Alan Stockdill: The leading Yorkshire playwright who has also been a milkman and a school governor

I’d have been about five years old, and I was at my Grandma Stockdill’s house in Manningham in Bradford. She lived in a back to back house, with outdoor toilets, as so many others did at the time. She brought out a huge map of the world and a lot of it was coloured pink, showing the extent of the then British Empire. Grandma told me that these were the best countries to live in, but even better, she said, was to live in the British Isles. And then she said: “and this is the very best bit of all!”, and pointed to the biggest county in these islands, which was, of course, Yorkshire.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

The Yorkshire coast – when I was a lad a day trip to the seaside from our home in Halifax was a remarkable event, and the sight of somewhere like Scarborough or Whitby, with the North York Moors over there, behind them, was always something very special. It still is.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out in Yorkshire?

The writer J B Priestley has always been one of my heroes, so returning to the places that he knew so well, and those that he wrote about so prolifically, is always a great pleasure. I’m thinking getting over to Grassington, Hubberholme, Hawes, Bolton Abbey, and back home by way of Settle. They are all there in Priestley’s An English Journey.

What’s your favourite walk or view?

Anywhere around the fantastic limestone ravine that is Gordale Scar, sand the waterfall at Janet’s Foss. It’s like entering a giant enchanted valley. The genius that was J M W Turner came here to paint it, and did so beautifully – and anything that is good enough for Mr Turner is good with me.

Which Yorkshire sportsperson would you like to take for lunch?

The late Bill Nicholson, the Scarborough-born footballer, who started playing with their Working Men’s Club team, served in WWII, returned to play for Tottenham – and England – and who then managed Spurs for many years. He finally ended up as their Club President. One of the greatest managers ever.

Which Yorkshire stage or screen star would you like to take for dinner?

I grew up with Michael Palin, and the rest of the Python team, but he’s always stood out for me, because of his across-the-board talents. A writer, comedian, explorer, traveller, raconteur…..polymathic.

What’s your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’?

The Albert Promenade, in Halifax, which looks across the sweep of the Calder Valley. It was opened in 1861, to allow the townsfolk to view the neighbouring rock formations. It was the brainchild of a gentleman called Henry Charles McCrea, who was subsequently mayor of the town.

If you could own one thing in Yorkshire for a day, what would that be?

May I please have charge of the keys to the Emley Moor transmitter mast, so that I can get in at 8am, and spend the next 12 hours there? I’d take a bottle of wine right up to the top, and just drink in the views right across all of Yorkshire, making notes, taking pictures, thinking thoughts, and perhaps getting an idea or two for another play.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The landscape, the people, the fact that we could well exist as a country in our own right and a sense of integrity. Maybe we should indeed push hard for total independence?

What sport do you follow in the county?

I still referee, and while I don’t play football myself, I now participate in walking football, which is at a slower pace. I also cycle.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

We love The Cat I’th Well, in Halifax, in its own hidden valley, very well run, totally traditional – proper ales and great pub food.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

We’re great fans of farm shops, and one of the very best hereabouts is Robertshaw’s in Thornton – they are fourth generation farmers and butchers, and they really know their stuff.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?

It has certainly improved since my Grandma’s back-to-back times, as there are so many new houses and developments. It’s sad to see a lot of the old traditional business and industries disappear, but the air is so much cleaner in our towns and cities. The transport in the county is, by and large, pretty much a grim joke, and the potholes in the roads are appalling. I went flying from my bike not so long back, when I hit one in Hebden Bridge, and I ended up hitting my head badly, and breaking my wrist.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

He was born and raised in a remote village, worked on coal barges, studied hard in Whitby, joined the Royal Navy of his day, and then went on to be one of the most accomplished navigators of all time. Who else but Captain Cook?

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Everything I write is about Yorkshire, it’s within me. And I love inventing new Yorkshire locations, based on the real ones we have in the county.

Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.

J B Priestley, a great man of letters, a novelist, essayist and playwright, maybe a little out of fashion these days, but he’ll endure forever. Go and see his When we are Married or An Inspector Calls.

If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?

The Piece Hall, in Halifax. A great monument to our textile heritage, but also a wonderful centre for today’s audiences, visitors and entrepreneurs.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Talking Stock Theatre presents Le Grand Depart by Alan Stockdill: Idle Working Men’s Club, Bradford, May 7. St. Lawrence’s Church, York, May 11. Hebden Bridge Little Theatre, May 17. Skipton Little Theatre, May 17. Ilkley Manor House, May 24. Halifax Playhouse, May 26.