Star swaps Hollywood for Holyoake

FAMOUS Scottish film and TV actor John Hannah proved a big hit with staff at Co-operatives UK&#039s Manchester headquarters when a film crew descended on Hanover Street to shoot scenes for a forthcoming BBC 1 legal drama, New Street Law.
Mr Hannah – who played the lead roles in TV blockbusters McCallum and Rebus and appeared in a number of Hollywood box office film successes including The Mummy plus the British-made Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sliding Doors and Pandemonium – signed autographs and chatted with staff in the foyer of Holyoake House during a break in filming in the heart of the Co-op complex.
In the series, which is expected to be screened in the spring, Mr Hannah plays the part of Manchester lawyer Jack Roper, whose passion for justice leads him into conflict with other members of the legal fraternity.
During the filming, Hanover Street was closed to traffic as the Red Productions film crew set up traffic lights and positioned a black cab opposite the entrance to Holyoake House and, as our exclusive picture shows, the star raced down the road towards the cameras, looking not a bit like your archetypal slick legal eagle.
When the scene is shown, don&#039t be surprised if you think there&#039s something not quite right regarding its authenticity. For, in the name of art, the usual one-way street restrictions were altered so that the taxi is in fact facing the ‘wrong way.&#039
With traffic wardens forever on the prowl around the Co-op complex, this is a manoeuvre that definitely shouldn&#039t be tried by any of our readers!