Top actor in town

Left to right: Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Apted and Steven Knight

Hollywood actor Ioan Gruffudd visited Hull and added his name to the city's petition to end modern slavery.
Gruffudd, who plays Wilberforce in the newly-released Hollywood movie Amazing Grace, was visiting the city for a special advanced showing at Kingswood Cineworld.
Together with the film's director Michael Apted and writer Steven Knight, he also visited the newlyopened Wilberforce House museum on High Street, and toured parts of Hull's Old Town.
"It was like walking in the footsteps of Wilberforce," said Gruffud, who was particularly impressed with the Wilberforce statue outside Hull College in Queen's Gardens.
"It's great because it gives him a big physical presence.
In real life he was very slight in stature – that's why he was described as a shrimp of a man who turned into a whale. But the monument really reflects his achievements."
The welsh actor, who has also starred in Titanic, Black Hawk Down and The Fantastic Four, said he was "very moved" on reading the script of the film and learning the story of Wilberforce for the first time.
And he says it's important to raise awareness about slavery which still exists in the world.
"Children are being sold to pay debts by families who cannot afford to feed and clothe them. The sex trade is also a massive part of modern slavery with women being bought and sold, and trafficked."
See page 13 to find out which other stars have recently signed the petition, being run by Hull City Council and its Wilberforce 2007 partners, in conjunction with Anti-Slavery International.
The film Amazing Grace is now showing at cinemas across Britain.