THE BBC has never been afraid of creating a bit of controversy - and their latest bid for ratings success is bound to get tempers flaring.

The TV bosses are launching a search for the greatest Briton who ever lived, a subject which sounds innocuous enough but it is already causing a great divide.

For while the 100 names on the short list are certainly famous, there are only a handful included from the North-East and North Yorkshire.

And some of the biggest names from the region have been overlooked in favour of bizarre choices, such as dour DJ John Peel, ex-Take That singer Robbie Williams, and even ageing punkster Johnny Rotten.

From the North-East and North Yorkshire George Stephenson, Captain Cook, William Wilberforce, Tony Blair and, for some reason, would-be assassin Guy Fawkes, all get a mention as possibles for the title.

But other local names are conspicuous by their absence, with no sign of lifeboat heroine Grace Darling, Hollywood great Stan Laurel or even the former leader of Britain's Roman Catholics, Cardinal Basil Hume.

Turning to the great early Christians,there is no sign of St Cuthbert, while the Venerable Bede also misses out on even a nomination.

Acclaimed movie directors Ridley and Tony Scott, legendary actor Charles Laughton and even pop legend Sting are among the many others ignored.

And while pampered soccer star David Beckham is listed, well-established greats such as Jackie Milburn and the Charlton brothers apparently fail to make the grade.

The list was put together by BBC 2 following a survey of 30,000 people and the top ten will be announced in a new series, Great Britons, to be presented by Anne Robinson in the autumn.

BBC 2 controller Jane Root admitted yesterday that there were a "few surprises" among the top 100 that would cause great debate around the country.

She added: "Just from talking to people I've got a real sense of how passionately they feel about the subject and who they feel is worthy of the title of Great Briton."

The debate is clearly only just starting. Neil Rami, chief executive of the Newcastle-Gateshead Initiative behind the Capital of Culture bid, said: "The North-East has spawned a vast number of highly significant individuals whose creativity has made a dramatic impact on all our of lives."