BBC Radio 2 JohnnyWalkerShow 2

RA: I think thats already all paid for.

MW: So vou've been paid for that already?

RA: I've been pajd for that already, yeah.

MW: Ercellent. excellent. because I do wonder because obviously youre. you’re sent out here to promote tbe DVD -

RA: Yeah

\1W: I thjnk it only seerns fair that you promote it and you get pajd to do so (laughs)

RA: Thats all. 1 think that's all kind of taken care of but it's great that the DVD telease has been kind of. it’s come earlier tban the BBC expected because of tbe response frora tbe fans So that’s to be applauded. you know. their. their land of commitment to it. so...

MW: And costume drama genenlly. ls that something you re a fan of?

RA Yeah. I've always really enjoyed it I think I ve always enjoyed literaturę and I like seeine great books kind of trans, tiansferred onto screen so I've alw ays been. you know. I watched Pride and Piejudice and all the kind of costume dramas. 1.1 wasnt surę whether it was ever goinę to be for me. but. yeah. when North & South came along and I...H was one of tbose situations where. you know. I was kind of ńght for it and read the novel and was verv excited by that character and it had a lot of personal resonances for me. my hentage. and my famtty and stuff. so yeah.

MW: Yeah. because you re from up north?

RA: My father is from Leeds and all of his famlly. His. his mother woiked m a woolen mili m. in Leeds, and. you know. there s słone masons. miners...you know. it's there m our hentage. so tt was great to sort of explore that...

MW: Because you played.. .Thomton was a miller anyway. wasn't be. yeah

RA Yeah. yeah. he was He was hke the. the sort of center of this sort of cotton empire, so...

MW: How extraordmary.

RA: Yeah. it's great. isn't it‘^>

MW: Yeah So it's kind of exploring your own family. or potentially how your family could have been -RA: Yeah. absolutely. yeah

MW: on the telly... And., .(laughine) I've been flicking through some of the things you*ve done in the past. and 1 didn t realke that you were m Star Wars Episode I

R-^ Yeah, that was straight out of drama scbool. I did a. .1 had a one-line part in Star Wars Episode I MW: Evenso...

RA: Even so. but. yeah. and 1.1. it was funny because 1 worked ^Tth tbe Royal Shakespeare Company and we kind of went to Tokyo with Macbeth and tbeie were son of fans outside the stage door kmd of waiting