'PEAK' OF CAREER FOR EMMERDALE STAR

The fictional village of Beckindale came to Waterthorpe recently as hundreds of fans turned out to meet and greet top soap star Christopher Chittell aka 'Eric Pollard' from itv's 'Emmerdale' in person, at the Centre.

From 'Dales' to 'Peaks' Chris enthusiastically signed autographs, posed for photos and openly chatted about his life and role in Yorkshire television's most famous soap opera in the Shopping Centre's Central Atrium - but Eric, err, Chris in true gentlemanly style was keeping 'contractually quiet' about events and happenings in his alter egos life - simply saying, 'it all becomes very exciting in the next few months' - and he should know, because he arrived at Crystal Peaks direct from filming the new storyline in Harewood earlier that morning!

Chris commented, 'I don't want this going in the Hotten Courier but I based Pollard on an ex-conman mercenary I knew in South Africa and also a chap who delivered our papers in Devon - who drove me up the wall! I was only signed up for 12 episodes way back in 1986, I had a break for a couple of months, then was brought back on and off until, in 1989, when I was given a full-time contract.'

He added, "I've never taken this job for granted. I think that's kept me on my toes. With Pollard, I've always tried not to go for the obvious. So if the scripts say he is going to go ballistic over some situation, I underplay it. That's where his strength has been. And you can draw sympathy from a scene that hasn't been written in that light. To be closer to filming we moved to Newark and here I am still in the programme more than sixteen years later.'

Said Centre Manager, Chris Jones, "Chris is a delightful and generous man. Frequently devoting his spare time to numerous charities and aiding their funding, indeed, he's raised in excess of £30,000. Ten marathons in New York and London, long distance walking, cricket matches, and The Three Mountains - (laughs) which one year saw the 'Crystal Peaks Vikings' versus the 'Emmerdale All Stars' and now he's just returned from Mount Kilimanjaro! Like Emmerdale, I just know he'll become a classic that will run and run and continues to be one of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire's favourite personalities - a real Peak Performer."

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