Anna Holmes: 'I had an idyllic childhood in a remote Yorkshire home - it inspired my love of reading'

I had an idyllically happy childhood, and just a part of it was a trip to Mytholmroyd every week or so, to go to their little library to get about as many books out as I could.

I could read at a very early age, and I put that down to parents who encouraged me, and I shall be forever grateful.

Dad was (and is) into John Grisham, reading him avidly, mum was far more wide-ranging, forever leaving her books around home, which was up behind Hebden Bridge, down a rut-riven driveway, and about as remote as you could get.

Because of that, I was always picking up her books, and reading things that were several years ahead of what I should have been reading. I was into the Brontes, The Great Gatsby and Ted Hughes long before I should have been, but made it all the more adventurous.

Jaqueline Wilson came easily, and she was great, but Harry Potter never did anything for me, still doesn’t.

Today, I’m up for everything – I remember that mum was once horrified because I’d picked up The Lamb, by Lucy Rhodes, and it’s a pretty no holds barred shock horror, quite gruesome.

I’ve been listening to

We collaborate a lot with a wonderful composer called Willian Kimber, who creates many of our scores, and who knows instinctively what we like, and how it works. He’s such an intuitive musician.

I’m also super-fond of a Dutch musician called Joep Beving whose creations are just beautiful.

It’s so easy for me to put music on repeat when we are creating something – and that’s not always appreciated by the others in the room, I know.

Background noise is OK for me; silence can be a bit too loaded. Female pop is a favourite because some of those lyrics tell wonderful stories. Lily Allen springs to mind, as does Norah Jones..

On TV, I’ve been watching

How to get to Heaven from Belfast has been a must for me. Light comedy, with a point, and something to say. Succession, because it had something to say, and all those awful people were horribly real.

I never ever got into Strictly, or X Factor, but there are some reality shows that I quite like, because they do shed a little light on the people who are taking part – their lives, attitudes, what makes then tick.

It’s strange, isn’t it, that you sit there thinking “oh, this is so trivial…..get real….are you kidding?” and then you find yourself quite invested in it.

The live performance I’d recommend is

We’re off to see Gorillaz quite soon, but the person that sticks out for me is a wonderful woman called Crystal Pite, a Canadian dancer and choreographer, whom I was lucky enough to see at Sadlers Wells in London not so long ago. She’s hugely talented – and respected.

One of those unique women of performance – the spotlight is on her, and her alone, and the audience is wound into her narrative. There’s drama, grief, celebration, the human spirit.

My next boxed set or streamed series will be (or was….)

The new season of Severance, perhaps? I had to persevere with that one, and it took me a full four episodes before I could work out what was happening, and the penny dropped. West World is a favourite.

The App I couldn’t be without is

WhatsApp for access to friends and colleagues, Spotify for access to music.

I’ve taken e-mails off the phone, because I can’t deal with them as I work, and Facebook isn’t there because I found that it was just getting too addictive.

You click on, start scrolling, and then you look up and think “Hell! Where did the last 50minutes go?” Same with Instagram. An app that identifies plants for you would be nice.

What is right at the top of your “To do” Bucket list?

It must be somewhere long-haul. Japan, maybe? A place where I can chill out, and watch whales.

I’m getting to that stage in life where I do have a craving for travel, and I have a feeling that at some point, I’ll be booking a train across the Rockies, starting on the East coast, going through those spectacular mountains, and ending up in Vancouver.

Somewhere to give me a creative thinking space after the next project, in the spring of 2027, which will be our tenth anniversary. It’s all about the Cragg Vale Coiners of the 18th century, so it’s pretty close to home.

Northern Rascals, Sunny Side: Bradford Arts Centre, Friday April 17. Rotherham Civic, Wednesday April 22. Stephen Joseph Theatre Scarborough, Friday 24, Riley Theatre NSCD, Leeds, Saturday April 25.