House proud

A NIGHT out at the theatre led to actor Dicken Ashworth embarking on long tour of the country.

Shortly after finishing a seven-month stint on ITVs soap Emmerdale, he went to see a play written by John Godber because a good friend was in it.

I went along to see as a punter and by chance John Godber was there, recalls Todmorten-born Ashworth. He said, how are things going? and I said they were fine, I was leaving Emmerdale. He said he was sending Our House out in the New Year and would I like to do it?

John and I had kept in touch because I was working for him over the year, both for Hull Truck theatre company and on tour.

Which is how Ashworth finds himself travelling the length and breadth of the country in Our House, written and directed by Godber. He was in the original production for a short run in Hull.

The play finds widow, mother and grandmother, May, packing up her belongings in her Northern council house and heading off for a life in the sun. Shes forced to look forward without her husband Ted, although he has a way of gatecrashing her new life.

Ashworth plays Ted, who is dead from the start of the play, but whose appearances coincide with May looking back over the last 45 years of her life.

He was an ex-miner. They got their first council house when they were married and brought up their kids there, he explains. Ted has died a few months previously. In the process of moving out, her memory goes back to when they first got the house. Hes always in the memory.

Ashworth has worked regularly at Hull Truck, in new and old plays and the classics, inlcuding Shakespeare. He did the 21st birthday tour of Godbers everpopular Bouncers and now, in Our House, finds himself alongside someone from the 30th anniversary production of the same play.

He has a very varied cv, taking in film, TV and theatre with much of his work on stage being in the North. Its just one of those things.

Ive been in the business for 36 years and Im 61 and started a little bit late when I was 25, he says.

Ive had my ups and downs as all actors do, and tried to keep working. Ive done my share of TV and a few films, but Ive always done a lot of theatre.

In my day C not that Im ancient C you went out on tour. When youre young, its quite exciting.

When youre a bit older you miss your home and your partner. Going on tour is a little bit more daunting because youre getting on a bit.

On a more practical level, Our House offered him six-months solid work, which is something few actors can afford to turn down because you could end up sitting on your backside for six months.

He has great respect for Godber, both as a writer and director.

There arent a lot of people who can write and direct, people who can wear both hats successfully, says Ashworth.

But John, in all the work Ive done with him especially the new plays, if something is wrong or you bring up something that you question, hes not precious about it.

Ive know him rewrite plays if hes not sure that was right. For me, he handles directing his own work superbly.

Emmerdale continued his tour of British soaps. He was Geoff Horten in Coronation Street and Alan Partridge (before Steve Coogan took up the name) in Brookside before his more recent spell as Duke Woods in Emmerdale.

I would have been quite happy to stay, but basically a lot depends in soap on the writers and storylines, and my storyline came to a natural end, he says.

What was nice was that he left alive and theres always the opportunity to come back. But theres no guarantees. If youre killed off, theres no way you will return C unless its Dallas or something.

ö Our House is at York Theatre Royal from Tuesday until Saturday, Box Office: 01904-623568.

The production also tours to Scarboroughs Stephen Joseph Theatre, March 31-April 5 (01723- 370541), South Shields Customs House, May 5-7 (0191-4541234), Middlesbrough Theatre, May 8-10 (01642-815181) and Harrogate Theatre, May 28-31 (01423-502116)