 Sean Blowers just had to take a trip down Memory Lane when he was filming television's Heartbeat. "I went to Redcar, I hadn't been back for eight years," says the actor who is currently in the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Sunderland Empire. "Pacitto's was still there and I had a lemon top, it was just wonderful. Redcar's grown and sprawled out now but the rocks are still there. "I went to see our old house overlooking the sea in Granville Terrace. "It was up for sale for £250,000, that's the price of a flat in London. I did think of buying it for nostalgic reasons and using it as a holiday home." Sean, now in his mid-forties and still best known for playing charismatic sub officer John Hallam in TV's popular London's Burning, spent only the first 18 months of his life in this area before his family moved south but he still regards himself as a Teessider. "My parents were both born in the area and I was born in Middlesbrough General Hospital. Until my mid-teens, I returned for several weeks at a time, around four times a year. "My mum's name was Cooper and her family were fisherfolk from Redcar and Staithes. " My dad's side came over from Ireland to work in the iron and steel works. "My fondest and earliest memory of Redcar is of the sea. We now live in Twickenham in London near the Thames. There's no sand but there is the river. I obviously need to be near water." He once took the attraction to extremes by taking part in the BT Global Challenge round the world yacht race in 1996-97. His favourite song is Chris Rea's Steel River. "I love all his references, and his mention of Stainsby girls." He loves too the fact that Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium is situated next to the river and always looks out for the Boro's results, though he confesses his favourite team is Manchester United. In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, he plays Baron Bomburst. "He's one of the villains of the piece," he says. "He's not as bad as the Child Catcher but he is vicious and nasty. Underneath, though, he's just a big teddy bear." The musical, based on James Bond author Ian Fleming's children's story, arrived at Sunderland before Christmas as the start of a huge tour following three successful years in London. It is one of the most spectacular shows ever to come on the road and features the famous car which takes off and flies around the auditorium. "It's quite a one-off show and there's just no others with the same dynamic. The car is quite special and works 97pc of the time. I don't know how. Perhaps it really is magic." Sean's wife Shirley and their children Kim, 21, Rory, 18, and 11-year-old Hattie have all been up to see the show. His Heartbeat episode will come out in March, just as Chitty's Sunderland stint ends. "It's about me and my long-lost brother," he says. "I have a dodgy northern accent but I enjoyed doing it." The Chitty tour goes on until November. "I'm looking forward to the Australian and Japanese ends of the tour," he quips as these do not exist - yet. He has good reason for desiring a return to Oz. "I went over with London's Burning and my great moment was seeing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was built by Dorman Long and my great uncle was one of the men who designed it." | 
