'Move over Alan Bennett - this is why Sally Wainwright is my favourite Yorkshire writer'

I have vivid early recollections of Daisy Hill’s Bonfire Night in Bradford, and doing my daily paper round. It showed me the reading habits (and the political leanings) of people in the rows of cottages, the terraced stone houses, and the wool barons’ mansions in nearby Chellow Dene. Little wonder I became a political journalist. Finally, family holidays with relations in Durham Street, Scarborough, still my favourite Yorkshire resort.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

Upper Wharfedale, from Burnsall to Hubberholme. Kicked off in my youth with a 60-odd mile return cycle ride from Bradford. It’s still my Heaven on earth in the Dales.

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

Kilnsey Show in late summer takes some beating. Real people from places with names like Yockenthwaite, a fell race for rufty tufties up Kilnsey Crag, great food, and good folk to mix with. Not a bowler hat in sight. Or a day’s county cricket at Scarborough, combined with a full-on walk at lunchtime. Up to the castle, Anne Bronte’s grave, down to South Bay, round Marine Drive, and back up the North Bay cliff. Marvellous.

Do you have a favourite walk?

From Wharfedale’s Conistone Village up Conistone Dib (a narrow, twisting canyon in the limestone cliffs), a scramble on to the tops, then a walk to Conistone Pie (a stand-out rock formation). The views of Littondale and Kilnsey Crag are magnificent.

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

A toss-up between Yorkshire and England cricketers Brian Close and Ray Illingworth. I shall never forget the sight of Close’s battered and bruised body from the bowling of West Indian Michael Holding at Old Trafford. However, on balance, it has to be Illingworth: his great captaincy and leadership made a lasting impression on the young lad brought up on cricket at Bingley Congs, for whom my father played.

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

York-born Judi Dench and Mirfield’s Patrick Stewart jump out. But for me it’s Hull’s very own Tom Courtney. His ‘Billy Liar’, and ‘The Dresser’ with Albert Finney are enduring favourites. I’d also love to have met Tom Wilkinson, the Burley in Wharfedale-born actor whose range took in the Sheffield steel mill foreman in ‘The Full Monty’ to the political advisor to US President-elect, George W. Bush, in ‘The Recount.’

What’s your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’?

The wonderfully-named Boggle Hole, a hidden valley just a short coastal walk from Robin Hood’s Bay. The youth hostel there still operates. Fond memories of meeting a lovely lass from Leeds there in my teens.

If you could choose somewhere in Yorkshire to own for a day, what would it be?

Salts Mill at Saltaire, near Bradford. A vast and impressive building put to great use in the present day, thanks to visionary entrepreneur Jonathan Silver, aided by his school pal David Hockney.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

Where else is called ‘God’s Own Country’, the Broad Acres, and even ‘the Texas of England’ by some? Not exactly self-effacing, but what an impressive jigsaw of distinct accents and different topographies. From the ‘Three Peaks’ in the west, to the ‘Big Six’ Dales, to the towering coastal cliffs, villages and resorts.

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

I’ve supported Bradford City all my life: I love ‘the Mighty Bantams’, but not uncritically. I once co-wrote a book on them called ‘The Pain and the Glory’, and was made unwelcome temporarily for its tell-it-how-it-is honesty. A badge of honour for a writer. Then there’s my other turbulent love affair - Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

The Angel at Hetton, near Skipton, takes some beating for Michelin star cuisine. For the must-have Bradford curry, try MyLahore up Great Horton Road. For cafe culture, the Stripey Badger at Grassington, combines books and snacks.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

For specialist farm cheeses, Andy and Kathy Swinscoe’s Courtyard Dairy at Austwick, near Settle.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse?

It’s certainly not as mucky as it was. No pits, no mill chimneys belching out smoke. New horizons, new vision, but lots of the old values survive. Somewhere with a sound moral compass remains.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Right now, it’s Sally Wainwright. What a writer. Last Tango in Halifax, Happy Valley, Gentleman Jack, with Riot Women coming soon. Not to mention her accomplished script writing for The Archers, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street. Move over Alan Bennett.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Massively. From the early influence of Great Uncle Albert, the Sage of Cleckheaton, to the tilts on the tiller by Leeds author and newspaper columnist Keith Waterhouse, to the everyday influence of ordinary folk.

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

Author and playwright J B Priestley; artist and innovator David Hockney; and illusionist extraordinaire Steven Frayne, alias Dynamo. Bradford at its best and all three will play their part in Bradford being UK City of Culture this year.

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

Malham Cove – it is one of Yorkshire’s most impressive natural attractions.