A BURY-based drama workshop has become a happy hunting ground for TV companies searching for the stars of tomorrow.

For a number of children and teenagers attached to the thriving Whitefield Drama Workshop in Broad Street have now become familiar faces on a clutch of popular television programmes.

And with owner Carol Godby, of Westbourne Avenue, Whitefield, opening a similar workshop in Bolton, the enviable TV trend is set to continue.

At present, more than 400 youngsters are members of the workshop, which was founded by Carol seven years ago.

The workshop offers youngsters their first tentative steps into the world of drama and a golden opportunity to hopefully subsequently appear in television and theatre productions.

And Carol is justifiably proud of the recognition which has been bestowed upon her workshop by TV companies like Granada and Yorkshire which have selected local youngsters to feature in a variety of programmes.

Elton High School pupil Stefan Podolchuk is the latest drama workshop member to emerge. He has been selected to play a role in Yorkshire TV's highly-popular "Heartbeat" series.

Whitefield youngsters Linzi Paige and Joseph Aston can now be seen in Granada TV's "Coronation Street", playing the part of bogus pilot Jon Lindsay's children.

And Joseph's brother, Thomas, is currently filming for the "Peak Practice" series, while Woodhey High School pupil Terry Thomas plays a young Heathcliff in a TV remake of "Wuthering Heights".

Other drama workshop members, Vicky Binns, Alexandra Hardman and Matthew Hodgkiss have made appearances in the children's TV programme, "The Ward".

Carol said: "I take them from aged four and they usually stay with us until they are 20. We give them all the basics in drama and more besides. We give them life skills and do things like interviewing techniques to build them up.

"We also do social skills to enable the children to mix with others. It's important they are able to conduct themselves properly and communicate effectively."

During the day, Carol runs her own agency, Linton Management, which has many of the workshop youngsters on its books. And TV companies have been beating a path to her door, eager to sign up aspiring young actors and actresses.

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