TELEVISION celebrity Richard Whiteley was literally dragged off the street to save the day for a prestige art show.

The Countdown presenter was walking past the Kings Hall in Ilkley where Emmerdale soap star Cleveland Campbell was due to open the British Watercolour Society's exhibition.

However, the latter had got stuck in Saturday morning traffic and crowds of people were left waiting in the cold.

Fifteen minutes after the scheduled 11am opening, exhibition organiser Leslie Simpson received a mobile phone call from Mr Campbell - who plays Danny Daggart in the YTV series - saying he had fallen foul of traffic in Guiseley.

Threequarters of an hour later, the actor still had not put in appearance, apparently now stuck in the traffic queues leading into Ilkley.

Mr Simpson said he was about to give up hope when he heard someone call his name, and turned to find Mr Whiteley walking past on his way to a wedding.

He offered to step into the breach. "He was told by his partner that he had no time to do it as he was on his way to a wedding and he was very late already," said Mr Simpson.

However, Mr Whiteley said he would still help out.

"So Richard, the trouper that he is, hit the stage to a rapturous applause of appreciation, gave a marvellous opening speech and saved the day gloriously," said Mr Simpson.

However, Cleveland Campbell did not forsake the event, and arrived shortly afterwards to carry out the official opening, and stayed to sign autographs for his fans and admire the artwork on show.

The drama over the exhibition opening was not the first for Mr Simpson. He had already been faced with a frantic search for a star last week after two Coronation Street actresses, Tina O'Brien and Lucy-Jo Hudson, had had to pull out of officially opening the week-long art show.

Mr Campbell had agreed early last week to do the honours.

The art exhibition will run daily at the King's Hall and Winter Garden until this Sunday. It is open between 11am and 4pm. The exhibition features more than 1,000 paintings by 130 artists, including many based in Wharfedale.

Top miniatures painter Maria Coutinho, born in Moscow and now living in New Jersey, is among the exhibitors, along with leading Scottish artist Mary King, and children's author and illustrator, Hilary Roper.

The exhibition is also running on the Internet, enabling artists to sell their paintings further afield. Admission to the exhibition costs £2.50.