Mark’s Birmingham accent is fairly soft after four years in London. He has an easy smile, olive skin and friendly eyes as he shakes my hand, quite firmly. His unusual look is striking and it is understandable that most people think that he is Swedish.
He laughs as I ask him about his heritage — a common question apparently — and tells me that he is, in fact, 100 per cent British despite his long blond hair and angular cheekbones.