Rock star Sting is on a mission which is seeing him "paying back his debt" to his Tyneside roots. On a return to the region, he tells Kate Proctor about childhood, fame and where he now calls home. Soaring over the heads of 600 fans and bouncing off the wooden window frames of a school hall, is Sting's voice. His distinctive soulful tone is still quite perfect - perhaps a little deeper now he is in his early sixties, but the audience know they are in on something remarkable...

From singing to 13,000 people in Dubai to a night playing in a North East school hall - superstar Sting said he was, in fact, more nervous to perform to a home crowd. The multi-Grammy award-winning singer arrived in South Shields on Saturday night from the Middle East to perform songs from his musical The Last Ship, as well as old favourites from his years in The Police. Talking frankly about his childhood growing up near the River Tyne in Wallsend and the impact the region has had on his music, he was joined on stage by former South Shields MP David Miliband, who was hosting the event as part of his annual lecture series...