A SIT-COM star made a pit-stop in the North-East during a cross-border driving challenge in an electric car.
Robert Llewellyn, who plays neurotic mechanoid Kryten in the sci-fi series Red Dwarf spent Friday (January 24) driving from London to Edinburgh in a Nissan Leaf.
He and fellow electric vehicle enthusiast David Peilow set off from London at 6.30am and were aiming to reach the Scottish capital in about 12 hours.
They stopped off at the Aston Hotel, on the outskirts of Darlington, to charge up the battery of their car.
It was one of half a dozen charging-up stops the pair made during their journey.
Mr Llewellyn said the point of the trip was to demonstrate how technology has advanced since a BBC journalist spent four days driving from London to Edinburgh in an electric car.
He said: “We have been tweeting updates along the way and have had amazing support from other electric car drivers.
“The major motor manufacturers seem to agree that we are reaching a point where the electric car, in terms of its running costs and practicality, is closing in on the petrol car.
“There are more and more people willing to take the risk and make the leap and go electric.”
Most charging points are free for electric car drivers to use.
Mr Llewellyn said he has driven 36,000 miles in his Nissan Leaf and spent just £800 on its running costs.
The journey from London to Edinburgh – which included eight stops to charge the battery – will feature in a forthcoming episode of his Fully Charged video podcast.
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