'TV Licencing' has revealed some excuses people have used to avoid paying the fee. One homeowner claimed they only used the set as a lamp to help them read. Another said they didn't think they needed a licence because their pet Corgi was thought to be related to one of the Queen's dogs. - What creative excuses have you used in your life? - Newcastle - Homewww.bbc.co.ukRadio for the North East. News and information for Tyneside, Wearside, Northumberland and Durham. Full coverage of Sunderland and Newcastle United.

Black Sabbath are back at the top of the UK album charts after almost 43 years with their new offering '13'. But hop across to the UK singles charts, and you'll find Robin Thicke at number one with 'Blurred Lines' - which is pretty much the opposite of Ozzy and co (as you'll have heard if you've been listening to Jonathan comparing them this morning!) * Which is better - old music or new music?

Where have you found yourself stuck? Dozens of people had to be rescued from a theme park ride after it broke down due to a mechanical fault. The unlucky riders were stranded twenty feet up in the air for more than three hours on the Rameses Revenge ride in Surrey, and had to be cut free by firefighters. * Where's the strangest place you've got stuck? rescued from theme park ridewww.bbc.co.ukA total of 39 people, including children, are rescued from a ride at Chessington theme park in Surrey after being stranded for more than three hours.

The former Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear says he's agreed a deal to return to the club as the Magpies' new director of football - focusing on recruiting players. The club is yet to officially announce the appointment, but it has been described as a 'controversial decision'. What do you think? A new report suggests England's top universities are becoming more exclusive - with fewer places going to students from poorer backgrounds now, than a decade ago. The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission is warning that the most academically selective universities have "a long way to go" to make sure students from all backgrounds have access to a place. .Is it because of rising tuition fees? Is it because the state school pupils aren't ambitious enough? - What can be done to redress the balance?

A new cork has been invented with a thread finish that drinkers can twist in and out of the neck of the bottle. - What else needs to be invented?

Earlier this week, they were just commoners like the rest of us, but now, thanks to her Majesty The Queen, Gateshead's Northern Sinfonia are now The ROYAL Northern Sinfonia. -What else in the North East should be "royalled" in your opinion?

New figures show UK pensioners' incomes have risen faster than all other age groups in the last 30 years. The study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies described the trend as "a triumph of social policy", arguing that poverty in old age was being reduced. The research also found that the over-60s are the only age group to have become better off since the start of the financial crisis. - So are pensioners being over protected when it comes to the economy? - It's claimed that young people are suffering the most, so should policies focus more on them? It's men's health week. According to the NHS, men go to their GP half as often as women, and charities say their reluctance to seek help, is the biggest risk to their health. In fact, each year, more than a 100,000 men die prematurely. - Why do men put off going to the doctors?

A batch of slang words have just been added to the Oxford English dictionary such as ''bromance'', ''cludgie'' (Scottish for toilet) and ''gut check'' which means a challenging situation. - Are there any new words you would like to add?

Bon Jovi fans Stephen and Rebecca serenading Ingrid with 'it's my life'

Bob Stokoe making a break for it. He's more of a Rhianna fan.

Ingrid checking that the new arrivals actually know something about Bon Jovi with some rigorous questioning

The very thought of Jon Bon Jovi makes both Ingrid and Steve go all odd and misshapen. .

Behind the stage at Stadium of Light nervously waiting for the arrival of Jon Bon Jovi's leather trousers.

Ingrid excitedly awaiting Jon Bon Jovi. Little does she know he's gone shopping down The Bridges for some hairspray.

Sunderland! Are you ready to rock the Bon Jovi groove?

At the Stadium of Light with Ingrid giving the region some summery Time Of Lives, coming up Bon Jovi/wear side music special

An influential committee of MPs has accused the internet giant, Google, of providing a "deeply unconvincing" explanation of its tax affairs. The Public Accounts Committee has published a report calling on the search engine to pay its fair share of tax on the profits they make from the business they do in the UK. The company says it is acting within the law. - Would you boycott companies that legally avoid tax? Inspectors have warned that clever children are being let down by many of England's state secondary schools. Ofsted says that figures from last year show that two thirds of pupils who got top marks at age eleven failed to go on to get the best GCSE grades. - Are we settling for average instead of nurturing our young talent?

