SCHOOLCHILDREN across the North-East are taking part in national tests as part of a competition to find who is the best at spelling.

The region's finest will win a place in BBC1's new show Hard Spell, which will be broadcast next month.

Thousands of pupils have spent the past few weeks taking part in school spelling competitions.

Tomorrow, they will compete in regional heats at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, in Gateshead.

Presiding over the heats will be a panel that includes linguists and dictionary experts, who will judge the spelling abilities of children aged 11 to 14.

Cameras will also be there to film the children and capture all the excitement.

Show presenter Eamonn Holmes said: "It's an opportunity to put you and your school on the map and it'll be great for families across the country to play along."

Published: 08/10/2004