AN ex Liverpool docker who has made a fortune from reinventing himself as the nation's favourite TV slob shares the stage with miners' leader Arthur Scargill in a tiny County Durham hall next week.

Millions tune in to see actor Ricky Tomlinson as workshy Jim Royle, dad in the award-winning hit comedy the Royle Family.

Thanks to the series - and previous popular roles in Brookside and Cracker - he is a top ratings puller who can command six figure sums for his shows.

But he will have a maximum audience of just 120 when he speaks in the bar at Crook Cricket Club on July 7, at what has become a traditional fixture on the eve of the Durham Miners' Gala.

The down-to-earth Scouser, who turned to acting after serving two years for picketing during a national building strike in 1972, is well known for his Socialist views.

Other speakers are Bob Crowe, of the RMT, and Tony O'Brien, of the Health and Safety Executive.

The event is likely to be popular and numbers are strictly limited. It starts at 7.30pm and admission is free.