A letter from a northerner to the TELEGRAPH talks of "the appalling use of umbrellas." The correspondent says "they should rarely be used in in town and never in the country -- the only proper method of using an umbrella to keep dry is to hold it furled, vertically, at arm's length, to hail a cab." Finish the sentence- I would like to complain about the appalling use of.... - Newcastle - Livewww.bbc.co.ukRadio for the North East. News and information for Tyneside, Wearside, Northumberland and Durham. Full coverage of Sunderland and Newcastle United.

A live BBC TV debate show is coming to Sunderland tonight to discuss racism in communities following the murder of Lee Rigby? - We're asking this morning: what makes people racist? And what is the best way to tackle any racism in the North East? A minister has suggested that families should record conversations with tradesmen to ensure they stick to their word. Jo Swinson said the draft legislation would allow customers to enforce verbal agreements struck with everyone from builders to hairdressers. The Government's Consumer Rights Bill strengthens consumer rights in areas like returning faulty goods, and getting tradesmen who don't deliver on their promises, to redo the work. - Are we too trusting of tradesman? - Would recording deals sour the relationship with your plummer or builder?

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are to make guest appearances in the latest edition of the Beano. The comic shows the Duchess visiting Bash Street School to open a new library. - Which comic character could you be mistaken for? - Newcastle - Livewww.bbc.co.ukRadio for the North East. News and information for Tyneside, Wearside, Northumberland and Durham. Full coverage of Sunderland and Newcastle United.

A vote in the European Parliament today is expected to ban pictures of babies on follow-on formula milk packs. The vote could also put a stop to labels which 'idealise' formulas over breast feeding. - are officials right to wade in on this? - or would you rather they stayed out and left all the decisions to parents?

A north east man will achieve a life-long ambition later this month when he sings Oklahoma at the Gala Theatre in Durham. John Cuckson from West Rainton has wanted to sing the song on stage since the early 1970s, when he went on a teaching exchange to the US and was made an honorary citizen of the state. - What is your lifelong ambition - big or small?

Where we live is one of the biggest factors affecting our life expectancy. That's according to Public Health England that's published a league table of premature deaths. It shows you're more at risk of dying before you're 75 if you live in the North East - than in the South. -If it's about lifestyle choices, what's so hard about looking after ourselves? We're also hearing this morning that a recruitment agency says job prospects are getting worse in the North East, despite The DWP saying things are improving. This comes as the TUC says wages in the North East have taken a massive hit. When was the last time you had a payrise? So given the poor prospects in our region why do you choose to live the in the North East?

44% of families admit they use the phone or text to speak to each other when they are at home. - How lazy have you been?

After a cold spring, pollen counts have increased across much of England and Wales and there are fears this could be a particularly intense hayfever season. - Do you suffer with hayfever? What are your best tips for surviving the season?

Should blood donors get rewards? The NHS says it needs 200,000 new registered blood donors every year in England and North Wales to keep supplies going. In the past, it's been argued that giving incentives for donating blood could make the supply less safe but a new study in Science magazine suggests the idea should be reassessed. - would the enticement of payment or something like a day off make you more likely to give blood? - do you think this kind of act should always be altruistic? - would you worry, as health organisations have, that offering payment might make supplies less safe?

Around one million children grow up with no contact with their father and many have no male role model at all, according to a report from the Centre for Social Justice. The reports says the increase in lone parents - at a rate of more than 20,000 a year - is linked to higher rates of teenage crime, pregnancy and disadvantage. Is family breakdown the cause of our social problems? What's wrong with being a single parent? A new report from Which has found that people using the telephone preference service, to try and stop them are still getting about 10 nuisance calls a month. Is enough being done to stop cold callers bothering us on the phone?

After the 'spy' news over the weekend we're snooping and spying this morning... - what was the last text you received, or the last facebook message etc...? (- the more mundane, the better!!)

After 10 we're talking about dates. Tell me your best and worst dating stories and any tips you've got to share.

A survey this week claims that more than half of women think about shopping more than most other things in life. So....What did you think of first when you woke up today?

Events at the Farne islands have taken a TERN for the worst this week-and if you're planning a visit you'll need to don your hard hat. The resident arctic terns have been dive bombing visitors in an attempt to protect their eggs... So Jonathan wants your bird stories this morning. Maybe you've been robbed by a robin or had a kestrel in the kitchen?? Have you been goosed by a goose or mauled by a mallard? Or perhaps, like Ron Hardisty of Amble, your garden has been invaded by pesky starlings!