Pendle actor in Christmas Day ‘Dr Who’

James from Brierfield was a student at Edge End High School in Nelson before studying acting at college, then becoming a professional.

He said: “Yes, Dr Who was so exciting to be a part of, especially something so iconic and to be on TV on Christmas Day is going to be a buzz!

“I’m playing Jenna Colman’s dad – lovely writing from Stephen Moffatt gives you something to think about. It has real depth so there’s always something interesting to play. It’s called ‘The Time Of The Doctor’ and will be on on Christmas Day on BBC1 at 7-30pm.

“It’s obviously Matt Smith’s last episode so the read-through down in Cardiff at BBC Wales was very highly charged and really emotional. Loads of people were there.

“Matt’s been playing the Doctor for four years, I think, so he was really emotional. We filmed it a couple of months ago and because its a Christmas episode it was rather strange filming it in late September – turkey, Christmas trees and all that!”

And James added: “My mother in it is Sheila Reid, the very funny actress from the TV programme ‘Benidorm’. Earlier in the year I was in the Easter Special of ‘Jonathan Creek’ with Alan Davies. All my scenes were with Rik Mayall, which was hysterical.

“I didn’t stop laughing from the moment we met, working with Rik from ‘The Young Ones’ was so cool. I was properly star-struck! I remember doing impressions of him as a kid!”

James went to Edge End High School from 1981 to 1986 and was in the same year as another great television, John Simm, and James said: “He is still my closest friend and lives round the corner from me in Muswell Hill.

Another TV regular, Lee Ingleby, was just starting at Edge End when James and John left to go to Blackpool and Fylde College. James later went on to drama school at Guildford School of Acting, leaving to become professional in 1991.

He said: “We were all inspired and encouraged to train and go further with drama by our drama teacher at Edge End – Brian Wellock – who sadly died a few years back, but will always be remembered by me and John.

“I was brought up in Brierfield but have lost track with most people from home –in fact, I’ve been living down south now for 25 years! Even though I live in London I always remember where I came from – the North-West!”