Warm, wise and funny, Errol remains Nicky's mentor and sounding board.
And as George Harris reveals, series two once again
sees Errol as a real-life hero - the rock that holds the whole family
together.
Ìý
"Errol is such a knowledgeable and insightful guy, and I enjoy playing
him because he's a composite of all my heroes. People I really look
up to like cricketing legends Sir Garfield Sobers and Frank Worrell,
to men like Muhammad Ali, the philosopher Bertrand Russell and of course
my father, a man I respected very much," reflects George.
Ìý
"They were all people who could see the bigger picture and they were
optimists. Errol is an optimist too, because he has the belief that
the optimist and the pessimist are both heading for the same place -
only the optimist has a better time getting there…"
Ìý
More settled and confident now his family are finding their feet in
their Newcastle home, Errol - who is Nicky's (Don Gilet)
uncle and a grandfather figure to Matty (Jaeden Burke)
- begins to put down his own roots in the city.
Ìý
Romance brews as he becomes much closer to neighbour Georgina (Jacqueline
King) and his role of boxing coach at Clark's (Mark
Stobbart) community youth group gives him an added sense of
belonging.
Ìý
A man who always champions the underdog, in series two Errol's focus
falls on young petty criminal Mikey, aka Rat Boy (series newcomer Sam
Williams).
Ìý
"Last series, Errol was settling into his surroundings and now he's
anchored he can follow his interests outside of the family home. He
loves mentoring youngsters: he's done it with Nicky and Matty and now
he's throwing his weight behind Mikey. I'm telling you, Errol is a good
guy to have fighting your corner."
Ìý
A distinguished actor with credits including Layer Cake, Black Hawk
Down, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Flash Gordon, George is also more
than happy to offer the benefit of his experience to the younger generation.
Ìý
He says: "I've been very fortunate in my career and I think it's incumbent
for you to pass on what you've learnt. A girl walked up to me the other
day and said: 'George, it's because of you that I am acting'. I'd given
her some advice years ago and now she was a fully fledged and working
actress. To hear that was very satisfying."
Ìý
George's most recent big-screen role was as exiled politician Kuman
Kuman in the Hollywood thriller The Interpreter, alongside Nicole Kidman:
"She is a goddess - and I am a goddess worshipper so I was very happy
working with Nicole," laughs George.
Ìý
"Kuman Kuman was a very flamboyant character, totally different to
Errol, but another great challenge. The premiere was held at the Odeon
Leicester Square with a fabulous party afterwards, but I was a good
boy because I was filming 55 Degrees North the next day. I was tucked
up in bed by midnight, just like Cinderella."
Ìý
Despite working with the likes of Olivier, Pinter and Spielberg, the
Grenada-born star admits he is still excited by his success: "I was
at the airport today going through security and this guy said to me:
'You're in 55 Degrees North, aren't you? Man, you look so much younger
in real life!' And that gave me a real kick.
Ìý
"It's a kick because, you know, when I was a little boy on the
beach all I wanted to be was an actor. And here I am all these years
later still doing it - and it's still a gas."
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