MICHAEL Portillo's look inside the old Odeon building will be aired by Channel 5 on Friday, November 30.

The programme is part of the second series of the presenter's Hidden History of Britain series.

In the show he takes a look inside the former cinema, learns about its history and talks to Bradfordians about their memories of watching films there, dancing in the ballroom and watching top bands like The Beatles.

Among those interviewed are projectionists Dion Hanson and Graham Bird and photographer Paul Berriff who snapped images of the top rock bands when they played the Odeon.

Mr Portillo is taken on a tour of the building by historian Mark Nicholson, including across the roof and into the decaying bowels of the once-grand New Victoria cinema.

He explores how the building evolved since it was built in 1930 from a grand cinema to a music venue as the Gaumont and then in its Odeon re-incarnation before it was closed - and how campaigners then rallied around to save it.

And he tries out some steps in the still magnificent former ballroom under the tutelage of Marie McCahery with members from The Sultans of Swing who create the era perfectly.

Lee Craven, director of Bradford Live the not-for-profit charitable company formed in 2012 to find a long-term viable use for the historic building, was one of those the former politician interviewed for the programme.

He said: "He was very interested, a keen presenter. He was genuinely interested in the building and history.

"The ballroom sequence was really quite special, my favourite part.

"It was 50 years since anyone danced there."

Mr Craven explained that the ballroom floor had been covered over since the venue closed in the late 60s and once the production company repaired some holes in it and restored it, it provided a decent space for dancing.

He worked closely with the production company, helping them make connections and arranging access to the building.

Bradford Council awarded Bradford Live the right to re-develop the building and they appointed the internationally-renowned NEC Group International as its operating partner.

The scaffolding was recently taken down from the building and Mr Craven said they hoped contractors would soon start demolition of the old cinema interior, removing the internal panels installed in the 1960s that divided it up.