BURNLEY-BORN actor Richard Moore says his career has been pretty much ‘like running a marathon’.

And the sprightly 68-year-old will be setting out on yet another 26.3 miles when he hits the streets of London on April 17.

Mr Moore, best known for his role in Emmerdale as Jarvis Skelton, is running in aid of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research as part of the Banana Army.

The Clarets-mad fan is backing the same charity as his beloved team, with the Burnley FC junior shirts bearing the name this year.

Mr Moore, who began his career with 10 years in The Royal Shakespeare Company after training at Bristol Old Vic drama school has also had parts on Band Of Gold, The Bill, Gold Plated, Born and Bred and Where the Heart Is.

He said: “I have been running marathons since the 1980s and the Banana Army was a team set up and sponsored by the TV Times.

“There are a lot of soap actors who run with the team although I am not quite sure who will be taking part in London.

“The acting profession is very much a marathon rather than a sprint.

I am between engagements at the moment but I have a few things in the pipeline.”

Having complete the Great North Run last year, training for his latest run started on Boxing Day, in the rain.

Despite running previous marathons in less than three hours, Mr Moore and his dodgy knee will be happy just to complete the world’s most famous marathon.

The lifelong Claret, who still regularly travels from his family home in Cornwall to games at Turf Moor, said: “The running joke is that I refer to my body part as ‘the knee’ and so far he seems to be holding up ok.

“I will probably stumble and saunter round in five or six hours now but the time doesn’t really matter, the pain is still the same.

“I raised £1,000 from the Great North Run and I have a target of £1,5000 for the London Marathon so any donations will be greatly received.”

Fellow celebrity Claret Alastair Campbell, the former director of communications for Tony Blair, is also a supporter of the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research and a keen runner himself.

To sponsor Mr Moore, click on the link below.