NOT a good week for the public image of Teesside. The revived television comedy series Auf Wiedersehen, Pet attracted millions of viewers across the country on Sunday night. They were entertained by Messrs Oz, Neville and Denis finding as many ways as is feasibly possible to be rude about Middlesbrough in 60 minutes of television.

Well, their characters are true Geordies, ie Tynesiders, and here we know that being rude about anywhere not within a couple of miles of the Tyne is what Geordies do best. But what did the rest of the country think?

Still, there was a very appropriate plug for Cleveland Bridge of Darlington, who, Oz declared, constructed the Transporter Bridge in 1911. In fact Jimmy Nail, who play's Oz, declared this fact in such a deliberate fashion, it almost sounded like what is known in the TV industry as product placement.

That's a bit improbable as suspension bridges are hardly consumer durables, but perhaps no more improbable than the story line that the gang should win a contract to dismantle the bridge and move it to Arizona.

Still Spectator's not carping, the revived series is still good value compared to much of what passes for TV comedy these days.

There was more stick for Teesside in the pages of a national newspaper seeking opinions about the new painting of Neil and Glenys Kinnock in London's National Portrait Gallery.

David Lee, editor of the unknown (at least in these parts) visual arts newsletter The Jackdaw, described the painting, by Sunderland artist Andrew Tift as "horrid". More specifically he said: "Mrs Kinnock's hair is the kind that a shopkeeper on Teesside would have done for his sister's wedding." Ouch.

Gotcha

THERE they were, three young Jack-the-Lads making their way down the street with as much noise as possible, shouting at passing cars and banging on shop windows.

It wasn't that they were doing any harm, simply that they were making others walking down the same street rather apprehensive. Jack-the-Lads can go from harmless to harmful if you so much as look at them in the wrong tone of voice.

But the next car to pass was a police car and one young man offered the driver what is generally referred to as "an insulting gesture". As one apprehensive pedestrian looked back he saw the car stop and a female officer get out.

Sometimes, just sometimes, there is a copper around when you need one.