A departing BBC presenter has said that he  "just about held it together" after signing off his final broadcast at the end of last week. 

On Friday (May 24), Look North's Jeff Brown departed the broadcaster after 20 years - marking a final chapter for the TV personality. 

On his final show, Mr Brown was emotional at the prospect of saying farewell to colleagues and viewers alike - with the departing presenter issuing a statement on his social media after his final show. 

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "Just about held it together Been a joy to work with such a brilliant team @BBCNEandCumbria. Thanks for all your lovely messages - and for watching. On to the next chapter.

"The send-off from the Look North crew was amazing and so much appreciated, but the other last show highlight was talking to Stockton sub-postmaster Keith Bell, a victim of the Horizon IT scandal. Struggle to imagine what he has been through."

Mr Brown now departs to 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.

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“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."

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”.