Alastair Campbell got it wrong: Harrogate Advertiser's Quotes of 2105

At that time, it was a magnet for aristocrats and royalty. But the modern equivalent - celebrities - seem to be drawn here just as much, if the interviews printed in this paper and online in 2015 are anything to go by.

Here are just a few of the big name highlights and their best quotes interviewed by Graham Chalmers for the Harrogate Advertiser Series in 2015.

BBC Folk Awards winner, Seth Lakeman: “I like U2 and some quiet heavy stuff like AC/DC. My new favourite band is War on Drugs.” (January 15)

Classic rock band Thunder in a 'Spinal Tap' moment: “The band is the same as it ever was, just older and crustier.

“Our original bass player was a maniac. We would have killed him if we could have gotten away with it. The next one was a Swedish lunatic.

“We liked him a lot but his girlfriend got in the way. He might have drunk himself to death anyway. (January 29)

Up-coming singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti: “The music industry is small and incestuous. It’s the same folk you run into all the time.

“These people turn into friends and you end up working with them, too.” (February 5)

Adam Hastings (John Lennon) of The Bootleg Beatles: “My dad was a musician and I grew up in a house full of musicians. I got used to their lifestyle – going to bed late, sleeping in until lunchtime.”

(February 26)

Alastair Campbell, author and ex-spin doctor, looking ahead to May's General Election with an inaccurate crystal ball: "The political landscape has changed so fundamentally. The strength of UKIP, the Greens and the SNP make it even more complicated. I may be biased but I tend to think Labour are in with a shout." (February 12)

Comedian Dylan Moran doesn't take well to a question: “As a stand-up comic, I’m not in the business of comparing myself to anyone else.

“If you play football you don’t try and put yourself in the context of the rest of footballing history.” (April 9)

Slaves, Mercury Prize-nominated punk duo: "“Growing up our reference points were bands like The Jam and The Sex Pistols and Grunge. People did seem to have more things to say then but they had less to fear in those days from social media.

“I think we’re primal rather than punky. We’re simple and straight-up.” (April 23)

TV presenter Gregg Wallace of BBC TV’s Masterchef: “There is no script at all on Masterchef. The fact is I do love desserts. I’ve got a sweet tooth.

“I love them because they remind me of being a child. Desserts are completely indulgent and utterly unnecessary.” (May 21)

Singer Roland Gift (Young Fine Cannibals): “The Fine Young Cannibals just stopped wanting to do it. Our manager and record company had never had that size of success before and they didn’t know how to handle it.” (June 4)

Singer Mark Morris of Britpop heroes The Bluetones: “There are no mass outlets for indie music today. Idiots like Simon Cowell have moved the power from the content to the format. But I’m very excited to be playing with The Bluetones again.” (June 11)

Nature author Rob Cowen who wrote bestseller Common Ground about Bilton: “People have an set image of Harrogate as a spa resort, all grand arcades and ornate parks. But the scrubby marginal land between Bilton and Nidd Gorge predates all that finery by millennia. The land there has an extraordinary history.” (July 9)