Nick Hancock Supporting Stoke-on-Trent

Nick Hancock's face and voice are here there and everywhere on TV and radio, but he's happiest at home in North Staffordshire, doing the school run, working for local charities and watching the Potters

By Joanne Hine, Pictures by John Snowdon

Imagine the lot of a celebrity... the social whirl, the pampered lifestyle, - a very different existence from the humdrum lives of mere mortals.

And of course they're busy, busy busy. So when Nick Hancock was anxious to make sure our interview didn't over-run it came as no surprise.

The shock was the reason for his wanting making a punctual get-away - he was down for the school run, collecting his children Dolores and Harvey. Now that is not what you expect from a TV star whose career is flying high after more than a decade in the spotlight.

But then there are many unexpected facets to this comedian/game show host/footy fan/dad and husband.

Life in a celebrity bubble couldn't be further from the truth for the man who left London to settle with wife Shari and raise a family in the county where he grew up.

We met at Newcastle's New Victoria Theatre - one of the many local charities he supports - not only in name but by giving his time freely and gladly.

He's joined a host of celebrity names helping the theatre raise £1.2 million for their Building Futures Appeal - creating a new WorkSpace building dedicated to education and using theatre to overcome social issues through their highly acclaimed Borderlines programme.

While his career is on a high he's adamant that being involved in the local scene and giving something back to the community take equal billing - it's a balance he's worked hard to achieve.

So how did he rise to a position where he's in demand both professionally and personally? His ascent to fame is nowhere near as glamorous as you might think - and probably one of the reasons why he's just a normal bloke with a grounded outlook on life.

Born in Stoke on Trent in 1962, the son of a builder and a teacher, he went to local schools and is the first to admit that he showed little early promise for a life which has seen him front top TV shows including BBC1 sports quiz They Think It's All Over, the cult Room 101 and, earlier this year, primetime Saturday evening game show Duel.

His voice is as famous as his face, a familiar sound on advertisements and broadcasting plugs.

"I was never in anything much at school. If there was a school play I was 'car parking'. I did a few bits and pieces but I was hardly the kid from Fame."

His love of the bright lights came when he won a place at Cambridge and flourished as part of the university's Footlights theatre group. "Drama was part of my course there - I saw a few shows and thought I would audition. It was very much a nurturing environment and people encouraged me too write stuff and try some stand-up. My early attempts were terrible but you get better."

After graduating he became a PE teacher and carried on developing his stand-up skills in his spare time. "It wasn't like now - people think comedy is a career - you can even do degrees in it - but in my early days it was much more amateur."

His contemporaries on the circuit remain friends today - like Harry Enfield, Jack Dee and Julian Clary to name a few. "We were all appalling when we started," he admits. They'd tour together and appear on the same bill, and while it was a great grounding and Nick has fond memories of those days it was never going to make anyone rich. "We would share the cash at the end of the night and you would get £100 at the most if you were lucky."

He spent seven years on the stand-up comedy circuit learning his trade before graduating into TV and radio work. In 1992 he was rewarded for when he won the Radio Times Comedy and Drama Award, after which his career really began to take off.

And while much in demand for his sharp wit as a TV host, his credits also include radio work on The Danny Baker Show and The Mary Whitehouse Experience, and appearances on television's An Evening with Gary Lineker, Mr Bean and sitcom Holding The Baby. Charity also became an important part of the job and he's remained an ardent supporter of Comic Relief over the years.

After more than a decade at the top and living in London he and wife Shari decided the big city was no place to bring up a family and set up home in the North Staffordshire village of Woore.

"If you come from Stoke on Trent you spend a lot of time justifying it and explaining why it's important and special and you have a passion for it. My family is here and this is where I grew up so I've always felt a strong affinity with the place."

Professionally, moving away from the centre of the action was a risk: "Moving back up here has made life more difficult professionally because you are not in the offices or in the minds of the people who make programmes all the time."

But family life in Staffordshire more than compensates and while he's still working, he enjoys spending time with the kids and living down the reputation of being Stoke City's biggest celebrity fan - a label which he admits gets a bit boring. "It isn't all of who I am, but equally I do go to every match."

In fact, if you ask countless local charities it's far from all of who he is. He is much in demand on the local charity scene and he's delighted to play a part.

"It's nice to be asked and it's nice to be able to help - it makes you feel a bit like a grown up. Sometimes when you spend your life talking about football and telling stupid jokes, it's difficult for people to perceive you as having an adult side. Also a lot of what I do is so incredibly trivial it's nice to be involved in something that is far from trivial.

"I generally say yes to as many charity things as I can that are local. Two or three times a week I'm going somewhere or visiting somebody." But he's still puzzled by the impact his celebrity status has on others. "There's a sense when you are asked to attend anything of 'why do you want me to do that?' It isn't easy to understand and it's good for your sanity not to believe all the hype."

You'll often find him out and about supporting charities including The Tree Tops children's hospice and the Douglas Macmillan Hospice, but with its theatrical connections the New Vic appeal is particularly close to his heart. He recognises that the profession which has given him a privileged lifestyle has much to offer to young people.

The New Vic appeal includes developing its Borderlines programme working every year with around 10,000 young people who are involved in more than 100 projects tackling issues like car crime, racism, bullying, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse. Other patrons of Building Futures include actors Kevin Whately and Sue Johnston, playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn and film director Mike Leigh.

Acting, says Nick, is a great way to deal with issues. "You can improvise being in an abusive relationship or having alcohol-dependent parents without being in that situation and that can help you understand and deal with problems.

"The New Vic's WorkSpace is a facility for the whole area and for young people it's adding to their experience and enriching their lives. For example, one parent wrote to the theatre after their child took part in Borderlines to say: 'thank you for giving us our child back'. That kind of accolade is beyond price.

"They've worked hard to raise £1million for the building, but they still need a lot more money to keep it running and they really need the support of local businesses. They are helping to turn out well-rounded and more grounded young people who are the employees of the future - so business people listen up."

While charity work and family life take up plenty of his time, Nick's career is still very much on a professional high. His public persona made him first choice to take the lead alongside Denise Van Outen and Richard Hammond in this year's high profile Morrison's Christmas TV advertising campaign.

On the presenting side he's considering various offers, including fronting a new cookery programme on mainstream TV, but he's determined that home in North Staffordshire is very much where his heart is. "This area has always been close to my heart and this is home to me. If you have never moved away you wouldn't know what it's like to want to move back. It's just a sense of belonging."

To find out more about the New Vic's Building Futures Appeal visit www.newvictheatre.co.uk or telephone 01782 717954.

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