Eight hopefuls to be mentored in screen acting

Bill Bailey is to host a new BBC Two series giving eight aspiring stars their first taste of screen acting.

Over six episodes of the reality series Bring the Drama, the hopefuls will be mentored by casting director Kelly Valentine Hendry, who has has worked on shows including Bridgerton, Gangs of London, Ghosts and Broadchurch. 

They will be welcomed on to the sets of dramas such as Peaky Blinders, EastEnders and Silent Witness to recreate scenes with the real scripts, real cameras and the real time pressures that professional actors face. 

They will also given advice  from established actors including Natalie Cassidy, Genesis Lynea, Charles Venn, Ed Speeler  and Rochenda Sandall as well as industry experts such as fight  and intimacy co-ordinators.

 At the end of the process, Valentine Hendry selects three actors she feels are industry-ready to present their showreel at a major showcase for agents.

All eight hopefuls secured their place on the BBC show through an open casting call, which attracted almost 2,000 amateur actors.

Bailey said: ‘It has been a delight to work on Bring The Drama and witness first-hand how the actors have grown in confidence and skills over the weeks. 

‘What I particularly liked was the way it shows the whole process of making TV - being on an actual set, with a real crew to help you learn what it’s really like. It was great fun but also a brilliant insight into how casting works and a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes of some of our most popular tv shows."

Valentine Hendry added: ‘Historically it has been much easier to break into the industry if you come from a privileged background and the more we can do to change that, the better. 

‘This series is a brilliant way to emphasise and celebrate that great talent can come from anywhere. And above all, it’s a real insight into all the hard work that goes into bringing great drama to screen. It’s not easy – in fact, I think people will be surprised by how challenging it is.’

To accompany the series, made by Wall to Wall Media UK, the BBC has created the Bring The Drama Festival  – a six-week programme of hundreds of careers events around the UK aimed at helping  people get into offscreen jobs in theatre, film and TV

Suzy Klein, head of arts TV at the BBC, explained: ‘We conceived Bring the Drama to shine a light on the fascinating world of being an actor – to show the expertise and skills needed to succeed and the challenges of breaking into such a fiercely competitive industry. 

‘Our acting cohort, like many people in the UK, have a real passion for drama but none of them have had the opportunity to go into the profession. 

‘With input from some of the UK’s leading drama schools, we developed a series that would really get under the bonnet of what it takes to become an actor, and were privileged to get onset with some of the country’s biggest TV dramas.’

Full details of the Bring The Drama Festival will be on the Eric creative careers app from February 1 as well as via the BBC Arts website.

Picture are : Bill Bailey, Natalie Cassidy and Kelly Valentine Hendry on the Queen Vic set of EastEnders.

Published: 17 Jan 2024