JOHN Prescott came over as an appalling man on BBC2's The Class System and Me.

It was unbelievable how he turned on someone he judged to be middle-class who had worked hard to get there, and how tolerant he was towards a man who had never worked, had nine children and was on benefits.

He could not cope with comprehensive scholars who had aspirations to get on and be middle-class, nor could he cope with public school scholars who had either won scholarships or whose parents had worked so hard to send them there.

I have never encountered anyone with such a chip on his shoulder, and found it quite worrying that he would have been representing our country in the absence of Tony Blair .

For all his privileged lifestyle, he is rude, ill-mannered, opinionated and boorish and has no class whatsoever.

What a ghastly man.

From: R Bristow, Beverley High Road, Hull.

AS resignations are the order of the day at the BBC, should the person who commissioned John Prescott's programme on class be given their marching orders?

This was awful television. The purpose of the first episode appeared to be promoting Prescott's memoirs, which are so bad that very few people have bought them.

They were hardly queuing in their hundreds to buy signed copies.

From: HH Greaves, Lea Close, Leven, Near Beverley.

I HAVE been watching John Prescott's TV programmes about class, with much interest.

As far as I can determine, "class" is rated by income enjoyed. The higher the income, the higher position on the social scale it would seem.

Class distinction has always prevailed, and I suggest always will.