To Hull and beyond

Most people go to London to seek their fortune but I came to Hull, so I guess I'm a Yorkshireman through and through. I grew up in Upton, a mining village in West Yorkshire, and after going to Leeds University and teaching drama in Pontefract, I was asked to interview for the job of artistic director of Hull Truck Theatre Company. That was back in 1983 and I've stayed ever since.

When I went for the interview, Danny Boyle – who later made films such as Trainspotting and Shallow Grave – was the person in front of me. I reckon he pulled the short straw because he went on to Hollywood and I was the lucky one coming to Hull to run a company where I could connect with the local grass-roots audience with plays such as Up 'n' Under and Bouncers. I think that if a play works in Hull it will probably work anywhere because they are a tough audience to crack.

The gentle pace of life in Hull suits tourism because when you arrive here you can slow right down. It's a bit like towing a caravan – you can't tow it at 90mph. Hull received a lot of negative publicity last year because of the floods, yet the areas of interest to tourists weren't affected. It was mostly housing developments that were hit. The city centre itself was closed for only a day before it was open again for business as usual. In fact, someone rang me to ask if the Humber Bridge was open. Now, the Humber Bridge stands 300ft proud of the river. That really would be a flood if you couldn't get over the Humber Bridge – the whole of Yorkshire would go.

Bizarrely, Crown Prince, my play set in the future about Hull being under water as a result of global warming, had its last performance the night before the floods came. The focus of the play was a bowling club and you could play only on high land. It was about the community reinvigorating itself and that's what happened in Hull: people pulled together and made donations.

What I love most about the area is the vast expanse of open space and sky. I live with my family in the peaceful village of Swanland, which is at the top of the only hill in the area. The light summer nights here are wonderful and just made for cycling. I often go out with my two young daughters on our mountain bikes to the nearby hamlet of Raywell or to West Ella, a picturesque village of little stone cottages and manor houses. This area of East Yorkshire is outstandingly beautiful and peaceful. Sometimes we go down to the Humber Bridge and cycle along the river into town. Hull marina is very attractive with lots of big yachts. I've no idea who owns them – not me – but there are yachts there that wouldn't look out of place in Puerto Banus in Spain.

My earliest memories of growing up are all about holidaying locally at the seaside. We used to go to places such as Filey, Hornsea, Withernsea and Bridlington. Bridlington conjures up pictures of donkey rides, sandcastles, slot machines, fish and chips and boarding houses. It was such a treat to sit with my mum and dad and play bingo. Today, Brid, as it is known locally, hasn't changed that much and still has the feel of the traditional seaside resort and faded Victoriana.

The sands on that stretch of East Yorkshire coast are some of the cleanest in Europe. The front at Brid has been stylishly redeveloped and there is a wonderful promenade to stroll along. The Spa Bridlington has undergone a multimillion-pound upgrade and reopened last month as a state-of-the-art venue for drama, dance, music, sports and comedy. It looks like a Belle Epoque palace and houses a 1930s ballroom and an Edwardian theatre.

To get away from it all I love going out to Spurn Point, which is a sliver of sand that reaches out beyond the River Humber. It's a bit like being on an island with amazing dunes and a great deal of birdlife. You can be staring out to sea and suddenly a huge tanker or ferry will go past into the mouth of the river and dwarf you. It's an incredible sight that sends shivers up my spine.

One of the major draws of the area is the medieval town of Beverley and its magnificent 13th-century minster. It's a jewel of a market town with narrow cobbled streets lined with antique shops, quaint boutiques, craft shops and tea rooms, which make for a perfect day out. It has a popular racecourse and a thriving folk festival that attracts international artists.

The surrounding countryside of the Wolds is mostly untouched with traditional farming villages, rolling hills and fields. It's brilliant countryside for walking and cycling. The Yorkshire Wolds Way is one of the quietest national trails in the UK and runs for 79 miles from Hessle, near the Humber Bridge, to Filey, taking in some stunning scenery. There are also lots of new angling developments in the area. These are mostly self-catering country park with alpine-style log cabins by lakes where you can go fishing.

I'm a disciple of a traditional Italian restaurant called Luciano's in the village of Hessle. I go there every morning because it serves what I think is the best coffee this side of Turin. The village sits under the foot of the Humber Bridge and has a beautiful town square. Wherever you are in town you see the bridge, which serves as a reminder that you are near the river. In fact, one of my favourite journeys is the one into work every day because I cycle along the side of the river.

There's quite a European influence in Hull. You get a whiff of the Benelux countries in the gables and the way some of the houses are built. The centre of Hull is really attractive because water comes right into the heart of town. There is major investment going into Hull's future and over the years the former docks have been regenerated and now house shopping, leisure and residential developments. Princes Quay is the main shopping centre and in September St Stephen's opened, one of the largest inner-city shopping centre developments in the country since the rebuilding of Manchester's Arndale Centre.

Next to St Stephen's is the Albemarle Music Centre, a new music centre for young people that opened in October. Most important to me is the new £14m theatre for Hull Truck, which we hope will open in 2009. Building work is under way and the new complex will have a main auditorium and studio theatre along with extensive educational facilities – and a roof garden.

Other attractions include The Deep, on the Humber Estuary, which is the world's only submarium and has had more than three million visitors through its doors since it opened in 2002. It is a very hi-tech and high-spec aquarium and museum, dedicated to the understanding of the world's oceans. The design by Sir Terry Farrell is phenomenal – it looks like a great shard of rock emerging from the middle of the sea, although it's really where the River Hull meets the River Humber. It houses more than 40 sharks, 3,500 fish and there are lots of hands-on experiences.

Hull's Sea Shanty Festival is one of my favourite events, it takes place in September. It's one of the best maritime events of its kind with open-air performances of traditional shanties set against the backdrop of traditional, classic and working vessels in the marina and Princes Dock. There are also usually craft demonstrations, such as ship bottling and lobster-pot braiding.

The big news here is Hull City's recent promotion to the Premiership. It's a great achievement for the club and a wonderful opportunity for us to show what there is to do in Hull.

When I leave the area I miss the friendliness of the local people and the community feel – everyone here will talk to you. I love London but I recently went to Starbucks in King's Cross and no one wanted to have a natter; they were all wrapped up in their own little worlds. This area is a wonderful place to live and a fantastic place to come for a holiday.

Further browsing For the latest news about the Hull Truck Theatre go to hulltruck.co.uk. For more information about the area, go to realyorkshire.co.uk