Sir Paul McCartney, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones' legendary sets from the Isle of Wight Festival will be aired in place of the festival on Absolute Radio.

As the music extravaganza can't go ahead next month, some highlights from the archive, 22 sets to be exact, will be played on the station between June 12 and June 14.

As well as the Beatles legend, the late music icon's 2004 set and Sir Mick Jagger and co's performance, music-lovers can tune in to hear the likes of The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Biffy Clyro, Blondie, Iggy Pop and Sheryl Crow.

Absolute Radio's Andy Bush and Richie Firth said: ''Everyone is missing live music right now, and while we're devastated we won't be back at The Isle of Wight Festival this year, we think this is the next best option. ''With so many highlights from over the years, we believe this is the greatest festival line-up of all time.

''We know that people are going to be able to crack open a beer and pretend they're really in the front row! We can't wait.''

The annual festival was due to return to Newport, Isle of Wight, between June 11 and June 14, and be headlined by Lionel Richie, Lewis Capaldi, Snow Patrol, The Chemical Brothers and Duran Duran.

However, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it was postponed until next year.

The team behind the legendary event vowed to come back ''stronger than ever''.

In a statement, the festival's organisers said: ''The ​Isle of Wight Festival ​will no longer be taking place this year.

''This decision hasn't been taken lightly and we have tried our hardest to make it work, but it was unavoidable given the current status.

''The whole team was excited to welcome everyone to the island for another fantastic festival and we extend our sincere apologies to everyone who was looking forward to it as much as we were.

''The safety of our audience, artists, crew and the Isle of Wight community is paramount and we appreciate your patience whilst we've been working through this unprecedented situation.

''We'll be back stronger than ever in 2021 and we hope to see you all again next year.''

The full line-up is:

Friday 12th June, 7pm - hosted by Sarah Champion and Ben Burrell

Paul McCartney

Fleetwood Mac

Foo Fighters

Depeche Mode

Snow Patrol

Blondie

James

Saturday 13th June, 7pm - hosted by Danielle Perry and Ross Buchanan

David Bowie

Coldplay

Iggy Pop

Biffy Clyro

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Police

Texas

Supergrass

Sunday 14th June, 7pm - hosted by Andy Bush and Richie Firth

The Rolling Stones

The Who (1970 performance)

Kings of Leon

Sheryl Crow

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Kasabian

Ocean Colour Scene