Ben Pearson
Bradford-born Ben Pearson, a familiar face on Channel 5 TV series Police Interceptors, was an officer in the West Yorkshire force’s elite roads policing unit before retiring last October. His book Handcuffed Emotions – A Police Interceptor’s Drive into Darkness is about the reality of being an officer on the front line. He is now a motivational speaker and mental health advocate.
What is your first Yorkshire Memory? I think I was about four, playing outside the rear of my parents’ house when we lived in George Street, Saltaire. As a child it was a great place to be and my grandparents lived only a few streets away in the village. I remember my dad having a few motorcycles and parking them in the rear of the yard. My brother and I would be sitting on them with dad shouting at us: “Watch that exhaust!” It was always sunny, too.
What is your favourite part of the county? That’s a hard one. Saltaire and Roberts Park as I love being there now. There’s so much history there. I’d also choose North Yorkshire and Whitby in particular. I’ve spent many years riding there on my motorcycle with my brother and close friends. The roads and scenery are just amazing.
What is your idea of a perfect weekend, or day out? Spending it with those close to me, family or friends, walking and having a good pub lunch. I often go to Burnsall and walk by the river with my children – I spent a lot of time there growing up, and it’s so close to where I live now.
What is your favourite walk, or view? I think that would be from the trig point on Baildon Moor. It was my father’s favourite place to visit and the 360-degree views are amazing on a clear day. It’s a gentle walk up and worth the wait. I used to go up there with my grandparents too, so there’s lots of memories for me. I think in all the places in Yorkshire you can go, I love visiting places that remind me of my past. It warms my heart. Plus my kids love it.
Which Yorkshire stage, or screen, star would you like to take for lunch? Sean Bean, definitely. He’s a proper Yorkshireman.
If you had to name your Yorkshire ‘hidden gem’, what would it be? I would have to say the sweet shop in Pateley Bridge. It’s the oldest sweet shop in the UK and rammed with every delight you can think of. All the old school favourites are there, plus when you’ve finished, walk down the road for fish and chips and an ice cream. It’s a great day out and it’s an amazing drive to get there.
What gives Yorkshire its identity? It’s a combination of the scenery and people. We are so welcoming as a community and you can drive five minutes out of Bradford to Skipton and you’re in God’s Own Country with stunning fields, and meat pies everywhere (a good growler, my dad used to say).
What is your favourite restaurant? San Angelo in Baildon. I’ve been going there for years and the owner, Angelo, is a great friend. As soon as we walk through the door he greets us with hugs and makes us feel like family. His steaks are to die for.
What is your favourite food shop?
There’s a butcher’s shop in the village of Harden, near Bradford, called Gary Snowden & Sons, which has the best pork pies in the world. When they’ve just come out of the oven they’re amazing, I go to buy one but come out with about six. Not all for me of course.
How do you think that Yorkshire has changed, for better or for worse, in the time that you’ve known it? Certain areas, like parts of Bradford, have got worse and I think that’s due to the level of poverty, shops
closing and lack of investment. However, other places like Ilkley and Saltaire have become stunning places to visit.
If you had to change one thing in, or about Yorkshire, what would that be? Personally, I wouldn’t change a thing. I just think it’s a stunning place to live and work. I’ve been around most of England and there’s not much that beats the views of the Dales.
Do you follow sports in the county, and if so, what? I love motorcycle racing and Yorkshire has given us some of the greatest riders there have been, including Dougie Lampkin,
David Jefferies, James Whitham, and now people like Dean Harrison and Ian
Hutchinson. It makes me proud to be from Yorkshire – it must be something we put in the tea.
If you could choose somewhere, or some object, from or in Yorkshire to own for a day, what would it be? I think I’d like to be the Earl of Harewood and live in Harewood House. I’d feel like I’d made it for a day, stroll around my 1,000 or so acres (the Himalayan Garden is my absolute favourite), take tea in the 50-seater dining room and wander round the art galleries. I’d sit in one of the priceless Chippendale chairs and sleep in the earl’s bedroom for a night.
How has Yorkshire influenced your work? When you work for the police force, you have to deal with many different types of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and everyone is treated the same, without fear or favour. In my writing, it’s helped me see and understand that the world isn’t all negative and bad, and we live in one of the most stunning, diverse and beautiful places there is. I’m proud to be a Yorkshireman.
Who is your favourite Yorkshire artist/performer? I’m going to have to say Adrian Edmondson, I just think he’s crossed so many years of comedy, writing and performing. I used to watch him in The Young Ones, Bottom and Filthy Rich & Catflap, and the smile it brought to my dad’s face was amazing.