alicia Keys.

He later signed to the Parlophone record label, part of Warner Music Group, and released his debut EP, The Sun's Gonna Rise, in 2021.