'I grew up in Beverley - it's incredible but many people don't even know it's there'

My parents had just bought a new-build family home just outside Beverley, and I remember my dad washing his car, an Austin Maxi, on the driveway. I’d have been about four years old, and I was there with him, and my tricycle. He washed that for me, as well.

What’s your favourite part of the county?

It’s where my husband Richard and I live – Swaledale. We’ve got a 30-or-so acre smallholding, with sheep, and Richard is also contracted to another larger farm, as well as tutoring science students for exams, so he’s a remarkably busy man, especially in springtime, when I’ve proved relatively handy with a feeding bottle. Even when I was working in London, I knew that I wanted to get back to Yorkshire at some point, and now, here I am.

What’s your idea of a perfect day out?

Getting into the car, with our pair of Border Collies, Tess and Sky, and driving over to Saltburn or Sandsend, going for the longest walk on the beach, and ending up in Whitby for something to eat – not necessarily fish and chips, because Whitby has a thriving café culture these days.

Do you have a favourite walk?

It’s the Kisdon walk, between Muker and Keld, a circular one, much of which is by the River Swale. The countryside is just stunning, and we invariably end up at the café run by Barbara Rukin.

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

Alistair Brownlee. I’m a runner myself, and I saw him at a race meeting recently, and that guy – and his brother Johnny – are still at the top of their game.

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

Because she’s a York lass, and such a fund of anecdotes, it’s going to be Dame Judi. I met her professionally, and she has a story about everything and everyone. You was something about Olivier? She’ll tell you. Dame Maggie Smith – she was one of her great friends. The woman is so wonderfully warm and engaging, and what a talent, as well.

What’s your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’ ?

Beverley, where I grew up. It’s incredible, but a lot of people don’t even know that it’s there. The brick gate up past the marketplace, St. Mary’s church, the Minster, lots of good cafes, pubs and bars, independent shops. A lovely place to be.

If you could own one thing in Yorkshire for a day, what would it be?

York Minster. Completely alone for hours on end, just free to wander and to nosey around. However, in the final hour of my visit, I’d like to be joined by Robert Sharpe, their Director of Music and Organist, he’s famed as a recitalist, and I should love him to play a Bach chorale, just for me, an audience of one.

What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?

It’s the astonishing variety of it all, and North Yorkshire is the biggest part of it. Dales, Wolds, a diverse coastline, ice age valleys, old pre-industrial workings, and so many really busy and vibrant cities – but conurbations which you can get out of within about 15 minutes.

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

I’m a proud member of a group called the Richmond and Zetland Harriers, and there about 80 – 100 of us who all meet at Catterick Garrison. Northallerton’s Marc Scott, the Bronze medallist is also a member. I still love my running, and I compete whenever I can.

Do you have a favourite pub?

We both love The Blue Lion at East Witton, which was in the same hands for decades, and which, not so long ago, changed hands but it hasn’t altered the food, or the welcome, or the atmosphere at all. Brilliant.

Do you have a favourite food shop?

I do the Park Run in Richmond as often as I can, and I invariably end up at Wilfred’s, because their coffee is superb – I’m a caffeine addict. It’s sensational, as are their home-made cakes and pastries, and their cheese scones, with just a hint of mustard, are superb.

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

You had to search really hard to find a pub that served decent food not so long ago, and so many cafes were little more than greasy spoons. Today, people are finding genuinely good menus, sourced from local fields and farmers, and Yorkshire has really improved in the hospitality industry. For walkers, the paths in the National Park now have signs on them. And the place celebrates its cultural diversity so much more.

Who is the Yorkshire person that you most admire?

My husband, Richard Sharp. We’ve been together for 33 years, and he brought me back here, was so supportive of my building a studio in our own home, and is one of the hardest-working people that I know. He’s a farmer, an expert dry-stone waller, and an educator, and much else besides.

Has Yorkshire influenced your work?

Completely. I’ve been lucky enough to work all over England, and some of the time I was in London, and you really are affected by living down there. When I moved back up here again, full-time, we built the studio it gave my broadcasting career a whole new lease of life. The other Sunday, I was on air on National Dawn Chorus Day, and I played a recording of birdsong from our own garden. How cool was that? I love the place, and its people.

Name your favourite Yorkshire writer.

Alan Bennett hates socialising, but I was lucky enough to be placed next to him on a rare occasion when he attended a dinner party, and he was quite wonderful. He’s a brilliant writer and actor, and a warm and very loveable human being, with a great wit.

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

The yearly Reeth Agricultural Show. Everyone in Swaledale makes a date of it, famers, stallholders, business folk, and the atmosphere is wonderful, embracing.