Actress Georgia Slowe, a former Emmerdale star and Royal Shakespeare Company member, recently wrote, produced and acted in the short film Four Tails, a comedy about four dog walkers which was filmed on Hampstead Heath. She lives in Hampstead with her partner, photographer Stuart McClymont, teenage sons Josh and Ben, and Sadie the family dog.

What brought you to Hampstead?

I was born and have lived most of my life in Hampstead. I have had brief periods where I have lived elsewhere but always return, as it’s my place.

What is the area’s best kept secret?

I love the telescope in the Little Hampstead Observatory near Whitestone Pond and I also adore the ring-tailed lemurs in Golders Hill Park. If you have a dog with you, they all rush down to have a look.

What makes you smile on your way home?

I enjoy all the little tit-bits of knowledge I’ve learned about the area over the years. The aristocracy of London Town used to send their laundry to be washed in Hampstead’s special waters and the washer-women would hang out all the noble bloomers to dry on the prickly holly bushes that used to line the hill. This vision makes me smile as I walk up the hill from the Tube on my way home.

Is there anything about Hampstead you would like to see changed or improved?

I would appreciate it if in the winter they would grit all the small roads in and around Hampstead. My road always seems to get left out and I’m a bad driver at the best of times.

If you were editor of the Ham&High for a day, what local issue would you champion?

I would move all the estate agents in Hampstead from the ground floor of shops to the first floor. They need to be hidden or disguised. They are ugly and there are too many of them.

Who is the most inspiring person you have ever met?

I did once meet Lord Olivier many years ago. He came to see a play I was in and kissed my hand after the show, I was utterly thrilled.

Do you prefer acting or writing?

I love both acting and writing. What I appreciate about writing is the freedom to do it when I want and about whatever inspires me.

If you had to write your own epitaph, what would it say?

How lucky I was to have had Hampstead Heath as my office.