By NICK JACKSON JUDE star Christopher Eccleston is notoriously tight-lipped about his background and personal life. He's even been known to get physically intimidating when quizzed about his roots. But if he continues to fulfil his growing reputation as one of the best actors his generation, it will soon be common knowledge that Eccleston hails from Little Hulton.

Eccleston impressed his tutors as a teenager at the Central School of Speech and Drama so much that in the absence of any reference to his early years from the man himself they have been extolling his considerable atributes to the media unprompted. Before that he completed a two-year Performance Foundation Course at what used to be Salford Tech in the early 80s.

The actor, who became an overnight star in the harrowing stabbed detective scene in Cracker, returned to his old stomping ground last year to give out awards to B-Tec Performance students.

And there are reports that his concern for the demise of the Little Hulton and Salford area could lead him back there to direct a future project involving local youngsters.

Eccleston is not the only local actor to make it good. As reported in Wednesday night's BEN Nicholas Gleaves from Bolton is now starring in the glittering romantic drama Poldark.

And the career of 17-year-old Smithills boy Paul Nicholls continues to go from strength to strength in the BBC soap EastEnders.

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