Channel 4's head of drama Caroline Hollick on working on Heartbeat, Happy Valley and cycling in Yorkshire

I was brought up in London. As a student in the mid-90s, I had a boyfriend at Leeds University and started to visit all the time – I loved the Hyde Park cinema, Art’s Cafe and the HiFi Club. I got a job as a trainee at Yorkshire TV, where I met my husband, and stayed for good. However, my first memory is an obsession with James Herriot as a child. I devoured all the books about his life as a vet in the Dales I knew then I’d adore Yorkshire, even though all the local farmers teased Herriot mercilessly for being soft. Which is pretty much what my Yorkshire-bred teenagers do to me now.

What’s your favourite part of the county – and why?

I love Lower Wharfedale. I’m a keen cyclist (if a little fair-weather!) and the routes over the Chevin and through the Wharfdale valley to Otley, Ilkley and Bolton Abbey are fabulous.

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

I love a weekend at home in Leeds. On the Saturday, I’d gather together a group of friends to walk from Roundhay Park to Shadwell village, stopping for chips and a pint at the Red Lion. On the Sunday I’d walk down to Oakwood for brunch with the family - pancakes and Turkish eggs at House of Koko. And then we’d go to see a film at the Everyman.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

I love to run on the Harewood estate with friends, and there are some incredible sweeping views. There’s also a picture perfect vista of Harewood House from the edge of the estate which changes gloriously with the seasons. I always take the opportunity to bore everyone by banging on about how this lavish house was built on sugar money and the blood of my ancestors. But I do love the view.

Which Yorkshire sportsman, past or present, would you like to take for lunch?

I’d love to go for lunch with cyclist Lizzie Deignan. I’m fascinated by how she manages to be so cheerful and so tough-as-nails at the same time.

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

I’m going to choose Leeds lad, Julian Barrett (of The Mighty Boosh). I’m hoping he’d invite me round to his for dinner so I could hang out with his wife Julia Davis too. We could talk about classic British comedy all night. I bet they are both brilliant raconteurs.

If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be?

I love the Sheaf Street bar in Leeds (and not just because my husband sometimes DJs there!) There’s cocktails, street food and eclectic dance events. It’s currently a bit cut off from the city by the Fire Park building works, but hopefully will come into its own when the new park opens.

How do you think Yorkshire has changed, for better or worse, since you’ve been here?

I’ve been here 25 years, and both the cities and the countryside now feel much more multicultural and inclusive. And Leeds is evolving all the time. When I first arrived it was just about shopping and clubbing. Now arts and culture play a more significant role. I feel like I’ve grown up along with the city.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The landscape – wild, beautiful countryside alongside dynamic towns and cities - is so distinctive, I think it absolutely forged the personality of the region. Yorkshire folk are proud, passionate, stubborn and dry-witted, and you can see that thread through the literary history of the region – from Charlotte Bronte to Ted Hughes to David Peace.

Do you follow sport in the county, and if so, what?

I love road cycling – the Tour de France in Yorkshire in 2014 was such a highlight. I love going to Headingley for a Test match (we were there for the Ben Stokes heroics in 2019), and the whole family love watching Yorkshire v Lancs Twenty20. My husband and son are big York City fans, so I keep an eye out for the score.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

HOME, run by Elizabeth Cottam. We’ve been going since it opened, and the tasting menu is always outstanding.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

I love Hayley and Clifford’s on Street Lane. Fresh bread, coffee, cheese, salads, local honey – it’s crammed full of deliciousness. During Covid they did deliveries of essentials to local people, it’s such a lovely place.

If you had to change one thing in, or about Yorkshire, what would that be?

Better local transport. Leeds is the biggest city in Europe without a metro or tram system. And don’t get me started on the trains…

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Right now it’s Alan Lane, who runs the theatre company Slung Low. At a time when high culture feels less and less accessible, Alan has a passion for democratising the arts. His work at the Holbeck in South Leeds has given access to theatre and performance to so many.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

I started my career on iconic Yorkshire drama Heartbeat, and went on to work on Sally Wainwright’s Yorkshire-set series, At Home With the Braithwaites, Last Tango in Halifax and Happy Valley. This year we’ve had two Channel 4 series shooting in the region. I always fight for Yorkshire representation on screen, everyone deserves to see how extraordinary this part of the world is,

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

Jarvis Cocker is a legend – such a compelling storyteller as well as songwriter.

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

Definitely Whitby – a glorious mash-up of picturesque fishing town, seaside arcades, wild clifftops and Gothic ruins, as well as the best fish and chips in the country. There’s nowhere else like it.