Lisa Riley: My Yorkshire

What’s your first Yorkshire memory?

Being driven across from Bury in Lancashire, to start work, at the age of 18, on Emmerdale. I was incredibly excited and to me it was a huge opportunity in my career. I never dreamed I’d be playing Mandy Dingle for nearly eight more years. I was booked in to a little bed and breakfast in Farsley, very old-fashioned, but very welcoming.

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

Emmerdale-land. When I first joined the cast we were shooting at Esholt, a lovely little village, but a working community, and we were a bit of an intrusion. And, of course, all the lovely fans of the show used to come up to see what we were doing. There were coach trips up to watch Emmerdale in action. We’d all be queuing up for lunch, and we’d be aware that there were seven or eight charabancs, all full, with everyone waiting to watch whichever scene we were doing next. It was a blessing for us all when the show moved to its permanent set on the Harewood Estate’s land.

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

My mum and I are very fond of Salts Mill, in Saltaire and we go up there at every opportunity. Time flies for us. We arrive at 10.30am or thereabouts, and the next time we look at our watches, it’s half-past five. The Hockney paintings are terrific.

Do you have a favourite walk – or view?

I love Haworth and Brontë country, and in particular the area beyond the church and behind the school. The main strip of the village is pretty touristy but if you look around you’ll find where you can walk for miles.

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

Jane Tomlinson, who had more courage in her little finger than most of us have in our whole bodies. I met her when I was making Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends, and I just lost it – I was totally tongue-tied.

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

Michael Parkinson – how I wish that they’d bring back his chat show. We’ve been at the same do three or four times and he always comes across and chats and he’s a complete gentleman, a natural. The great thing about Parkie is that he used to listen to people when he had them on as guests and the talk was all about them – not him. Wouldn’t it be good to see Jonathan Ross and people like him, do the same?

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

I am going to name a person, rather than a place, Kay Mellor. I don’t think that people realise what a constant fight Kay puts up for Yorkshire – her plays and scripts are all based here; she won’t make a TV series anywhere else, and she wants to employ local people. She is the team leader and beyond brilliant.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

The people. I am passionate about all things northern, and I don’t think that you’ll find any folk remotely like us anywhere in the world. I’ll give you an example. Not long ago, I broke my leg and had to have a plaster pot. I went off to London on business, and when I got to the station down there, hobbling along awkwardly, not one person said or did anything. I got back to Leeds, and it was “Do you need a hand? Can we help at all?” That’s the generosity of spirit that Yorkshire people have.

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

I never seem to have the time – if I’m not in something, then I’m preparing for it, or rehearsing it. When I finish in Hull, I’ll be looking forward to pantomime in Torquay.

Do you have a favourite restaurant, or pub?

Maxi’s Chinese restaurant on Burley Road in Leeds, close to the old YTV studios and where we always used to go for Emmerdale farewell parties, or birthdays, or whatever.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

Any branch of Bettys, any place, any time. I love cakes. There, I’m honest with you and I own up and admit it. Bettys is cake bliss for me. I’m also fond of their cucumber sandwiches – I’m a vegetarian – and I can enjoy them till the proverbial cows come home.

How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it?

One of the things I noticed in Leeds when I lived there was that the student community all seemed to be contained in one area and that they’ve gradually spread all over the place. There are lots of new restaurants and bars, but what really impresses me is the way that our major companies in the arts – Northern Ballet, Opera North, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, Hull Truck, Northern Broadsides – keep on delivering five-star work, even in the teeth of the savage cuts to budgets. We live in hard times, but we still see top quality work in Yorkshire.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

Lisa Holdsworth, who is a phenomenal writer – she’s done episodes of Waterloo Road, of Emmerdale and Fat Friends, and much else besides. I believe I’m right in saying that she started off as Kay Mellor’s PA. Lisa is wonderful in the way that she develops characters and stories. She is one of the most creative people I know.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Crikey, yes. First there was Emmerdale, then Fat Friends and then Calendar Girls on stage. I did a huge amount of work at the old YTV studios – things like You’ve Been Framed. I think I’ve played in just about every theatre in Yorkshire over the years and I love every single one.

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

Dame Judi Dench who still admits that she gets terror-struck before the curtain goes up and that she’ll never get work offered again. She is a beautiful woman, has a devastatingly warm smile.

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

Haworth, I think, for its beauty, and its literary associations. Oh, and after that, would the stranger like to come and see our play?

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Hull Truck Theatre, to August 20. Box Office on 01482 323638.