BBC Classic Drama Collection - North and South - Casting Richard Armitage

I was asked by LilyVegas if I could post the story of Richard Armitage's casting as John Thornton in North and South from the BBC Classic Drama Collection (www.classicdramaDVD.com). You can view it here. Enjoy!
PS: Let me know if you can't read the article - it seems OK using the Mac but other computers may not read the image as well.