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My Yorkshire: Mark Addy
Mark Addy, 45, was born and raised in York, and now lives in nearby Rufforth with his wife Kelly, and his three children, Ruby, Charlie and Oscar.
His big breakthrough was playing Dave in The Full Monty after which he was signed up by Hollywood to play Fred Flintstone. He stars in Channel 4's forthcoming three-part drama Red Riding, which is set in Yorkshire.
What's your first Yorkshire memory?
Going camping up at Settringham, from the age of about three or four. And going back there every year until I was about 14 or so. My mum was a Guide leader and I went along for the ride. Now you might think that a teenage lad of 14 would get a little bit excited about mixing with so many lovely young ladies, but, sadly, the males were in a totally different camp to the lasses. Even so, I have a lot of very good memories of that time.
What's your favourite part of the county – and why?
North Yorkshire, for sure. I like the coastline, too, but it's the interior that gets my vote.
What's your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend, out in Yorkshire?
Brimham Rocks, near Harrogate, a National Trust property, which is all ragged crags and slopes, and where I've been going since I was a child. My parents took me, back then, and now I take my own three. I let them off the leash, and they love it, scrambling around. They are totally exhausted when we have to leave,
and that's wonderful – there's a lot of energy in children of eight, five and
four, believe me!
Do you have a favourite walk – or view?
Around the walls of York. Sadly, my missus doesn't quite share my enthusiasm, and can often be heard saying, "A wall is a wall is a wall", but I love strolling along the parapet, and thinking about what you might have seen from up there, say, 600 years ago. Richard III and his men entering the city – how exciting would that have been? My imagination runs riot.
Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?
Geoffrey Boycott, no question. An extraordinary man, and a complete one-off. I don't care how big the bill at the end of the meal would be – I'm damn sure that a lunch with Mr Boycott would be incredible value for money.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star,
past or present, would you like to take
for dinner?
Well, I'd like to say Sean Bean, who is also in the new series Red Riding, because he's such a lovely man, very charming, full of stories and good humour. But I wonder what it would actually be like? You certainly wouldn't get any peace and quiet over the food – Sean is recognised and asked for autographs wherever he goes. The ladies love him.
If you had to name your Yorkshire "hidden gem", what would it be?
Tough one. Ripley Castle. The grounds are fantastic, the castle itself is steeped in history, they sell amazing ice cream, and there's a great pub, the Boar's Head, not so far away. Legend has it that the mistress of the castle sat up all night once, with a pair of loaded pistols, just waiting for Cromwell and his army to show their faces. She must have been quite a lady.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?
The people who live here. They're a rum lot, the Yorkshire folk. You can't fool them, you certainly can't get away with much, and they call a spade a spade. Or rather they call a spade a "bloody shovel".
Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?
I watch Yorkshire play cricket when they are on the telly, and I follow a bit of Rugby League – no particular team, but I do have a certain loyalty to York sides. If there's someone on at Clifton Park in the city I go and have a look. I used to play – a bit – but I think that my interest was really awakened when I was a kid and my grandparents used to live near a rugby ground, and I'd hear the noise, and went along to see what was going on.
What about Yorkshire's cultural life?
I have to say that it is brilliant. Plenty of fine theatres, there's always something going on, and there are so many festivals, celebrating just about everything in the arts, to choose from. I try to get to as much as I can. We're a very lucky county. No one could complain of a want of anything to do.
Do you have a favourite restaurant,
or pub?
How much space have you got this
week? I prefer those really old-fashioned pubs that you can still occasionally find where there's good ale, a log fire, no background music, and not a sports channel or a plasma screen in sight. There used to be one in York called
the John Bull – but it's sadly now a
garage forecourt. Sacrilege. I like
the Caf Concerto near York Minster
for its food.
Do you have a favourite food shop?
None specifically, although we are
going more and more to those farmers' market places and farm food shops. Proper-tasting vegetables, for a start. Everyone should be buying mucky
carrots instead of those orange supermarket monstrosities.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you've known it?
Swings and roundabouts, I guess. Certainly the traffic has got worse,
but if every car brings in a pair of
tourists, and they then spend some money in the community, that's not so bad, is it? I just wish that more motorists would use the park and ride schemes, that's all.
Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?
James Cook, the seafarer. His voyages of discovery altered the way that we look at the world. Sailing into uncharted waters must have taken so much courage for Cook and his crews.
Has Yorkshire influenced your work?
Can you doubt it? For a start, it was The Full Monty that was the key in the door of my career, the breakout for me. I believe that everyone has a turning point, and that was it for me – and it was an international success. But it was Yorkshire through and through.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/CD/performer.
The wonderful Berwick Kaler. His pantomimes at the Theatre Royal in York are legendary, and he's just the nicest man that there is. And the hardest-working. I've been going to his shows for as long as I can remember, and now we take the kids as well. They adore him. There ought to be a plaque put up to Berwick, for simply making people laugh!
If a stranger to Yorkshire only had time to visit one place, it would be?
York. Particularly the Minster. I'm currently reading a book by Ken Follet called Pillars of the Earth, which is all about the medieval masons and their skills. You can sit in the Minster gardens, and you look up, and you cannot help but ponder: "How did those lads build all of that without hydraulics and cranes and computer imagery?" They dealt and
built with the basics – and they created
a detailed miracle that has lasted
for centuries.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
