Things you didn't know about... West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire, home of Last of the Summer Wine

The long-running hit BBC comedy series was filmed in the town of Holmfirth, just north of the Peak District. Fans can visit the favourite haunts of Compo, Foggy and Nora Batty.

West Yorkshire's star of big and small screen

Bradford, one of West Yorkshire's major cities, has earned a reputation as a frequent star of film and TV. Monty Python's Meaning of Life, A Private Function, Billy Liar, A Touch of Frost and Heartbeat have all used Bradford as a location.

Bradford's photogenic attractions

Bradford, West Yorkshire is also home to the UK's most visited tourist attraction outside London, the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. Perhaps it's no coincidence that, back in 1880, inventor Louis Le Prince recorded the first moving images on film, using a back garden in Leeds, West Yorkshire as his subject.

West Yorkshire textiles—woven with gold

Much of West Yorkshire's wealth was built on the textile industry. Boom time came during the Victorian era, during which the population of West Yorkshire exploded from 316,070 in 1801 to 1,713,013 in 1901.

West Yorkshire is home to the Knightsbridge of the north

Leeds is the UK's fastest growing city, with the second highest employment figures after London. Even in 1086, Leeds was growing with a population of 200.

So where do the fish and chips come from?

West Yorkshire may be landlocked but the world's largest fish and chip shop, Harry Ramsden's, is located near Leeds.

The Martians have landed in West Yorkshire

First screened in 1974, the cult TV ad for Smash instant mash put Huddersfield on the map. In it Martians jeer at a film showing how humans bother to take the time to peel potatoes, boil and then smash them up. The friendly creatures then fall about laughing at the line: "It is a place called Huddersfield."

West Yorkshire is right at the centre of the web

Over 35 per cent of the UK's web traffic is hosted in Leeds, with more ISDN lines per head of population than any other city in the country.

West Yorkshire's Ilkey, magnet for aliens and rock stars

The West Yorkshire town of Ilkley, situated high on the moors, has been the site of a number of UFO sightings, while Jimi Hendrix once played in the town's Troutbeck Hotel.