Russell Crowe visits Yorkshire Tea factory in Harrogate

The actor-cum-musician dropped in with his Indoor Garden Party bandmates before their gig at Leeds venue City Varieties on Friday night.They performed tracks from their new album The Musical, which topped the download charts on iTunes and Amazon this week, in front of an audience of hundreds of staff at Hookstone Chase.

The New Zealander star deliberately added Leeds to his tour itinerary - which also includes London and Dublin - due to his appreciation of Yorkshire. He is a keen Leeds United fan, having watched highlights of their matches while growing up in Sydney, Australia, and also follows rugby league.

The visit was part of a collaboration with Yorkshire Tea which saw the brand give out free boxes of special-edition Crowe's Tea to the crowd at the City Varieties concert.

Yorkshire Tea marketing director Dom Dwight said:-

“It was a complete surprise for staff when Russell and the band parked up their tour bus for a tea break on their way to the City Varieties. We can’t thank them enough for dropping by and treating us to a performance. Coincidentally it was the day after we celebrated Yorkshire Tea’s 40th birthday, so the band’s visit signified our second ‘Indoor Garden Party’ of the week!”