TORNADO, the pride of Darlington's steam heritage, is set to appear on BBC TV's Top Gear.

The loco, the first to be built in the UK for half a century, is to be the centrepiece of one of the programme's famous challenges.

Lead presenter Jeremy Clarkson took to the footplate in a race to Edinburgh with James May in a Jaguar and Richard Hammond on a Vincent Black Shadow motorcycle.

The new series of Top Gear starts on June 21 and runs for seven weeks.