TV duo Ant and Dec collected a hat trick of prizes last night at the National Television Awards.

The Geordies won the top entertainer prize for the second year running along with a Special Recognition Award, while their Pop Idol show was named most popular entertainment programme.

More credit came to the North-East with Auf Wiedersehen, Pet winning the award for Most Popular Drama.

The last series, much of it filmed in Newcastle and on Teesside, featured the improbable story line of the gang winning a contract to dismantle Middlesbrough's Transporter Bridge and move it to Arizona.