Richard, you've been framed!

He is just one of a string of famous names who have trooped through Mr Hydes's home in Apperley Bridge over the past two years to have their portrait painted.

The latest six paintings, which also include former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath, Ilkley-raised novelist Jilly Cooper, rock star Rick Wakeman, actor Richard Todd and political pundit Sir Bernard Ingham, have been filmed for a series of TV slots.

Mr Whiteley, best known as the presenter of the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown, lives in Burley Woodhead and was delighted to take part.

"I particularly wanted to make him impish," said Mr Hydes.

"I always try to capture my subject's personality. There's no point just doing a photographic image.

"If you've got a day to get to know somebody then hopefully you will get an impression of what they're really like. Sometimes you have an idea of what they're like at the start of the day and by the end of the afternoon you've changed your opinion," he said. "No matter who you are you'd have to be a pretty good actor not to let on any impression of your personality."

He said for many of his subjects, who have included Emmerdale and Coronation Street stars, it was the first time they had had their portrait painted. And Sir Edward Heath, said Mr Hydes' picture was better than ones of him which hang in the National Portrait Gallery.

The latest series of portraits are likely to be broadcast later in the year as programmes in their own right by Yorkshire TV and Mr Hydes hopes his shows might eventually be screened throughout the ITV network.

He has also completed a new series called Blooming Art in which he visits the gardens of the rich and famous.

The new series of portraits will be shown as short items in the Tonight programme on Yorkshire TV starting on Wednesday. Blooming Art begins a six-week run on YTV at 7.30pm on February 8.

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