FEATURE
WORDS : JULIE BURNISTON PICTURES : MARTIN WALKER
Teesside is on the up , and there ’ s nobody happier about that than one of its favourite sons , actor Mark Benton
There ’ s a famous song that ’ s rolled out every festive season .
Driving Home for Christmas was written and recorded by another Teesside luminary – Chris Rea – who penned it after being stuck on the motorway , en route back " up north " to see his family .
Mark Benton gets that excited , Christmassy feeling every time he comes " home " too , and despite having moved to the south coast with wife Sarah and their three children decades ago , there ’ s no prouder Teessider – and no one more excited at seeing the region on the up . “ I love that drive , and I love coming home ,” says Mark . “ There ’ s nowhere quite like Teesside and I really miss it when I ’ m not here .” Mark has made a huge name for himself in a career spanning three decades .
From Hollywood films such as Cyrano alongside Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage , Eddie the Eagle with Hugh Jackman and Breaking and Entering with Ray Winstone and Jude Law , to TV blockbusters including The Syndicate , Northern Lights , The Halcyon and Vera , to name just a few .
In the majority of his roles Mark has retained his accent , honed on the streets of Grangetown and at Sarah Metcalfe Secondary Modern in Eston – sadly burned down in a fire four years ago .
“ I ’ ve made a living out of being northern ,” he laughs . “ Maybe the timing was right and the world was ready for someone who looked and sounded a bit different .
“ I remember when I went to RADA ( the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ) in London , someone asking , ‘ Aren ’ t you worried about being typecast ?’ but I ’ m not . Put me in a box if you like – as long as I work , it ’ s fine and I ’ m proud of this accent !”
The world first fell in love with Mark when he showed his comedy prowess in the Nationwide Building Society ads – remember the " Computer says no " bank manager ? And his fan base swelled once again in 2013 when he showed off his " unique " moves on Strictly Come Dancing .
This down-to-earth Teessider , however , would trade the bright lights for his pals and a Boro game any day .
“ I would never have left the area had I not felt so frustrated ,” he admits . “ Back in the ' 80s there were no opportunities on Teesside for budding actors and I thought people might think I was a bit weird ,” he laughs .
In fact , when he went to drama school , Mark fibbed that he ’ d been working away as a bricklayer .
“ You ’ ve got to remember that being an actor from Teesside was pretty much unheard of then ,” he explains .
Things are very different now , with money flooding into the arts , film scholarships at Teesside University and with companies such as Middlesbrough ’ s Wander Films flying the flag for the creative sector .
Home fixture – Down-to-earth Mark would trade the bright lights for his pals and a Boro game any day .
“ My old man , bless him , is 80 and still going strong , so he keeps me up to date on what ’ s happening in the area ,” says Mark .
" And I come home four or five times a year to see him , my sister and my mates Alan and Shaun , and to catch a Boro match at the Riverside Stadium .
“ I ’ ve always said to anyone who would listen that we ’ re great here , that this is not just a steel town , and now – finally – people are seeing that . There are so many opportunities .” Mark agrees that there ’ s something really special about Teesside . “ It ’ s the sense of humour , the craic ,” he begins . “ People think we ’ re brutal the way we talk to each other up here , but it ’ s really funny . I ’ ve never found that anywhere else in the world .” Even when people move away , it seems that the bond remains . “ I came home for a school reunion recently at the Blue Bell pub in
Acklam ,” says Mark .
“ It had been 40 years since we ’ d been at school , but one lad flew in from Australia where he had a gold mine , another came over from Singapore , and as the night wore on the Boro accents came back . It was great !”
Mark has met a lot of people on his travels , many of whom think Teesside is " a wasteland between Newcastle and York " – but attitudes are changing .
“ It ’ s fantastic that there ’ s finally been a cash injection into the region and people are sitting up and taking notice because we have so much to offer ,” he says .
While he can ’ t live here at the moment because of work and family commitments , Mark could definitely see himself moving back one day .
“ What people don ’ t realise is that a short drive outside of Middlesbrough there are places like Stokesley and Great Ayton – places of incredible beauty . I ’ d love to live there in the middle of nowhere .” His Teesside roots are also helping Mark branch out into writing . “ I ’ ve been writing loads recently , and as I was always taught to write about what I know – and what I know is Teesside – it obviously features hugely .”
Mark is excited by the prospect of filming on Teesside in the near future , and when he does , he can be guaranteed a warm welcome .
He may cite Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer with putting Teesside on the map , but Mark is another of our regional treasures .
“ People are really lovely to me here ,” he admits . “ I don ’ t want to sound conceited , but you know , I think they ’ re proud of me , which I love because at the end of the day , I ’ m doing this for them .”
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