A former Shields Ferry has been spotted in an episode of the hit ITV crime drama, Grace.
The Shieldsman, which is now a houseboat at Shoreham-by-Sea on the South Coast of England, appeared in the season finale that was screened on Sunday 28 April.
The vessel featured in a scene where the Brighton based Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, who is played by the actor John Simm, searches for a suspect as he faces mounting pressure amid a major drug investigation.
We decommissioned the Shieldsman in 2007 - and she was sold to a private buyer in 2009. The former ferry, which operated for 30 years on the River Tyne, was taken down to the South Coast, but a plan to transform her into a bar fell through.
She was sold again in 2015, and that buyer turned her into a spacious, four bedroomed houseboat, with all the mod cons.
John Souter, Head of Customer Service Operations at Nexus, said: “It was brilliant to see the Shieldsman in the latest episode of Grace and it was a really nice surprise.
“More than a few eagle-eyed viewers spotted her in the final episode of the latest series that was screened on ITV last Sunday night. She still looked in tip top condition.
“The Shieldsman was a real workhorse on the River Tyne for three decades, before we retired her from service.
“To see her on national television, in such a popular series, was fantastic and we were able to tell that she’s still very much being used as a houseboat down on the south coast of England.”
The Shieldsman’s transformation in 2015 saw her engines removed to make room for a living room and two new bedrooms.
The lower passenger deck is now a living room and kitchen, with two offices at either end. The upper deck and crew rooms feature a conservatory and another bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. The wheelhouse was also turned into a bedroom.