The starmaker

Blackpool-born drama teacher Danell Dearden has been hailed "an inspiration" by 17-year-old Fylde twins Laura and Rebekah Mansfield, who along with Katey Siddall, 19, have recently won acting contracts with the BBC after learning drama with Danell.

But the 37-year-old head of expressive and performing arts at Lytham St Annes High school is modest about the praise.

"I have got a brilliant team of teachers," she said. "It may seem like it's down to me, but when students go for their auditions they stand out because they are so confident in all areas of theatre.

"They don't just learn to perform -- they do so many other things like lighting and making costumes."

The mum of two is kept busy at the Worsley Road school, with 50 drama GCSE students, two shows a year and countless other events.

She said: "As a drama teacher you are just a person who comes up with ideas for a lot of kids who want to do it anyway!

"Drama is a subject that I have always felt very passionate about -- enabling students to be confident in society and developing communication skills. I get a great deal of pleasure out of the success that they achieve."

She said many people now go into the performing arts after going to university first.

"A lot of pupils want to go into the media and performing arts one way or another, but they have got to be well-rounded. I try to steer children through a more academic route," she said.

And the 5ft 10in tall former dancer knows all about hard work. She left school with only one O-Level in drama, she said.

Despite a year as a dancer with the famous Bluebells and a year at the glamorous Moulin Rouge, she decided dancing was not for her.

After "years of night school and A Levels", and a foundation course in drama, she became a student at Lancaster University, graduating at 27 with a degree in theatre studies.

"I think part of that inspires me to say to pupils, 'Look, you don't need to be a brilliant academic. You can achieve -- never give up'."