A BLACKBURN actress appearing in a new BBC TV drama series today paid tribute to the grandfather who steered her towards stardom.

Charlotte Davies, 19, said her late grandfather would have been especially proud of her role in the BBC2 series Brief Lives, which is being filmed in Blackburn and due for broadcast next year.

Bill Marsden, of Cherry Close, Blackburn, encouraged her to act and drove her to auditions across the country despite his heavy workload.

But he died from cancer in April, aged 63, just before Charlotte landed her role in the series, which is set in the north and stars Phil Daniels as a solicitor.

Charlotte said: "He would have been really proud of me now. It's so sad he's not here. He worked 12-hour nightshifts six days a week, and was a proper grafter all his life. Yet he took me to auditions and always said 'if it's your dream, then go for it'.

"Unless you come from a loaded family, it can be very hard to break into acting because work is very unreliable. I had nothing for years. So my grandparents' support was really important. I think grandad was proud of my persistence and enthusiasm."

Bill worked as a security guard for Philips, at Whitebirk. He was previously a postman at BAE Systems at Samlesbury and served with 3 Parachute Regiment in Cyprus as a young man.

Charlotte's grandma, Marjorie Marsden, 71, said: "I'm very proud of Charlotte and so was my husband. She is a hard worker and very dedicated. And she deserves this success."

As a youngster, Charlotte sang and danced at Blackburn's St Peter's RC Primary School and St Bede's RC High School. She joined a casting agency aged just 11 and was a member of Darwen Youth Theatre, appearing in Godspell, Cabaret and Romeo and Juliet.

Later, she studied drama at Accrington and Rossendale College's Rawtenstall site. She then joined acting agencies in Manchester and Bolton, including Nemesis, run by Nigel Martin Smith, who put together pop band Take That.

Charlotte said: "He was very pushy and if he thought you were rubbish, he would say so. But he told me not to give up -- to keep pursuing my ambition."

She later landed parts on Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, Brookside, and then Playing The Field and Bob and Rose.

But she is not star-struck: "I generally prefer smaller production companies, where people seem friendlier. And I love working with Ricky Tomlinson, who's really down-to-earth."

Charlotte now lives in Wales after meeting 23-year-old boyfriend Philip Wilce in Ibiza, where she was working as a dancer.