Newcastle/Gateshead won through from six finalists

TV viewers say they want Newcastle and Gateshead to represent the UK as European Capital of Culture 2008.

Clash of the Cities on BBC One on Monday featured the six shortlisted British cities, with a chance for the public to vote for their favourite.

Hosted by Fiona Bruce from Glasgow - the 1990 City of Culture - the programme included live broadcasts from each of the six cities - Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle/Gateshead and Oxford.

Newcastle and Gateshead won 52,241 of the 165,980 votes registered, just beating Liverpool - it secured 51,514 votes.

Each city presented its case on why it should represent Britain's bid for an award worth an estimated �1bn in European Union (EU) cash and revenue from tourism.

Fiona Bruce hosted Monday's programme

The cities argued their case with the help of two-minute documentaries presented by home-grown celebrities.

They were: Robson Green for Newcastle and Gateshead; Ricky Tomlinson for Liverpool; Meera Syal for Birmingham; TV chef Sophie Grigson for Oxford; Aled Jones for Cardiff; and Stephanie Cole for Bristol.

Andrew Dixon, executive director of the Arts Council of the North-East, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the north-east could easily compete with cities such as London for attracting culture tourists.

Audience

He cited research from Northumbria University that said 35% of the region's population now went to galleries - up from the lowest base in the country.

Liverpool was narrowly beaten

He said: "This proves the north-east has an audience for the arts, that it has a right, as London does, to see the best of the arts in this country.

"There is a huge amount being done across the whole of England through our cities for promoting public art, in promoting visual art in making arts more accessible."

Viewers voted for their favourite city by telephone, digital satellite television and e-mail.

"It will send a clear message to Prime Minister Tony Blair who decides in June which city will go forward as the British bid for the European Capital of Culture," said a BBC spokesman.

The six cities were unveiled in October last year by Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell.

They were whittled down from an original list of a dozen by a 12-person committee.

A recent poll showed that Birmingham had the greatest backing among the public, with Cardiff close behind and the joint Newcastle and Gateshead bid in third.

The first culture capital will be Cork in the Republic of Ireland in 2005, followed by Patras in Greece in 2006 and Luxembourg a year later.