A North East BBC TV presenter has bid farewell to viewers after 20 years of presenting the news and sports coverage across the region. 

Award-winning news and sports reporter and presenter Jeff Brown made his final broadcast today (Friday, May 24) after two decades at the regional section of the BBC. 

It was announced earlier this year that Mr Brown would move on to new opportunities in broadcasting.

To mark his final episode, an emotional montage of his key BBC highlights was shared - with viewers expressing their gratitude to the broadcaster for the last 20 years.

Alongside a video shared on social media by the BBC, the caption reads: "After 21 amazing years, it's Jeff Brown's last week at Look North His final show is on Friday."

In a statement at the time of the announcement of his departure, he said: "Presenting BBC Look North - filling the seat once occupied by the great Mike Neville - has been the undoubted highlight of my career, something I could never have imagined when I set out as a journalist.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and a privilege to work with such talented and dedicated teams over the years, and I’m proud to count them as my friends. 

"I’m also truly grateful to the many people and organisations across the North East and Cumbria who have allowed me to tell their stories, and to be welcomed into hundreds of thousands of homes every night. 

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He added: “Sport has always been my passion – whatever colour the team is wearing or the shape of the ball! I hope I’ve been able to reflect the depth of feeling fans have for their teams because in that respect our region is unique”.

In the build-up to his final week, the broadcaster was surprised with a farewell by colleagues Jen Bartram and Dawn Thewlis - who wished him well for the future on BBC Look North laet Friday (May 18). 

He posted pictures and a clip of the goodbye on his Twitter - with Mr Brown saying: "Lovely send-off tonight from two fabulous colleagues, Dawn and ⁦@JenBartram.⁩ Totally unexpected. Going to have to toughen up before my last week on Look North."