THE winner of a television contest to find the best Elvis impersonator will appear at a North-East theatre next month.

Former truck driver Heath Ashton, from Tiverton, in Dorset, won GMTV's Search for Elvis competition, which was run in conjunction with The Elvis Presley Fan Club.

His prize was the chance to front a show entitled Tribute to the King - The Ultimate Elvis Show.

Since winning the competition, father-of-five Mr Ashton has given up trucking to concentrate on the tour, and is being trained by a voice coach and spending time getting fit.

He will appear at the Sunderland Empire Theatre on Saturday, July 20.

A show spokesman said: "This show is not about making pots of cash for the promoters. Loads of money is being spent on extras such as a huge 30-piece choir and special guests, and any fan who has attended a previous date on the tour will be told to bring their ticket with them to the final show at Wembley, where they will be given a free goody bag valued at twice the cost of their ticket."

The costumes used in the show have been created by Presley's original American team, at a cost of more than £10,000.

Every stitch and bead has been placed to exactly resemble the star's costumes, and a single cape took more than 350 man hours to complete.

The show has cost more than £600,000 to take on tour.

To book tickets, ring the box office on 0191-514 2517