A FORMER Preston student is making a name for herself on the small screen after landing a top role in a popular television drama.

Preston College dance and drama student Rebecca Atkinson, 20, was selected from hundreds to play a cheeky trouble-making teenager Karen Jackson in the offbeat drama Shameless.

The programme, currently being shown on Channel 4, at 10pm on Tuesdays, follows the lives and loves of an anarchic family living on a Manchester housing estate.

Rebecca's 16-year-old character gets tangled up in some raunchy scenes with alcoholic Frank, played by David Threlfall, who is also very friendly with Rebecca's screen mother.

Rebecca said: "I seem to have been cast as the person who causes a stir quite a few times now; I call it the 'love interest' because there always seems to be some intimate involvement too!

"I think it is a lot easier to play someone who has quite a wicked streak in them and it is fun because in real life you just can't be like that and have people like you.

"Originally I think the intention was to cast someone younger but because some of the scenes are quite raunchy I think a younger actress would have found it quite daunting, I know I would have a few years ago!

"But I couldn't believe my luck when I went for the audition and they told me I'd got the part more or less straight away because I was exactly what they were looking for."

But this is not the actress's only television appearance. While studying at the St Vincent's Road college last year talented Rebecca, from Manchester, won a part in the recently axed TV show, Heartbeat, and performed alongside actress Amanda Holden in the drama special, Now You See Her.

Since then Rebecca has appeared in six episodes of Coronation Street, causing a stir with Jason and Kirk on their recent trip to Blackpool and appeared in a Christmas special of ITV's The Royal.

She has also appeared in promotional videos as well as in a short film called Function at the Junction.