BBC Question Time viewers have been left furious by the way Newcastle was portrayed on Thursday's show.
The representation of the city was viewed as so 'sickening' that some viewers had to switch off the show and some vowed never to visit the area. One person was so disgusted they wrote on social media: "Note to self, avoid Newcastle like the plague.
"This was the most sickening Question Time I have watched. I truly fear for humanity." A flurry of people were quick to defend the city, while many claimed the audience was not representative of Geordies, and she later posted an apology.
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She added: "From the comments it appears I owe Newcastle an apology, I had forgotten how biased @bbcquestiontime was, it had improved over the last few wks. I stand by what I say about #bbcqt being sickening last night though."
The comments came following the episode broadcast in Newcastle which discussed topics such as Boris Johnson's ethics with Stockton South Conservative MP Matt Vickers, Bristol West Labour MP and Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Thangam Debbonaire, and Scottish National Party politician Alison Thewliss.
Iceland Managing Director Richard Walker and freelance journalist Ella Whelan also appeared on the panel. The topic of conversation quickly turned to people seeking asylum in the UK.
But many were left angered by the views of the audience aired during the programme. One audience member sparked anger when he voiced his opinion that too much money was being spent on people seeking asylum rather than people born in the UK, which he described as "our own kind".
He said: "Most of these people crossing the channel are young men looking for work. When all these four star hotels are full up, when the immigration centres are full up, where do we put these people? Where do we put these people?
"Because we're going through a crisis ourselves and it seems to me the money spent on this problem is more money spent on them than it is on our own kind."
His comments were interrupted by a woman in the audience who was later offered the opportunity to speak by presenter Fiona Bruce. The woman responded: "They're human beings and we're forgetting that they're humans escaping dreadful, dreadful conditions."
The man responded: "They like our conditions because we're an easy touch." The views on people seeking asylum in the UK continued, with another audience member giving his opinion.
In his statement he said: "I'm a humanitarian. I believe that people from Ukraine who are fleeing should come here. But people that have come across seven or eight different countries to get here... where are you going to put them?"
He added: "They could be rapists, murderers, everything."
The views aired during the show angered many people from the region who argued that BBC Question Time did not accurately reflect the opinions of people in Newcastle. Many criticised the show, claiming it featured ab audience consisting of a majority of Tory voters.
One person wrote: "Do the BBC not know Newcastle is predominantly a Labour stronghold. Why did they have a Conservative audience?" Another said: "The BBC should be held to account for the show. Had any minority of any persuasion been portrayed in such a manner there would be an outcry. How can the BBC defend portraying that audience as a fair representation of the NE?"
A third person said: "Newcastle, and 99% of its people are amazing. I was stunned by that audience last night." And another wrote: "Please be aware that the audience does not represent the majority of good people in Newcastle. Geordies are the most caring of the north and those on #bbcqt are part of a small minority of ill informed bigots we have nationally."
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