The head of Reading and Leeds Festivals has confirmed the 2021 event will feature two main stages and six headliners.

Much like all other summer UK festivals this year, Reading and Leeds were both cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But boss Melvin Benn has revealed what fans are missing out on in 2020 will be made up for with a blockbuster 2021.

"COVID has given us a year off, so the innovation for next year is testing – everybody will be tested," he told NME.

"We’re also going to reproduce the main stage twice. What was the second stage is going to be elevated to an equal stage with the same presentation. What that really allows us to do is book six acts that are headliners.

"When we first took over Reading Festival in 1989, the idea that there would even be two stages of acts playing at the same time was innovative.

"People were like, ‘Two bands playing at once? You can’t do that, Melvin’. We were like, ‘Yeah we can, just watch’. Now festivals have hundreds of stages at once."

Stormzy, Rage Against The Machine and Liam Gallagher were due to headline the festivals this year.

However, Benn has also ruled out the idea that the same headliners will be carried over to the 2021 edition.