ASPIRING actress Clarissa Howarth has landed a round-the-clock role in an internet soap opera which is already being compared with smash hit Big Brother.

Clarissa, 20, from Sydney Avenue, Pennington, is one of four fame-hungry women whose lives will be screened 24 hours a day on the website, called Girls On Film.

The four have moved into a camera-filled house at a secret North West location.

Visitors to their website will follow the girls' trials and triumphs as they continue their quest to break into the world of showbiz.

The Girls on Film site -- at www.girlsonfilmonline.com -- has already been visited more than 400,000 times.

Clarissa said: "We are being noticed now which is what we have always wanted. I have wanted this since I was three. It's really exciting."

Cameras will follow the girls as they attend auditions for coveted drama and dancing jobs as well as filming them at home. But unlike Channel Four's Big Brother, the bathroom is a camera-free zone and sex and nudity are forbidden.

Another twist is that viewers can interact with the girls in internet chatrooms.

Clarissa and the other three, who were chosen from 4,000 respondents to an advert in stage and screen magazine The Stage, say they have already adapted to their new goldfish bowl existence.

"We have got used to it. We have had months to get used to the cameras and we're just not bothered about it."

Clarissa completed a professional dancing course after leaving school at 16 and many local people would have already seen her perform for the Lowton Operatic and Dramatic Society.

Monica Bibby, the group's wardrobe mistress and former secretary, said: "She wasn't with us very long but she was a very good dancer and starred with us in 42nd Street and played Sleeping Beauty in one of our pantomines."

Manchester United supporter Clarissa hopes Girls On Film will help make her a famous face.

She said: "My main ambition is to get a short-term role in a young soap opera or a drama series. In complete contrast, I'd like to join a pop band to make the most of my training as a singer."

The girls have contracts for at least six months but will be able to leave the show at any time if they secure their big break.

Events are broadcast with just a 30 second delay from real time. Programme-makers Arctic Productions say the site is suitable for all ages and there is no age restriction on visits.

Pictured are the internet cast of Girls On Film, from left: Cleo, Kim, Clarissa and Aimee.