Cyclist badly hurt in crash on busy road
heyday at Newcastle. Mike was always a great guy in the green room, as it was called then – back when you had a couple of drinks before you went on the pitch, never mind after.
“There aren’t many Mike Nevilles around now – he was the face of the North East.
“No matter how you felt when you sat down in front of the television, if he was on he made your troubles go away.” Despite Mike’s very public life, there was a real focus on his family during the service from the moment his loved ones, including wife Pam and daughter Carolyn, followed the coffin into the church. Geoff Mount, delivering a tribute on behalf of the family, said: “Away from the screens he was very much a family man. “He was genuinely interested in everything that was happening in our lives, encouraging and supportive and generous with his time. “In two weeks’ time we would have celebrated his 55-year wedding anniversary with Pam which I know he was very much looking forward to. Behind every strong man there’s a strong woman and that is very much true of Pam.”
Mike was described as a doting grandfather whose days were spent chatting and spending time with his grandchildren.
After being admitted to hospital in August, Mr Mount said, he “fought with great dignity”. He extended thanks to the medical staff who cared for Mike in his final days on behalf of the family.
Mike, who was born James Briggs but changed his name during an early spell as an actor, had an unlikely rise to fame.
He spent his early career working in journalism, theatres and with the army in Cyprus where he completed his national service.
He became involved in Tyne Tees as it was launched in 1959 but it was through his work with BBC Look North that he became a household name.
Alongside newsroom duties, he also hosted various shows, including his own chat show, The Mike Neville Show.
Viewers loved his professional but warm style as he treated them to a mixture of wit and regular skits as well as displaying gravitas when the occasion called for it.
Mike was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Royal Television Society for his contribution to regional media and was appointed MBE in 1991.
As his coffin was led out of the church, a song by local folksinger Jez Lowe was played, which summed up the relationship of trust he fostered with his viewers over the decades: “Mike Neville Said It (So It Must Be True)”.