Actor David Suchet traces his past

British actor David Suchet has used photographs to retrace his grandfather's footsteps to the South Wales valleys. In an ITV programme, the "Poirot" star talks to the descendants of those his ancestor caught on film.

Ivor Evans now has a fifth photograph of his father as a younger man to add to his other few treasured ones. At 87 it was a surprise to see his father Arthur staring back at him from a picture taken outside the pit that they both used to work in. The photograph was taken by the grandfather of actor David Suchet in July 1931.

He visited the Penallt Colliery in Ystrad Mynach and his images provide a snapshot of a bygone era in the Welsh Valleys. David Suchet is retraced his father’s journey across the country retaking the photographs he captured eighty years ago. He hoped to trace some of the people in the pictures but it was Ivor’s sons who first spotted that it was their grandfather in the photo.

They are part of the local choir in Bargoed and when they were shown the photo they spotted him straight away. Ivor says it’s such a special momento for the family to have a record of where his father worked as a haulier looking after the mine’s horses. The photo will now join the others he has safely stored away of his father who continued working at the colliery until he was 69.

‘Perspectives’ will be broadcast on ITV1, Sunday 25th March at 10.35pm.