THE voice of country music in the North-East returns to the airwaves tomorrow for a Christmas Day special.

Veteran broadcaster Brian Clough, a photographer with The Northern Echo by day, is a country music enthusiast in his spare time.

Following a three-year absence, he is back behind the microphone for four hours of festive fare, Brian Clough's Country Christmas, on Century FM tomorrow.

Brian cut his broadcasting teeth on the fledgling Radio Durham, a forerunner of BBC local stations at Newcastle and Cleveland, in the early 1970s, working alongside a young Kate Adie.

He earned his name in North-East country circles with his long-running weekly programme on local stations, Metro Radio and Great North Radio (GNR).

It began as Country Jamboree, but soon evolved into The Friday Night Country Crowd.

Since GNR's demise, prior to it resurfacing as Magic 1152, Brian has been "off-air", albeit still a familiar figure compering country music concerts and other events around the region.

He is looking forward to tomorrow's reprise, which he said will give people a toe-tapping chance to wind down after the presents, turkey and pudding.

He said: "I'll be playing a mix of music with a country flavour, with some Christmas-style songs thrown in. It's something to relax to, however the mood takes you.

"After three years, it is good to be back on the air. It is the first time in a while that independent radio in the region has run a purely country show."

Brian said it was very much a "one-off", but he hopes some of his former country crowd listeners will take the chance to tune in again tomorrow.

He can be heard on Century FM, 100.7-100.8 MHz, from 6pm until 10pm.