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22
Dec 2024
Meet the man behind the Yorkshire Grinch
The Yorkshire Grinch is booked and busy this festive season, delighting crowds at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate and elsewhere.
The Stray Ferret caught up with the man behind the mask just before Christmas.
The character, played by North Yorkshire man Ryan Swain, 34, is based on the lead from the 2000 film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, starring Jim Carrey.
Mr Swain performs as the Grinch in all corners of the UK, and his day job is just as bizarre.
The Malton man who moonlights as the Grinch is a DJ, presenter, actor, and skate park owner by day.
He began his love of entertainment from an early age and studied at a performing arts school in Scarborough.
His first experience of playing the Grinch came last year when he was hired as an actor at a Christmas grotto, but rather than appearing as an elf he was handed a furry green suit and let loose.
He soon fell in love with the character and decided to pursue his calling as the Yorkshire Grinch.
He said:
The foundations for the character have always been with me.
Jim Carrey has always been a massive inspiration of mine and the character has really taken off. I just wanted to play it as authentically as possible but also put my own spin on it.
Ryan Swain and him in character as The Yorkshire Grinch
Mr Swain says he is the only Grinch in Yorkshire, and his costly suit was specially handmade and imported from America by a special effects company.
He has now been performing as the character for around six months.
He said:
I think people are looking for alternatives now rather than the traditional meet Santa and get a present.
It’s about making people laugh and none of it is scripted, it is all improvised, which means I can let my imagination run wild.
The Grinch is a very misunderstood character, and is a massively popular Christmas character.
He is portrayed as miserable, but he doesn’t hate Christmas, he hates people. But I’m not negative and my whole idea is to bring Christmas back rather than steal it.
He said that the character doesn’t truly come together until he is head to toe in green fur and that he can often be found at home practising his facial expressions in the mirror.
I can always do the impressions, but it doesn’t work until you’ve got the makeup and the rubber mask on. When you are in costume you really feel like the character.
I feel very at home and at ease as the Grinch, it comes very naturally. I feel like I have a lot of similarities with him.
The Yorkshire Grinch at a previous performance with Chris Kamara
Mr Swain told the Stray Ferret he was fully booked for 2024 and had events as the Grinch from November 22 to January 5 and even had some appearances pencilled in his dairy for next Christmas.
He added that his biggest performance has been The Wakefield BID Awards where he and former footballer Chris Kamara shared the spotlight.
When we caught up with Mr Swain he was preparing to embark on his ten-day stint as the Grinch at Santa’s Christmas Funland hosted at the Yorkshire Events Centre in Harrogate.
He said "10 days is a real privilege and it is the event that I am most excited for this year."
His main target audience is families, but he is considering DJing as the Grinch or even appearing on a skateboard next Christmas.
He said:
As the Yorkshire Grinch the possibilities are endless. I just want to bring festive cheer rather than festive sneer.
The Yorkshire Grinch
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