Yorkshire and the Humber next to the A19 at the A645 roundabout, directly south of the Eggborough power station. Optare make buses on a large industrial estate in Sherburn-in-Elmet (previously in Cross Gates in Leeds before May 2011), and have been part of Hinduja Group since 2012. Leeds is now a centre of financial services companies, with Direct Line and First Direct based there, as well as Asda, Arla Foods UK (maker of Lurpak and Anchor butter) in Stourton near the A639 junction 44 of the M1 (formerly in Kirkstall near Yorkshire Television). The Green Flag roadside recovery firm has its main call centre
Hugo Drax the Drax of the novel, he is implied to be French (as he was portrayed by French actor Michael Lonsdale), although this is never explicitly mentioned. Though Drax lives in California, he resides in a fully imported French château for which "every stone [was] brought from France" – Drax also supposedly owns the Eiffel Tower, but wasn't allowed to export it from France in a similar manner because the French government wouldn't issue him an export permit for it. Drax portrays himself as an accomplished pianist, as evidenced by his recital of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude in D-flat major (op. 28)